THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 
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From  the  collection  of 
Julius  Doerner,  Chicago 
Purchased,  1918. 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  LIBRARY  AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 

From  the  collection  of 
Julius  Doerner,  Chicago 
Purchased,  1918. 

917-3 

1&51 


/ 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 

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■ 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

0KIYEBS1IY  CF  ILLIRSIS 


VIEW  OF  THE  PARK  AND  CITY  IIALL  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


PICTORIAL  DESCRIPTION 


UNITED  STATES; 

E 31  BRACING  THE 

HISTORY,  GEOGRAPHICAL  POSITION,  AGRICULTURAL  AND  MINERAL 
RESOURCES,  POPULATION,  MANUFACTURES,  COMMERCE,  AND 
SKETCHES  OF  CITIES,  TOWNS,  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS, 

ETC.,  ETC. 

INTERSPERSED  WITH 

REVOLUTIONARY  AND  OTHER  INTERESTING  INCIDENTS  CONNECTED  WITH 
THE  EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY* 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS. 


BOSTON : 

LEE  AND  SHEPARD. 

Ci&j-') 


> 


if 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  history  of  America  has  not,  like  that  of  the  Old  World,  the  charm  of  classical  or 
romantic  associations  ; but  in  useful  instruction  and  moral  dignity,  it  has  no  equal.  It  is 
scarce  three  quarters  of  a century  since  this  fair  and  flourishing  republic  was  a colony  of 
England,  scarcely  commanding  the  means  of  existence  without  the  aid  of  the  mother-coun- 
try, who  was  herself  oppressed  by  European  wars.  Our  puritan  forefathers  began  in  the 
rough  fields  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut,  on  a broad,  comprehensive 
principle,  which  has  gone  forth  to  fraternize  the  world.  Our  history,  therefore,  like  that 
poetical  temple  of  fame  reared  by  the  imagination  of  Chaucer,  and  decorated  by  the  taste 
of  Pope,  is  almost  exclusively  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  truly  great.  Within,  no 
idle  ornament  encumbers  its  bold  simplicity.  The  pure  light  of  heaven  enters  from  above, 
and  sheds  an  equal  and  serene  radiance  around.  As  the  eye  wanders  about  its  extent,  it 
beholds  the  unadorned  monuments  of  brave  and  good  men,  who'have  bled  or  toiled  for  their 
country ; or  it  rests  on  votive  tablets  inscribed  with  the  names  of  the  blessed  benefactors 
of  mankind. 

The  puritans  of  England — the  resolute  conquerors  of  the  lakes  and  forests  of  the  New 
World — occupied,  in  the  first  period  of  their  social  existence,  the  depressed  position  of  a Euro- 
pean colony  ; but  the  spirit  of  liberty  which  had  led  them  to  these  wild  regions,  and  the  gifts 
of  a magnificent  and  fertile  nature,  were  sufficient  to  prepare  them  for  their  high  destiny.  * 
This  rude  apprenticeship  lasted  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  the  hour  of 


* We  rejoice  to  see  a disposition  manifested  by  the  con- 
ductors of  the  secular  press,  to  sanction  the  great  princi- 
ples of  morality  and  religion,  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
social  happiness  and  national  prosperity.  We  have  no  confi- 
dence in  the  stability  and  success  of  any  form  of  government 
which  does  not  recognise  God  “ as  the  Ruler  of  nations.” 

“ Washington  was  undoubtedly  the  man  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.  He  was  raised  up  by  Providence  for  the 
accomplishment  of  a most  important  and  difficult  work. 
But  wise  and  gifted  as  he  was,  he  would  never  have 
achieved  the  sublime  results  which  crowned  his  efforts,  if 
he  had  not  had  the  best  material  the  world  has  ever  fur- 
nished, for  laying  the  foundation  of  a government,  under 
whose  beneficent  influences  we  have  been  happy  and 
prosperous.  Indeed,  the  germs  of  our  republic  may  be 
traced  back  long  prior  to  the  Revolution.  They  are  seen 
in  the  spirit,  the  intelligence,  the  probity,  the  indomitable 


perseverance,  and  the  piety,  of  the  little  band  who  reached 
our  shores  in  the  May-Flower.  It  was  there,  in  the  solemn 
compact  into  which  they  entered  before  leaving  their  frail 
bark,  that  we  see  the  incipient  steps  taken  which  led  on, 
by  a process  slow  but  sure,  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. There  is  nothing  that  rouses  our  indignation 
more  effectually,  than  to  hear  the  miserable  prating  of 
some  who  have  yet  to  learn  the  rudiments  of  our  true  his- 
tory, throwing  out  their  sneers,  and  casting  contempt  upon 
those  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  their  rich  privileges, 
and  whose  ‘ shoe’s  latchet  they  are  not  worthy  to  unloose.’ 
Such  a man 

“ ‘ I*  fit  for  treason,  stratagems,  and  spoils; 

The  motions  of  bis  spirit  are  dull  as  night, 

And  his  affections  dark  as  Erebus. 

Let  no  such  man  be  trusted.’  " 

Philadelphia  North  American. 


chano-e  struck  ; and  in  the  night  of  the  18th  of  April,  1775,  the  cannons  of  Lexington  called 
a new-born  nation  to  regenerate  the  world.  The  people  rose  as  one  man,  and  turning  the 
ploughshare  that  tilled  the  soil  into  a sword  to  defend  it,  they  threw  themselves  upon  their 
uni  us  t oppressors,  and  proclaimed  at  Philadelphia  the  immortal  principles  of  self-govern- 
ment that  made  tyrants  tremble  and  every  generous  heart  palpitate  with  joyful  hope.  At 
that  moment  a new  name  was  inscribed  on  the  catalogue  of  great  nations.  If  not  in  na- 
tional importance,  it  was  great  by  the  moral  influence  it  immediately  exercised  on  the 
world.  England,  overwhelmed  with  a debt  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  and  a hall 
millions  sterling  chargeable  with  an  annual  interest  of  four  and  a half  millions,  wished  to 
transfer  a portion  of  the  burden  to  her  colonies,  and  attempted  to  infringe  their  rights  by 
the  imposition  of  the  celebrated  stamp-tax.  The  colonists  admitted  the  justice  of  all  the 
members  of  a confederation  contributing,  according  to  their  ability,  to  the  support  of  the 
common  government,  since  the  prosperity  of  each  depends  on  the  security  and  well-being 
of  all  but  declared  they  could  not  and  ought  not  share  in  the  expenses  of  a war  with  which 
thev  had  nothing  to  do,  and  a luxurious  court  which  was  equally  repugnant  to  their  repose 
and  American  simplicity.  At  first  England  affected  to  acknowledge  the  right  of  the  colo- 
nies to  refuse  to  pay  for  faults  they  had  no  share  in  committing ; but  after  the  pause  of  a 
few  years,  she  renewed  her  attacks  under  a different  form.  With  equal  firmness  America 
re nelled  the  second  attempt  to  violate  her  liberties;  and  England,  offended  at  this  unex- 
ampled audacity,  closed  the  port  of  Boston,  and  kindled  the  flames  of  a war  wnich  doubled 
her  troublesome  debt.  Then  appeared  the  host  of  blazing  meteors  that  illumined  the  path 
of  our  Revolution,  and  now  watch  in  their  high  spheres  over  our  safety.  They  broke  the 
chains  of  thirteen  colonies,  and  offered  to  the  astonished  world  the  most  sublime  spectacle 
of  ancient  or  modern  times— the  fusion  of  all  races,  tongues,  and  sects,  in  the  one  political 
religion  of  liberty.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  found  thirteen  states  and  three  mill- 
ions of  people;  now  there  are  thirty-one  states,  and  a population  of  twenty-five  millions 
The  whole  exterior  commerce  of  the  republic,  at  1780,  amounted  to  about  eight  and  a half 
millions  annually  ; now  our  annual  exports  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  millions, 
while  our  internal  commerce  is  valued  at  five  hundred  millions  per  year,  without  estima- 

^What  a change  has  the  progress  of  civilization  effected  on  this  vast  continent  during  the 
last  two  centuries;  and  what  a glorious  change  to  the  enlightened  mind.  Then  a few 
ill-constructed  roads,  and  the  water-courses  nature  had  bestowed,  were  our  only  means  of 
intercommunication  ; now,  about  ten  thousand  miles  of  railway  and 
i which  embrace,  in  continuous  lines  of  navigation,  thirty  thousand  miles  of  aad 
render  the  most  northern  corner  of  Maine  nearer  in  time  to  Florida  and  Mexl.(r91t^a^as^^' 
ton  to  Charleston  in  those  days.  Steam  and  the  magnetic  telegraph  have  a^hdajfn  d as^ 
A few  years  ago,  and  the  majestic  forest  spread  its  wing  far  and  wide,  and  the  Indian  was 
monarch  of  all  he  surveyed— tiaversing  its  wilds  with  his  spear,  or  navigating  its  lakes 
with  his  bark  canoe.  What  was  once  gloomy  forests  is  now  beautiful  villages  and  populous 
cities  teeming  with  industrious  and  intelligent  inhabitants,  minjstermg  to  the  wants  of  the 
mother-country.  Our  vast  prairies  are  now  becoming  thrifty  farms,  and  the  produce  of  every 
climate  smilesupon  our  shores.  The  application  of  steam  to  various  purposes  has  produced 
wonderful results.  America  and  England  are  brought  withm  a t™-days  voy^  and  Ch,na 
will  in  fifty  years  be,  comparatively,  as  near  as  England  now  is:  the  whole  world  3!;*^ 
be  neighbors  to  each  other,  and  peace  and  good  will  universally  prevail  among  mankind. 


In 


progress  of  our  own  country  in  populatio: 

* The  following  passage  will  realize  to  our  readers  the 

condition  of  things  two  hundred  years  ago:— 

“ The  number  of  the  pilgrims  was  but  one  hundred,  all 
told.  The  bark  in  which  they  crossed  the  ocean  was  ot 
less  capacity  than  that  of  one  of  the  cratt  which  navigate 
our  Schuylkill  canal.  The  length  of  their  voyage  was  the 
same  with  that  of  Columbus,  a little  more  than  a century 
before.  The  Spaniards  had  held  their  ‘revels  m the  halls 
of  the  Montezumas’  during  the  greater  part  of  this  centu- 
ry. Virginia  had  been  settled  a few  years,  and  contained 
from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  inhabitants.  What  we 
now  call  New  England  was  regarded  as  an  island— a mis- 
take  not  corrected  in  old  England  so  late  as  the  time  ot  an 
official  despatch  of  Lord  North’s  during  our  Revolution. 
They  came  from  England,  and  our  thoughts  are  natural.y 
turned  to  the  condition  of  things  in  England  at  the  time. 
They  had  not  much  glass  for  their  houses,  and  not  a great 
deal  of  linen  for  their  persons;  no  tea  or  coffee,  «nd  out 
little  sugar  for  their  tables,  in  old  England  then.  They  had 
no  science  of  chymistry  or  of  geology  ; no  knowledge  of 


the  preparation  of  the  following  work,  we  have  found  new  reason  to  admire  the  rapid 
ess  of  our  own  country  in  population,  the  arts,  and  the  various  institutions  which  ac- 


electricity  or  of  the  power  of  steam  ; scarcely  any  manu- 
factures, but  very  imperfect  agriculture,  and  very  little 
horticulture.  Crossbows  had  scarcely  gone  out  ot  use  in 
war,  and  their  firearms  generally  had  matchlocks.  They 
had  their  old  baronial  establishments,  their  ruined  castles, 
and  deserted  monasteries ; their  magnificent  cathedrals, 
their  two  great  universities,  their  vast  enclosures  lor  parks 
and  preserves.  They  had  monuments  ot  the  times  ol  the 
Druids,  and  abiding  evidence  that  England,  for  two  centu- 
ries, had  been  a Roman  province.  They  boasted  ot  a con- 
stitution ; but  it  existed  principally  in  custom,  depending 
upon  uncertain  memory,  and  there  were  precedents  oi  all 
kinds— those  favoring  prerogative  greatiy  prevailing  over 
those  in  favor  of  liberty.  From  the  peasant  to  the  prince, 
the  distance  was  more  awful  than  we  can  well  imagine. 
For  five  thousand  years  the  human  race  had  been  subject, 
all  the  world  over,  to  the  dominion  of  arbitrary  power. 
From  the  earliest  period  of  recorded  time,  history  had 
been  occupied  with  the  rise  and  fall  of  kingdoms  and  of 
kings.” 


INTRODUCTION. 


vii 


company  and  promote  civilization,  morals,  and  religion,  as  well  as  national  extension, 
wealth,  and  power.  Great  pains  have  been  taken,  and  expense  incurred,  to  introduce 
some  of  the  most  important,  appropriate,  and  interesting  scenes,  sketches  of  character,  and 
other  matters  embraced  in  the  wide  surface  of  the  American  Union.  In  the  older  states,  the 
historical  details  offered  for  a work  of  this  kind  are  superabundant ; and  the  only  difficulty 
is  found  in  making  a selection  of  periods,  and  in  sufficiently  condensing  the  matter,  without 
reducing  it  to  the  form  of  mere  statistics.  Respecting  the  new  states,  we  can  assure  the 
reader  that  the  labor  of  collecting  the  latest  and  most  authentic  information  has  been  very 
great.  We  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  our  obligations  to  those  benevolent  and  intelli- 
gent friends  at  a distance  who  have  aided  us  in  collecting  the  most  recent  statistics  relating 
to  some  of  the  most  flourishing  parts  of  our  country. 

We  can  not  but  feel,  in  looking  upon  the  numerous  and  important  subjects  to  which  the 
attention  of  our  readers  is  here  directed — as  we  pass  from  one  portion  of  the  country  to  an- 
other, that  they,  as  well  as  ourselves,  must  naturally  and  almost  unavoidably  be  strongly 
impressed  with  several  great  and  salutary  reflections.  To  read  the  history  of  any  country 
or  people,  without  permanent  benefit,  would  be  to  waste  time  and  to  abuse  one  of  the  most 
important  branches  of  human  knowledge  ; but  to  pass  over  descriptions  of  our  own  land, 
and  the  history  of  our  own  people,  without  giving  them  any  serious  regard,  or  drawing  from 
them  any  of  those  interesting  and  salutary  lessons  which  they  are  adapted  to  supply,  be- 
yond almost  any  other  part  of  the  world  or  portion  of  the  human  farpily,  would  prove  a 
frivolity  of  mind,  or  an  insensibility  of  heart,  too  great  for  any  author  willingly  to  attribute 
to  the  circle  of  his  readers. 

We  are  indeed  aware  of  the  extent  to  which  the  floods  of  fictitious  writings,  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  vitiate  the  public  taste,  waste  the  time,  enfeeble  the  mind,  and,  alas  ! pervert  the 
heart ; and  we  find  new  reason  every  day  to  lament  the  various  evils,  both  mental  and 
moral,  which  are  brought  upon  individuals  and  society  by  that  pernicious  cause.  But  still 
we  know  full  well,  that  there  are  those  who  keep  their  minds  and  their  hearts  free  from 
the  contamination,  as  well  as  the  debilitating  influences,  of  that  miserable  kind  of  reading 
(which  deserves  not  the  title  of  literature),  and  that  there  are  persons,  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,  whose  native  strength  of  intellect  and  manly  Christian  principles  have  never  been 
subjected  to  the  insidious,  injurious,  and  often  ruinous  influence  of  fiction-reading.  Heavy 
responsibility  rests  upon  those  who  write  for  the  public.  Tutors  of  the  world,  they  may 
not  lightly  assume  nor  thoughtlessly  discharge  a very  important  office.  Every  line  found 
wanting  in  moral  tone  should  be  instantly  erased.  Incalculable  evil  may  follow  its  publi- 
cation—for  in  that  the  depraved  find  countenance,  and  the  young  example  and  encourage- 
ment. He  is  without  excuse— nay,  he  is  grossly  culpable— who  trifles  with  the  welfare 
of  society,  or  neglects  to  do  good  when  opportunity  is  presented.  A bad  thought  uttered  in  i 
print  is  not  addressed  to  a single  individual,  but  to  the  whole  community. 

While  others,  though  it  may  be  by  thousands,  devote  their  leisure  hours  to  subjects  of  a I 
frivolous  and  unreal  nature,  our  readers,  we  would  fain  hope,  will  employ  them  in  the  more 
rational  and  useful  task  of  reviewing  the  aspect,  resources,  and  history,  of  their  own  native 
land,  and  the  prosperous  and  powerful  nation  to  which  they  belong.  The  materials  for 
such  a review  we  now  place  before  them,  in  such  number  and  variety  as  the  limits  assigned 
by  such  a publication  permit ; and  the  public  will  do  us  the  justice  to  allow  that  great 
labor  has  been  bestowed  on  these  pages,  and  that  we  have  collected  an  amount  of  authentic 
information  not  easily  to  be  surpassed  in  importance,  variety,  and  interest,  without  greatly 
exceeding  the  limits  to  which  we  have  been  confined.  It  has  been  our  constant  study  to 
pursue  the  happy  medium  between  the  dry  record  of  facts  and  dates,  and  the  diffuse  and 
detached  descriptions  to  which  the  abundance  of  pleasing  topics  invited  us  at  every  step. 

Although  four  years  have  not  elapsed  since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  issued  from  the 
press,  yet  a thorough  revision  of  it  has  been  imperatively  demanded  from  the  many  and 
extraordinary  changes  that  have,  in  that  brief  period,  occurred  in  every  section  of  the 
country  ; the  most  remarkable  instance  of  which  is  the  recent  acquisition,  discovery  of 
the  mineral  wealth,  and  settlement  of  California,  resulting  in  the  addition,  without  its 
going  through  the  usual  territorial  probation,  of  a new  state  to  the  Union  upon  the  very 
western  verge  of  the  American  continent.  About  fifty  pages  have  been  added  to  the 
original  size  of  the  work,  comprising  a full  historical  and  descriptive  account  of  the  above- 
named  new  Pacific  state,  with  appropriate  illustrations,  and  of  the  territories  of  Minne- 
sota, New  Mexico,  and  Utah.  Many  important  facts  have  been  greatly  condensed,  and 
many  circumstances  of  minor  consequence  excluded  for  want  of  room  ; but  we  trust  that 
the  reader  will  see  that  we  have,  throughout  the  volume,  had  in  view  his  own  gratifica- 
tion and  lasting  advantage ; and  that  he  will  arise  from  its  perusal  with  the  reflection  that 
it  has  brought  him ‘a  strengthened  mind  and  an  improved  heart. 


INTRODUCTION. 


One  of  the  first  reflections  to  “^Tsurf^  aTcIL""lS 

rise,  is,  that  we  have  a ternto  y gureg  an(j  secured,  by  its  position,  from  many  of 

numerous  and  inexhaustibh 31 oountries  are  exposed.  Without  powerful  neighbors,  jealous 
the  evils  to  which  most  other  countn  aifd  threatening  to  interfere  in  our  concerns,  as  ' 

of  our  prosperity,  watching  o e are  ieft  free  from  apprehensions  of  such  dilhcul- 

TdtsrS'STS — — ** 

in  all  PaIts°f  U\  -li  ^d^ust  regard  for  each  other  which  is  essential  to  the  existence  of  a 
can  not  feel  that  1 high ^and l J S eral  diffusion  of  accurate  knowledge,  respecting  all 

strong  spirit  of  brotherhood.  e g egteemed  as  an  important  public  object,  as  it  is  one 
parts  of  the  country,  is  theref  end.  While  aU  look  with  intelligent  interest 

of  the  principal  means  to  s^re  to * * te  and  territory,  in  different  branches  of  1m- 
°„  the  P^f/XUof  g ™at  and  good  m»n  will  be  appreciated,  and  a noble  rivalry  main- 

iaTried,  from  which  the  by  a knowledge  of  past  ex- 

All  history,  however,  is  only  use  *1  ius  Gf  self-government  have  so  far  made 

perience.  Rational  hbertyan  P who  are  qualified  by  correct  habits  and  self-disci- 

us  united  and  powerful.  P->  th  P P • r our'land,  liberty  is  what  the  sun  is  to  the 
pline  to  love  and  respect  t e re  and  life  and  infinite  progression.  Intellectual,  apart 
earth  and  religion  to  than  encouraged  ; it  teaches,  indeed 

from  moral  culture,  is,  however,  to  be  liberty  at  Rome  was  contempo 

how  ,o  rear,  but  is  powerless  to  ^7  intellectual  achievements.  . It  .. 

ranecms,  or  very  nearly  so,  w th .the  ■ er  g require,  but  a virtuous  appreciation 

not  alone  a knowledge  rf  their  nghts  tat  h p P eqdder  Cat0  deplored  when  he  said 

wxjksBs  i is 

5S“s .« ijii . »■'"  ” 

council,  unblinded  by  passion > te  the  prayer  of  every  American  cit- 

The  preservation  of  well-regulated  Ireedo  ircumfere!,ce>  he  should  take  great  care 

izen  ; but  while  honestly  desirous  of  enlarging  t centiousness.  In  the  present  state  of 
lest  he  admits  within  the  circle  the  elemei rtt au ^ frora  any  effort  of  tyranny.  The 
society,  there  is  more  to  be  feared  from  <1  down  for  ever.  Ik)  those  who 

onward  progress  of  intellect  an  would  *°ay  look  to  the  constancy  and  character  of  the 
are  united  for  a good  purpose,  we -would  ay  I * earth  are  slumbering  in  dark- 

early  founders  of  our  repub  he  ! ™e^rp  ^ example.  Let  us  never 

ness  and  debased  in  crime,  e j . and  liberally  provided  for  our  people,  that  Amer- 

forget  that  it  is  to  an  from  a11  “Pf^*  W,e 

ica  owes  her  proud  superiority.  Ua  >™n?  true  glory,  m the  disregard  of  the 

believe  that  no  state  can  prosper  in  a Ion  c religion.  A floodtide  of  apparent 

claims  of  justice  and  the  mjunction  of  ^ and  satiati  g the  cravings 

prosperity  may  come,  filling  for  the  11  . hag  itg  ebb?  and  either  cloys  with  its  abundance 

of  taste  and  curiosity  ; yet,  ®OTn®r  °*la  m ® is  a silent  but  eloquent  witness  of  its  truth, 
or  leaves  the  void  greater  than  M°] a ' t * 0f  unceasing  light  along  our  pathway.  Th- 
and  from  her  undying  lump  * sbe&a  stream  c ^ conse(frate&d  to  ambition,  are  now  fhttm_ 
fabrics  of  ancient  greatness,  built  X J d tbe  broken  pillars  and  falling  columns  that  were 
shadows  before  us,  starting  up  from ' “ “e  ^ . 

reared  to  perpetuate  the  0f  the  several  states  and  territories  have 

With  such  views,  the  fohowing  descript }°n  de^  if  this  brief  sketch  of  our  great 

been  written.  We  shall  indeed,  fe  J f readers  to  those  great  principles  of 

western  republic  should  increase  the l^tce  in  which  were  laid  the  foundation  of  our  in- 
equal  rights,  intelligence,  virtue,  and  Peac  , displaying  the  good  principles  sound 

KS&tfSfc  grrat^commonwealth,  and  that  no  one  Is  too  weak  or  humb.e  to  do 
something  for  the  public  good. 


Nov.,  1851. 


MAINE. 


Antiquities page  15 

Area  of  the  State 13 

Augusta 18 

Bangor 20,  22 

First  Settlement  of 22 

Theological  Seminary  at 22 

Bath 23 

Bowdoin  College,  History  of 18 

Breakneck  Hill 19 

Castine 23 

Eastport 20 

Exports 14 

Fryeburgh 23 

H allowell 18 

History 15 

Houlton 23 

Katahdin  Mountain 13,  22 

Lovell’s  Expedition 23 

Lovell’s  Pond 23 

Lower  Stillwater  Village 23 

Lumber  Business 14,  20 

Moose  Island 20 

Moosehead  Lake 24 

Mount  Desert  Island  and  Lighthouse 24 

Newspaper,  first  published  in  Maine 17 

North  Bangor 23 

Pegipscot  Falls 16 

Population 24 

Portland 17 

Burnt  in  the  Revolution 18 

Quebec,  Expedition  for  the  Capture  of 16 

Rivers 13 

Sebago  Lake 24 

Settlement  first  attempted  on  the  Connecticut  15 

Soil 14 

Temperance  Law 24 

Topography 13 

Trade,  Ports  and  Places  of 14 

Welles 17 

York 17 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

Area  of  the  State 26 

Bartlett.  36 

Bellows’  Falls 30 

Boundaries 25 

Canterbury 40 

Centre  Harbor 34 

Character  of  the  People 30  | 


Charlestown ; page  30 

CONCOKD 28 

Connecticut  River,  Source  of 26,  32 

Constitution,  Synopsis  of 43 

Conway.. 34 

Chalybeate  Springs  at 34 

Dartmouth  College 31 

Presidents  of 32 

Education,  Provisions  for ■ 43 

Gilmanton  Theological  Seminary ’. 43 

Hanover 31 

Haverhill 32 

Historical  Society 43 

History 28  42 

Lakes 26 

Land  Slide  at  the  White  Mountain,  and  De- 
struction of  the  Willey  Family 34 

Latitude  and  Longitude 25,  26 

Manchester 30 

Medical  Society 43 

Meredith 32 

Merrimac  River 26 

Natural  Curiosities 28 

New  Hampton  Academy 43 

Northern  and  other  Railroads 43 

Old  Man  of  the  Mountain 28 

Ossipee  Lake 26 

Passumpsic  River 32 

Phillips’ Academy  at  Exeter 43 

Population 26 

Portsmouth 28 

Saco  River 25 

Seacoast 26 

Shaker  Village 40 

Squam  Lake 26,  33 

Statehouse 28 

Sunapee  Lake 28 

Walpole 30 

White  Mountains 32,  34 

Heights  of  the  different  Peaks 38 

Lake  of  the  Clouds 39 

Mount  Washington. . 38 

Nancy’s  Hill 36 

Notch  of  the ,36,  38 

Prospect  Mountain 36 

Wild  Birds  and  Game 39 

VERMONT. 

Area  of  the  State 44 

Battle  of  Fiattsburgh 56,  57 

Bennington 54 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Battle  of  Bennington page  54  I 

Burlington I 

Courts ^ 6 

Crown  Point,  Fortress  of 49 

Green  Mountains 44,  45 

Hero  Islands 45,  46 

History 46 

Lake  Champlain 45 

Lake  Memphremagog 45 

Mineral  Springs 45 

®2 

Mount  Defiance 48 

Mount  Independence 47 

Naval  Action  on  Lake  Champlain 49,  51 

Newspaper  first  printed 56 

Onion  River 46 

Pell’s  Garden  at  Ticonderoga 48 

Rivers 46 

Rutland 

Statehouse  at  Montpelier 54 

Ticonderoga,  Fortress  of 47 

Topography 44 

University  of  Vermont 

Windsor ^4 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  Biographical  Sketch  of  116 


Amherst. 


104 


College 104 

Andover 190 

Theological  Seminary  at 73 

Blind  Institution. 86 

Bloody  Brook,  History  of 107 

Boston - 

Asylum  and  Farm  School 9w 

Athenaeum 

Bridges 03 

Common 1 ° 

Customhouse 86 

'Faneuil  Hall 88 

Faneuil  Hall  Market 86 

Residence  of  John  Hancock 80 

Plan  for  Enlargement  of • 80 

Schools 02 

Statehouse 

Theatres 0- 

Villages  in  the  Vicinity  of 94 

Waterworks • • 02 

Boundaries 

Brookfield 

Bunker  Hill  Monument 

Cambridge  Observatory ™ 

Cambridge  University 

Charlestown ^ 

Clergymen  of  Early  Times ™ 

Cochituate  W aterworks ~ - 

Common  Schools . 

Deerfield MM 

Distinguished  Laymen  of  Early  Times 6b 

East  Boston 

Education _ 

Government 

Grand  Refractor,  Cambridge  Observatory.  • • 70 

Hadley 104 

History 

Indians,  Early  Missions  among 


Islands page  60 

Landing  of  the  Pilgrims 107 

Lawrence  Observatory,  Amherst  College. ...  106 

Lawrence  Scientific  School,  Cambridge 72 

Learned  Societies 74 

Lexington.. 9 8 

Battle  of 100 

Liberty  Tree,  History  of 88 

Lowell 00 

Sketch  of  Operatives  at 9 8 

Martha’s  Vineyard 60 

Massachusetts  General  Hospital 84 

Mount  Auburn  Cemetery 9 8 

Mount  Holyoke 103 

Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary 103 

Mount  Tom 103 

Nahant 94 

Nantucket 00 

Newspapers 74 

Newton  Theological  Seminary. 68 

Northampton 103 

Pilgrim  Fathers,  Historical  Incident  of  the ...  110 

Plymouth 9 6 

First  Settlement  of 60 

Landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at 107 

Printing,  Establishment  of 62 

Railroads 63,  96,  98 

Sears,  Residence  of  the  Hon.  David 84 

Sears,  Sketch  of  Colonel  Isaac 66 

Shay’s  Rebellion,  Brief  Sketch  of 101 

Sears’  Tower,  Cambridge  Observatory 70 

South  Hadley  Falls 101 

Springfield 101 

South  Boston 76 

Statehouse. 78 

Watchusett  Hill 101 

Williams  College 68 

Winthrop,  John,  First  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Biographical  Sketch  of HO 

His  History  of  New  England Ill 

Death  of H4 

Winthrop  Family  Tomb,  Inscriptions  on 115 

Worcester 101 


CONNECTICUT. 


60, 106 

..  62 


A Tmnmvprm>nts  in  _ _ 

...  122 

- 

aL  119 

. ..  119 

Charter  Oak,  at  Hartford 

. ..  126 
...  125 

TTorlrlnm  

...  125 

Farmington  and  Northampton  Canal 

Fort  Griswold,  History  of 

Fort  Hill,  History  of 

. ..  124 
...  127 
...  127 

TTorMom  

...  125 

Charter  Oak  at 

...  126 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum 

...  127 
...  127 

...  121 

u 

Manufactures 

...  122 
...  125 

GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


3 


Mohcgan  Indians,  History  of. page  128 

New  Haven 122 

Graves  of  the  Regicide  Judges  at 124 

New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad 124 

New  London 127 

Norwich 130 

High  Bridge  across  the  Thames  at. . . . 130 

Sachem’s  Field  at 130 

Saybrook 124 

History  of  the  Settlement  of 125 

Sears,  David,  Esq.,  Notice  of 132 

Stateprison  at  Wethersfield 126 

Topography 119 

Wethersfield..... 126 

Wirithrop,  John,  First  Governor  of  Connec- 
ticut, Biographical  Sketch  of 131 

Yale  College 122 

RHODE  ISLAND. 

Area  of  the  State 133 

Blackstone  Canal 138 

Block  Island 140 

Boundaries 133 

Brown  University 136 

Coal  Mines 136 

Commerce 133 

Early  History  of  Cotton  Manufactures. . . . 138 

Eminent  Men  in  Early  Times 140 

History 134,  141 

Manufactures 134,  138 

Mount  Hope 136 

Narragansets,  History  of 134 

Newport 141 

Pawtucket 138 

Population 134 

Population  at  various  Periods 141 

Providence 136 

Railroads 138 

Rivers 133 

Statistics 134,141 

Topography 133 

NEW  YORK. 

Academies 160 

Albany 152 

Capitol 156 

City-Hall 154 

History  of 154,  156 

Rensselaer  Mansion... 156 

State-Hall 154 

Female  Institute  and  Female  Seminary  154 

Auburn 172 

Stateprison  at 172,  174 

Ballston  Springs 147 

Brooklyn 192 

Navy-Yard  at 192 

Greenwood  Cemetery  near 192 

Buffalo 178 

Canals 158 

Carthage 178 

Catskill  Mountains 144 

Champlain  Canal 158 

Cherry  Valley 164 

Massacres  at  during  the  Revblution  ..  164 

Clinton 170 

Church  of  Our  Lady,  at  Cold  Spring 182 


Common  School  Fund page  161 

Common  Schools,  Statistics  of 161  I 


Cooperstown 162 

Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal ] 58 

Erie  Canal 158 

Erie  Railroad 159 

Falls  of  the  Genesee  at  Rochester 176 

Falls  of  Niagara 178 

Gas  Springs.-. 146 

Geneva 175 

Geneva  College . 175 

Genesee  Flats 146 

Genesee  River 146 

Greenwood  Cemetery. 192 

History..  150-152,  161,  162,  164-166,  168,  171, 

193-200 

Hudson  and  Erie  Railroad 159 

Hudson  River 143 

Palisades  on  the 144 

Hudson  River  Railroad 160 

Indian  Barbarities 16 1 

Indian  Barbarities  in  Early  Times. . . . 164-166 

Lake  Champlain 149 

Lake  George 149 

Little  Falls 166 

First  Settlement  at 168 

Marble  Aqueduct  at 168 

Natural  Scenery  at 166 

Remarkable  Cavern  at 168 

Medical  Colleges 160 

Medical  College  at  Geneva ]75 

Mountains 144 

Natural  History 147 

Navy-Yard  at  Brooklyn 192 

New  York  City.  186 

Area  of 186 

Banks 188 

Bellevue 190 

Blind  Institution 188 

Bowling  Green 190 

Churches 186 

City  Hall 192 

Croton  Aqueduct 188 

Custom-House 190 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum 188 

Greenwood  Cemetery  near 192  I 

Harbor 186 

Merchants’  Exchange 192 

Park .' 190 

Penitentiary 192 

Prisons 192 

Public  Squares 190 

Schools . ....  188 

Settlement 186 

Streets 186 

Trinity  Church 192 

Union  Place 190 

Wall  Street 190 

Washington  Square 190 

New  York  and  Erie  Railroad 159 

New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad 160  | 

Niagara  Falls. . i 178 

Normal  Seminaries 160 


Onondaga  County,  French  Colony  settled  at  17 1 

Oswego  River 146 

Plattsburgh 184 

Battle  of 185 


4 ' GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Penitentiaries page  172 

Poughkeepsie 180 

Railroads 159 

Receipts  and  Expenditures  of  New  York 

and  Erie  Railroad 160 

Rensselaer  Mansion  at  Albany 156 

Rochester 176 

Rome 168 

Salina  Salt  Springs 171 

Saratoga  Springs 147 

Schenectady 161 

Schenectady  Lyceum  . 162 

Sears,  Colonel  Isaac,  Biography  of. 196 

Adventure  of  the  23d  August,  1775...  198 

Destruction  of  the  Loyal  Gazette  Print- 
ing-Office  199 

His  Opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act 197 

Member  of  Committee  of  Correspond- 
ence   197 

Washington’s  High  Opinion  of  Him...  199 

Last  Illness  and  Death 200 

Seminaries  of  Learning  and  Religion 160 

Springs 146 

Statehouse  at  Albany 156 

Stone-Church  at  Dover 182 

Staten  Island 192 

Sons  of  Liberty,  History  of 193 

Colonel  Isaac  Sears  their  Leader 193 

First  Organization  of  dissolved 195 

Letter  of  Nicholas  Ray  to 195 

Reply  to «- 196 

Maryland  Association,  Proceedings  of.  195 

New  York  Association 194 

Object  of  the  Association 194 

Organization  of 194 

Paved  the  Way  to  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence  197 

Syracuse  17 1 

Theological  Seminaries 160 

Trenton  Falls 170 

Troy 184 

Utica 170 

Yan-Kleek  House  at  Poughkeepsie 180 


NEW  JERSEY. 

Battle  of  Assunpink 208 

Battle  of  Trenton ’208 

Delaware  and  Raritan  Canal 210 

Elizabethtown 210 

History  of  Early  Settlements 202 

Laws  of  the  Colony  in  Early  Times 206 

Livingston,  William,  first  Governor  of  the 

State 205 

Morristown 212 

Names  of  Early  Settlers 204 

Newark 212 

New  Brunswick 210 

Rutgers’  College  at 210 

Newspapers,  first  printed  in  the  Colony.  ..  207 

Passaic,  Source  of 214 

Paterson. 212 

History  of  Manufactures  at 212,  214 

Penitentiary  at  Trenton 207 

Princeton 208 

Nassau  Hall 210 

Presbyterian  Seminary 210 


I 


Settlement  in  West  Jersey page  202 

Slavery,  when  introduced 206 

Soil 201 

Source  of  the  Passaic 214 

Statehouse  at  Trenton  207 

Swedish  Settlement 202 

Temperance,  this  State  Early  Advocate  of.  206 

Thanksgiving-Day  first  appointed 206 

Topography 201 

Trenton 207 

Battle  of. 208 

Washington’s  Residence  at  Morristown  ...  214 
Whale-Fishery,  Early  Attempts  at 206 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Bedford 245 

Bedford  Springs 245 

Bethlehem 234 

Birmingham 245 

Boundaries 215 

Brandywine,  Battle  of. 246 

j Canals * 215,  234 

j Cannonburgh 245 

Carlisle 244 

Sulphur  Springs  at 245 

Chambersbnrg 245 

Coal,  Amount  imported 222 

Coal-Mines 218,  233,  243 

Accident  in,  in  1845 244 

Coal  Statistics 220 

Coal-Trade,  Anecdotes  of. 220 

Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 234 

Easton 238 

Lafayette  College  at 238 

Erie 245 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  founded  Library 222 

Founded  Philosophical  Society 224 

Harrisburgh 244 

History  of  the  State j216 

Interesting  Facts  in 247 

Inventions  and  Improvements  by  Citizens 

of  this  State 251 

Lehigh  Coal-Mines 233 

Lehigh  River,  Locks  and  Dams  upon 234 

Literary  Institutions 218 

Little  Schuylkill  River 233 

Mauch-Chunk 234 

Meadville - 245 

Merchants’  Magazine,  Extract  from 220 

Minersville 244 

Montgomery  County 241 

History  of 242 

Mountains 215 

Mount  Carbon 233 

Mount  Carbon  Railroad 243 

Patriotism  of  People  of  this  State 2o2 

Penn,  William,  Historical  Sketch  of. 249 

His  Burial-Place 250 

His  Treatment  of  the  Indians 216 

His  Treaty  with  them 249 

Letitia  House,  his  Residence 249 

Obtains  a Grant  of  Land  on  the  Dela- 
ware   216 

Site  of  his  Treaty  with  the  Indians ....  249 

Pittsburgh 235 

History  of 236 

Manufactures 235 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


5 


Pittsburgh,  United  States  Arsenal  at.,  page  236 


Water- Works 236 

Western  Penitentiary 236 

Western  Theological  Seminary 236 

Western  University 236 

Port  Carbon 244 

Pottsville 233 

Printing,  when  first  introduced 218 

Philadelphia 222 

American  Historical  Society 224 

American  Philosophical  Society 224 

Bank  of  Pennsylvania 224 

Customhouse 224 

Distinguished  for  Neatness 222 

Exchange 224 

Fairmount  Water-Works 229 

Fountajn  Park,  Residence  of  Andrew 

M*Makin,  Esq 229 

Girard  Bank 224 

Girard  College 226 

Hospital 228 

House  of  Refuge . 228 

Independence  Hall 224 

Markets 222 

Naval  Hospital 228 

Penitentiary 226 

Permanent  Bridge 229 

Philadelphia  Library 222 

Plan  of  the  Streets 222 

Schools 226 

United  States  Mint. 228 

University  of  Pennsylvania 228 

Wire  Suspension  Bridge 229 

Railroads 243 

Reading 231 

Rivers 215 

Schuylkill  Water  Gap 231 

Sulphur  Springs 244,  245 

Tunnel  near  Orwigsburgh 233 

Valley  Forge,  Revolutionary  History  of. . . 243 

Washington 245 

Whiskey  Rebellion 218 

Wyoming,  Valley  of 238 

Landscape,  Beauties  of. 240 

Massacre  at 241 

York 244 

DELAWARE. 

Area  of  the  State 253 

Boundaries 253 

Brandywine  Creek 255,  256 

Brandywine  Springs 255 

Cape  Henlopen 255 

Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal 254 

Colonial  Assembly  in  1704 254 

Condition  and  Prbspects  of  the  State 259 

Courts 254 

Delaware  Breakwater 254 

Delaware  City 256 

Delaware  College 254,256 

Dover 255 

Government , * 254 

Georgetown , 256 

History 253,  254 

Kent  County 257 

Latitude  and  Longitude 253 

Dewes 256 


Medical  Society  of  Delaware,  1789..  page  259 


Milford 256 

Newark 255 

Newcastle  County  and  Town 256 

Population  at  various  Periods 253 

Population  and  Area  of  Delaware  and 

Rhode  Island  compared 259 

Printing  first  introduced 254 

Rodney,  Caesar,  Biographical  Sketch  of. . . . 257 

Stamp-Act,  Proceedings  on 257 

Sussex  County 257 

Topography . 253 

Wilmington ’ 255 

MARYLAND. 

Agricultural  Advantages,  from  Soil,  &lc.  ...  276 

Agricultural  Statistics 278 

Annapolis 273 

Capitol 273 

St.  John’s  College 273 

Are»  of  the  State 260 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 267 

Baltimore 267 

Area 267 

Armistead  Monument 268 

Battle  Monument 268 

Battle  of  Baltimore 272 

Cathedral 268 

Early  History  of. 270 

Fort  MHIenry \ 270 

Merchants’  Exchange*. 267 

Museum  and  Gallery  of  Fine  Arts... . 268 

Population 267 

Suburbs 272 

Topography 268 

Washington  Monument 268 

Barren  Creek  Mineral  Springs 274 

Boundaries 260 

Cambridge 274 

Chesapeake  Bay 261 

Chestertown 274 

Coal-Mines 278 

Constitution  of  the  Colony  in  1650 264 

Copper-Mines 278 

Cumberland 276 

Easton 274 

Education 266 

Elkton 273 

Ellicott’s  Mills 276 

Emmettsburg 274 

St.  Mary’s  College  at 274 

Flour  Trade 273 

Frederick 274 

Frederick  County 274 

Government 266 

Hagerstown 274 

Hancock 276 

Havre  de  Grace 273 

History  of  the  Settlement  of  the  State.  263,  266 

Indian  War  in  1642  264 

Iron  Mines 278 

Latitude  and  Longitude 260 

Manufactures 266,  273,  278 

Minerals  found  in  the  State 278 

Patapsco  River 261 

Patuxent  River 260 

Pocomoke  Bay 261 


■■■■■■  ■■  ■ - ■- ' — — " ~1 

6 GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Population page  260 

Potomac  River 261 

Productions 266 

Rebellion  in  1645  264 

Rivers 261 

Roman  Catholic  College  at  Georgetown...  266 

Snow  Hill 274 

Statistics 278 

St.  Mary’s,  Settlement  of 263 

Temperature 262 

Topography 260-262 

Viaduct  of  the  Baltimore  and  Washington 

Railroad 276 

Westminster 274 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 

Area  of  the  District 279 

Boundaries 279 

Capitol 282 

Capture  of  Washington  City  in  1814. .....  *292 

Chain  Bridge  across  the  Potomac 301 

Columbian  Collese 292 

Congressional  Burying-Ground 290 

Congressional  Debates,  Character  of 298 

Cumberland  Road,  Notice  of. 299 

Georgetown 301 

Roman  Catholic  College  and  Nunnery  at  301 

History 279,  289,  292,  293 

Inauguration  of  President  described 284 

Latitude  and  Longitude 260 

Lighting  the  Capitol  with  Gas 292 

Manufactures 266,  273,  278 

Navy-Yard 292 

Patent-Office 286 

Statistics  of  and  Remarks  on  ... . 286-289 

Potomac  River 299 

President’s  House ‘ 284 

Rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  Paintings  in 300 

Smithsonian  Institute 292 

Topography ...  279 

Treasury  Building 290 

Washington,  George,  Anecdotes  of. . . 293-297 
Brougham’s  Eulogy  of 297 

VIRGINIA. 

Abingdon 337 

Birds  of  Virginia 310 

Blue  Ridge,  Passage  of 305 

Boundaries 302 

Capitol  at  Richmond 327 

Charlestown 338 

Charlottesville 334 

Climate  and  Scenery 312 

Education,  Provisions  for , 331 

Elizabeth 337 

Fairfax  County 338 

Farmvil’e 334 

Fincastle 337 

Fredericksburg 334 

Geological  Facts 311 

Hon.  William  C.  Rives,  Letter  from 307 

Hampden  Sidney  College 336 

Hampton 332 

History 313-318,  322,  324,  329-331 

Jamestown 314 

Jefferson,  Sketch  of. 322 


Lynchville page  334 

Madison,  Residence  of 332 

Sketch  of 332 

Martinsburg 338 

Monroe,  Birthplace  of. 336 

Sketch  of. 336 

Monumental  Church  at  Richmond 327 

Montieello,  Residence  of  Jefferson 322 

Natural  Bridge  over  Cedar  Creek....  303-305 

Negro  Cabin  and  Funeral 348 

Norfolk 331 

I Old  Point  Comfort 332 

{ Petersburg 337 

Pocahontas,  Sketch  of. 350 

| Point  Pleasant 337 

Portsmouth 331 

' Potomac  River 308 

Randolph,  John,  Grave  of 351 

Richmond 325 

Springs 337,  338,  346 

Staunton 337 

Valley  of  Virginia,  Description  of. 306 

Washington,  Sketch  of 318 

Birthplace  of 320 

Last  Illness  of 340 

Residence  ot 338 

Tomb  of 342 

Wellsburg 348 

Wheeling...., 337 

Weir’s  Cave 306 

I William  and  Mary  College 344 

Williamsburg 1..  344 

Winchester 337 

Woodstock 337 

Yorktown 346 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Area  of  the  State 352 

Dismal  Swamp 358 

Edenton 362 

Education 359 

Gold-Mines 353,359 

Government 358 

History 353-357 

Internal  Improvements 359 

Mountains 358 

Raleigh . 369 

Revolutionary  Incident 363 

Shocco  White  Sulphur  Springs 362 

Statehouse 362 

Tarborough 362 

| Topography 352,  358 

Turpentine  and  Tar,  Manufacture  of.  352,  360 

Wake  Forest  College 362 

Warrenton 362 

Wilmington 362 

SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Beaufort 378 

Camden 3?$ 

Charleston 374 

Capitulation  of  in  1780 369 

Literary  Institutions  of. 376 

Settlement  of. 366 

Cheraw 378 

College  of  South  Carolina 378 


— — "=jl 

GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX.  7 

Falls  of  the  Charashilactay 374 

gr^iiie 365-372 

White  Sulphur  Springs 407 

T r , Wir  --  366  368 

Wahully  River 407  . 

Marion  and  the  British  Officer 368 

ALABAMA. 

Alabama  River 412,  413,  417,  418 

Jxice,  tuuuie  

Spartansburg ^78 

GEORGIA. 

Demopolis 418 

Education,  Constitutional  Provisions  for.. . 416 

Hydrargos  Sillimanii  described 420 

Latitude  and  Longitude 412 

Constitution,  Synopsis  of 386 

Magnolia,  History  and  Description  of.  424-427 

Mobile  Bay 413 

Montgomery,  * 418 

Printing  first  introduced. 416 

Selma 420 

Remarkable  Incidents  in 396-403 

Lover’s  Leap,  on  the  Chatahoochee 380 

l\/Tn/.^r>  390 

Silliman,  Professor,  Letter  from 420 

State  of  the  Country 416 

Statistics  of  the  Cotton-Crop 427 

St.  Stephen’s . , . ■•»...  418 

* v i .|  i i -j  _ i . l _ p /i  n 

Oglethorpe,  General,  Sketch  ot quu 

Rock  Mountain 382 

Cross-Roads  and  Fort  on 384 

MISSISSIPPI. 

Agricultural  Productions • ••  428,  429 

A ttiok  nn  in  1779  .»••••«•••••••»*  398 

rinvprnmpn  t . 429 

Tnllulnh  Ej»11q  382 

Wesleys,  John  and  James,  Arrival  of  in  the 

Whitfield,  George,  Arrival  of  in  the  Country  401 

FLORIDA. 

i • J i.  /it! n /lA'i  A 1 1 

Mississippi  River,  Remarkable  Features  of  431 

A «««!«  407 

a it,  4 On 

C'^-rnr*  . 408 

T?1  ^ - - 407 

LOUISIANA. 

40Q  411 

t 4DR 

Torino’  Poirn  409 

Cotton-Moth,  Ravages  of. 447 

8 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


Cotton-Trade page  439,  448 


Country  Life  in  Louisiana 446 

Covington 446 

Cypress,  Nature  of 448 

Donaldson ville 446 

Galveztown 446 

Geology 438 

Madisonville 446 

New  Orleans 442,  445 

Opelousas 446 

Parishes  and  Counties 440 

Springfield 446 

Statistics 439 

Sugar-Making,  Description  of 440-442 

Topography 436,  437,  439,  440 

View  on  the  Mississippi 447 

TEXAS. 

Agricultural  Productions 451 

Area  of  the  State 449 

Austin 456 

Bastrop 458 

Boundaries 449 

Climate 451 

Corpus  Christi  458 

Galveston...' 454 

Government 458 

History 449,  452 

Houston 456 

Latitude  and  Longitude 449 

Matagorda 458 

Nacogdoches 458 

Population 452 

Rivers , 450 

San  Augustin 458 

San  Felipe  de  Austin 458 

San  Antonio  de  Bexar 458 

Topography 450 

Washington 458 

Wild  Horses,  Manner  of  Capturing 451 

ARKANSAS. 

Arkansas  Post 465 

Boundaries 459 

Chalybeate  Springs 465 

Constitution,  Synopsis  of 464 

Helena 465 

Hot  Springs  465 

Indians,  Sketches  of 465 

Little  Rocic 464 

Population 465 

Prairie,  Description  of 463 

Rivers 459 

Rocky  Bluffs  on  the  Mississippi 462 

Scenery  along  the  Mississippi 460 

Statistics 465 

Sulphur  Springs • 465 

Topography 459 

TENNESSEE. 

Area  of  the  State 467 

Boundaries 467 

Capitol  at  Nashville 473 

Cascades 472 

Caverns 470 

Clarksville 475 

Climate  and  Productions 475 


Columbus 475 

Curiosities 472 

East  Tennessee  University 473 

Fossil  Remains 469 

Franklin 475 

Geological  Formations 469 

History.. 468,  471 

Iron-Trade 470,  471 

Jonesborough  473 

Kingston 475 

Knoxville 473 

Latitude  and  Longitude 467 

Maysville 473 

Memphis... 473 

Minerals 468 

Murfreesborough 475 

Nashville 473 

Population 470 

Statistics 470,  471 

Topography 467,  468 

KENTUCKY. 

Area  of  the  State 476 

Barrens 477 

Boundaries 476 

Capitol  at  Frankfort 484 

Educational  Statistics 485 

Frankfort 484 

Government 478 

History 477 

Historical  Society 484 

Indian  Curiosities 481 

Kentucky  River 477 

Latitude  and  Longitude 476 

Lexington 482 

Louisville 482 

Mammoth  Cave,  Description  of 478 

Medical  Institute  at  Louisville 484 

Ohio  Canal 482 

Population 478 

Prison  Statistics 485 

Productions 478 

Slateprison 484 

Synopsis  of  the  Constitution 478 

Topography 476,  477 

Transylvania  University 482 

OHIO. 

Akron „ 505 

Antiquities 504 

Area  of  the  State 486 

Ashtabula 505 

Batavia 51 J 

Boundaries . . 486 

Bucyrus 510 

Chillicothe 508 

Cincinnati 496 

History  of 498 

Literary  Institutions  of 500,  502 

Manufactures  of 500 

Cleveland.  505 

Clinton  County . . 511 

Columbus 509 

Coshocton 510 

Cuyahoga  Falls 505 

Dayton 511 

Elyria 506 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 

9 

PAGE  508 

Sheep-Growring page 

515.  527 

510  1 

Soil 

Gallipolis 

Statistics 522, 

527.  528 

Gambier 

502 

St.  Joseph’s 

Granville 

Topography 

514.  516 

Hamilton 

512 

Wool-Growing,  History  of 

....  527 

History 

488-494 

Ypsilanti 

Kenyon  College  at  Gambier 

Lancaster 

INDIANA. 

Lane  Seminary 

Academies  and  Common  Schools 

Latitude  and  Longitude 

Area  of  the  State i 

Mansfield 

Bear-Hunt 

Marietta 

Bloomington 

Massillon 

Boundaries 

....  532 

Maumee  City 

533 

Newark 

Coal  and  Copper-Mines 

. ...  538 

Oberlin 

Crawfordsville 

Painesville. 

Cut-off  River 

Pickaway  County 

Evansville 

Population  at  different  Periods 

487 

History 

540,  543 

of  1790  and  1840  compared 

494 

Indianapolis 

Pork -Trade  of  the  West 

Capitol  at • • 

Portsmouth 

Lafayette.. . . ; 

Public  Works  of  the  State 

Latitude  and  Longitude 

Roscoe 

Lawrenceburg 

542 

Sandusky  City 

Literary  Institutions 

Sidney 

512  1 

M an  icon 

542 

Springfield 

Michigan  City 

Statistics 

IV  P Uf  A lKonv 

542 

Steubenville 

New  Harmonv 

534,  543 

Toledo 

Peculiar  Characteristics  of  Western  Mind..  536 

(Jrbana 

511  ! 

■q  • n • 

520 

Van  Buren 

Population 

Williamsburg 

Saltsprings  

Willoughby 

South  Bend 

Wilmington 

Terre  Haute 

Xenia  

Topography 

Zanesville 

V i n ppn n p c 

534 

Western  River  Town 

MICHIGAN. 

Adrian 

ILLINOIS. 

Agricultural  Advantages  of  the  State 

T5  15 

Alton 

Ann  Arbor 

Area  of  the  State 

Boundaries!.,  _ r , 

514 

Belleville 

556 

Copper-Mines 

Cave-in  Rock,  near  Shawneetown . . . . 

Detroit 

Chicago 

Emigrants,  Advantages  to 

History  of 

Exports  of  Wool 

Emigration 

Falls  of  St.  Mary 

Galena 

549,  556 

Fisheries 

. 522,  523 

Growth  of  the  West 

History 

Illinois  College 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 

Jacksonville 

549,  555 

Internal  Tmprovpmpnts 

517 

Kaskaskia 

Jackson 

523 

Latitude  and  Longitude 

Joliet,  Water-Power  at 

527 

Lead-Mines 

Kalamazoo 

520 

Mou nt  Joliet 

Lake  St.  Clair* 

Population 

Lansing 

520,  525 

Ppnria , 

556 

Mackinac 

52H 

River  Navigation  of  the  West 

559 

Business  of 

Rock  Fort 

556 

Marshall 

Rock  Island  City 

556 

Mining  Operations,  History  of 

Shawneetown 

Monroe 

Springfield 

Population 

St.  Joseph 

552 

Pictured  Rocks  of  Lake  Superior. . . . 

528 

Swedish  Settlement,  Notice  of 

Account  of  Visit  to 

. 529,  530 

Topography 

Railroads 

• Vandalia 

556 

GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


10 


MISSOURI. 


Area  and  Boundaries page  566 

Bethel 575 

Boonville 576 

Buffaloes  and  Elks 577 

Canton 575 

“Cape  Girardeau 576 

Columbia 576 

Edina 575 

Elkhorn  Pyramid 581 

Falls  of  the  Missouri 568 

Fulton 576 

Glasgow 576 

Hannibal 576 

Hunting  the  Buffalo . 579 

Independence 576 

Jefferson  City 571 

Latitude  and  Longitude 566 

Lexington 576 

Liberty 576 

Memphis...., 575 

Mines • 567 

Missouri  River 566 

New  Madrid 5 7 6 

Palmyra 575 

Population 567 

Potosi 576 

Springfield 576 

St.  Charles 575 

St.  Genevieve 570 

St.  Joseph 576 

St.  Lor  is 571 

History  of 571 

Population  of  at  various  Periods 574 

Tully 575 

IOWA. 

Antiquities 583 

Area  and  Boundaries 582 

Burlington 583 

Dubuque 583 

Geological  Features  of  the  State 586 

History 582 

Iowa  City 583 

Jamesville 583 

Latitude  and  Longitude 582 

Log-Cabin  and  Sawmill 584 

Population 582 

Prairie,  description  of 584 

WISCONSIN. 

Antiquities 592,  594 

Area  and  Bqundaries 587 

Azatlan 592 

Clearing  and  Log-Cabin 594 

frond  du  Lac 592 

Geographical  Description 587-589 

Isle  Roy  ale 598 

Lakes,  Extent  of  Great  American 600 

Lake  St.  Croix 598 

Latitude  and  Longitude 587 

Madison 590 

Maiden’s  Rock,  History  of 596 

Milwaukie 590 

Mines  of  Lake  Superior 598 


Population page  587 

Prairie  on  Fire,  Description  of 596 

Racine.... J 590 

Rivers 587 

Sheboygan 592 

Southport 592 

Swamps 588 

CALIFORNIA. 

Area  and  Boundaries .. 606 

Benicia 621 

Climate 608 

Constitution,  Synopsis  of 605 

Geographical  Description 606 

History 601 

Indians 610 

Mineral  Wealth 622 

Monterey,  City  of 620 

Population  610 

Postoffices 622 

Rivers 608 

Sacramento  City 617 

San  Diego 621 

San  Francisco,  Bay  of 608 

San  Frartcisco,  City  of 611 

San  Jose,  City  of 618 

Seal  of  the  State,  Explanation  of 605 

Stockton,  City  of 620 

Vallejo.' 621 

TERRITORY  OF  OREGON. 

Area  and  Boundaries 627 

Climate 627 

Geographical  Description 627 

History 630 

Mountains 627,  628 

Oregon  City,  Territorial  Capital 632 

Rivers 629,  630 

Towns  and  Settlements 632-634 

. TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA. 

Area  and  Boundaries  . . I 636 

Geographical  Description 636 

History 635 

St.  Paul’s,  the  Territorial  Capital 638 

Towns  and  Settlements 638,  639 

Western  Territory 639 

TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

Area  and  Boundaries 640 

Geographical  Description 641 

History 640 

Manners  and  Customs 644 

Mineral  Wealth 642 

Population 643 

Santa  Fe,  Territorial  Capital 643 

Towns  and  Settlements 641-643 


TERRITORY  OF  UTAH. 


Area  and  Boundaries 646 

Geographical  Description 646,  647 

Great  Salt  Lake  City,  Capital 647 

History 646 

Population 648 

Settlements 647 


Seal  of  Maine,  and  Desort-Rock  Lighthouse.,  page  13 

Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick 19 

Eastport 21 

Seal  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  25 

Squam  Lake 27 

Statehouse,  at  Concord 29 

Centre  Harbor  and  Lake  Winnipisiogee 35 

Notch-house,  White  Mountains 37 

Shaker  Settlement  at  Canterbury 41 

Seal  of  Veraiont,  and  View  of  Burlington 44 

Statehouse,  at  Montpelier 53 

Seal  of  Massachusetts,  and  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims...  59 

City  of  Boston 58 

Boston  in  1776,  taken  from  the  Road  to  Dorchester...  61 

Residence  of  John  Hancock,  Boston 67 

Cambridge  University 69 

Cambridge  Observatory,  with  Sears’  Tower 71 

Grand  Refractor,  Cambridge  Observatory 72 

Lawrence  Scientific  School,  at  Cambridge 73 

Boston  and  Bunker  Hill  from  the  East 75 

Old  City-Hall,  and  State  Street,  Boston 77 

Boston  Common,  with  the  Statehouse  in  the  Distance.  79 

The  Statehouse,  at  Boston 81 

Sears’  Plan  for  Improvement  of  Boston 83 

Residence  of  the  Hon.  David  Sears,  Boston  Common..  85 

Customhouse,  Boston 87 

Liberty-Tree 88 

Faneull  Hall ' 89 

Bunker-Hill  Monument,  Charlestown 95 

Plymouth 97 

Cemetery  at  Mount  Auburn 99 

Mount  Tom  and  Mount  Holyoke  102 

Amherst  College,  with  new  Cabinet  and  Observatory.  105 
Portrait  of  John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of  Mass...  110 

Death-bed  of  Winthrop 114 

Residence  of  the  Adams  Family,  Quincy i 117 

Yale  College,  State  Seal,  &c 119 

New  Haven  College-Green 123 

Bridge  at  Norwich 129 

Portrait  of  John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of  Con- 
necticut  131 

Seal  of  Rhode  Island 133 

Landing  of  Roger  Williams 133 


Newport page  135 

Brown  University 137 

Seal  of  New  York - 143 

Tomb  of  Kosciusko,  West  Point 142 

Genesee  Falls,  Rochester 143 

The  Palisades,  Hudson  River 145 

View  of  Albany  from  Greenbush 151 

Albany  Female  Seminary 153 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Albany 155 

State  Street,  Albany  .. 157 

Schenectady  Lyceum 163 

Village  of  Little  Falls 167 

Utica 169 

Auburn 7 172 

Geneva  Medical  College 175 

Falls  of  Niagara,  viewed  from  Table  Rock 177 

Falls  of  Niagara,  viewed  from  the  Clifton  House...  179 

The  Van-Kleek  House,  Poughkeepsie 180 

Collegiate  School,  Poughkeepsie 181 

Church  of  Our  Lady,  at  Cold  Spring 182 

Dover  Stone  Church 183 

St.  Paul’s  Church,  Troy 184 

View  of  the  City  of  New  York - --•  187 

Merchants’  Exchange,  Wall  Street.  New  York  City.  189 
The  Old  Billop  House,  at  Bentley,  West  End  of 

Staten  Island 191 

Seal  of  New  Jersey 201 

Delaware  Water-Gap 201 

Theological  Seminary,  Princeton 209 

Washington’s  Headquarters,  Morristown 211 

Source  of  the  Passaic 213 

Seal  of  Pennsylvania 215 

Head  Waters  of  the  Juniata,  and  the  Allegany 

Mountains 215 

Treaty  of  William  Penn  with  the  Indians 217 

City  of  Philadelphia 219 

Philadelphia  Exchange 221 

Customhouse  (formerly  United  States  Bank),  Phila- 
delphia  223 

Old  Statehouse,  or  Independence  Hall, Philadelphia.  225 

Eastern  State  Penitentiary,  near  Fairmount 226 

New  Suspension  Bridge  at  Fairmount 230 

Fountain  Park,  Residence  of  Andrew  M‘Makin,  Esq.  232 

View  of  Pittsburg 236 

The  Wyoming  Valley,  from  Prospect  Rock 239 


LIST  OF  EMBELLISHMENTS. 


LIST  OF  EMBELLISHMENTS. 


12 


Seal  of  Delaware page  253 

Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal 253 

Seal  of  Maryland 260 

Battle  Monument . • 260 

City  of  Baltimore 269 

Washington  Monument,  Baltimore 271 

Viaduct  over  the  Patuxent,  on  the  Baltimore  and 

Washington  Railroad 275 

City  of  W ashin  gton 280 

Capitol,  Washington 283 

President’s  House 285 

State  Department 291 

Smithsonian  Institution 292 

Seal  of  Virginia 302 

Shannondale  Springs 302 

Natural  Bridge  over  Cedar  Creek 304 

Ruins  of  Jamestown 4 315 

Portrait  of  Washington 319 

Birthplace  of  Washington 321 

Monticello,  Residence  of  Jefferson 323 

Richmond 326 

Statehouse,  at  Richmond 328 

Monumental  Church,  Richmond ' 329 

Residence  of  Madison 333 

Birthplace  of  Monroe 335 

Harper’s  Ferry,  from  the  Potomac  Side 339 

Mount  Vernon,  Residence  of  Washington 341 

Death-bed  of  Washington 343 

Tomb  of  Washington,  Mount  Vernon 345 

Yorktown 347 

Negro  Cabin  in  Virginia 349 

Seal  of  North  Carolina 352 

Pine  Forest  in  North  Carolina 352 

The  Old  Statehouse,  at  Raleigh 361 

Seal  of  South  Carolina 365 

Lake  Scene  in  South  Carolina 365 

City  of  Charleston 367 

Keowee  Lake 373 

Falls  of  the  Charashilactay 375 

Charleston  Hotel 37H 

View  in  Meeting  Street,  Charleston . 377 


Seal  of  Arkansas page  459 

Ozark  Mountains 459 

Rocky  Bluffs  on  the  Mississippi 462  i 


Seal  of  Tennessee 4(57 

Cumberland  Mountains 457 

City  of  Nashville 474 


Seal  of  Kentucky 475 

Bank  Lick *’  47^5 

Entrance  to  the  Mammoth  Cave 479 

City  of  Louisville 433 

Seal  of  Ohio * 436 

Blennerhasset’s  Island * 430 

Scene  in  the  Early  Settlement  of  Ohio . . ."  491 

View  of  Cincinnati  in  1800 493 

View  of  Cincinnati  in  1850 495 

The  Landing-Place  at  Cincinnati 497 

New  Catholic  Cathedral,  Cincinnati 499 

Lane  Seminary,  Walnut  Hills,  near  Cincinnati  501 

Kenyon  College,  Gambier,  Ohio 502 

Antiquities— Silver  Sword-Ornament 503 

Front  and  Back  View  of  a Boss  of  the  Sword-Belt  504 

A Copper  Plumb,  or  Pendant 504 

View  of  Steubenville ’ 507 


Seal  of  Michigan 

Pictured  Rocks  on  Lake  Superior 514 

City  of  Detroit A 519 

Mackinac  Bluffs 521 

Seal  of  Indiana 530 

Cut-off  River,  near  New  Harmony *’  532 

Statehouse,  at  Indianapolis ” 535 

View  on  the  Wabash  River 539 

Bear-Hunting — Winter  Scene 541 


Seal  of  Illinois 544 

Cave-in  Rock,  near  Shawneetown 544 

The  Pioneer  of  the  Western  Forest 547 

City  of  Chicago 553 

Rock  Fort,  on  the  Illinois  River ’’  557 

Mount  Joliet **"  554 

Emigration  to  the  West  W.V.  563 

Encampment  for  the  Night 565 


Seal  of  Georgia 379 

The  Lover’s  Leap 379 

Tullulah  Falls 381 

Rock  Mountain 383 

Pulaski  Monument,  and  Christ  Church,  Savannah  ...  385 

Statehouse,  at  Milledgeville 387 

City  of  Columbus 389 

Entrance  to  Madison  Springs 390 

Medical  College  of  Georgia 391 

Oglethorpe  University 393 

Falls  of  Towaliga 395 

Tockoa  Falls 397 

Seal  of  Florida 404 

The  Everglades 404 

Public  Square  at  St.  Augustine. 406 

Seal  of  Alabama 412 

Tombigbee  River 412 

City  and  Harbor  of  Mobile 419 

Seal  of  Mississippi 428 

A W&oding  Station  on  the  Mississippi  River 428 

Seal  of  Louisiana •. 436 

Canebrakes 436 

City  of  New  Orleans 445 

Mississippi  River,  at  Bend  100 447 

Seal  of  Texas 449 

The  Texan  Hunter’s  Home 449 

Catching  Wild  Horses  on  a Prairie 453 

Galveston 455 

Houston 457 


Seal  of  Missouri 566 

Elk-horn  Pyramid,  on  the  Upper  Missouri  ..........  566 

City  of  St.  Louis 573 

Herd  of  Buffaloes  and  Elks 57g 

Buffalo-Hunting ””  539 

Seal  of  Iowa 532 

Emigration 502 

Log-Cabins  and  Sawmill  at  the  West ."  585 

Seal  of  Wisconsin 

Prairie  on  Fire  ...- **  537 

View  of  the  City  of  Milwaukie 591 

View  of  Southport,  on  Lake  Michigan !”!!!!  593 

A Clearing,  and  Log-Hut 595 

Maiden’s  Rock,  on  the  Missouri  River * 597 

Seal  of  California 601 

Scene  in  the  Valley  of  the  Sacramento ***’  601 

California  Emigrants  at  Panama  converting  Canoes  in"- 

; 1 . __  . 


Iron  House  at  San  Francisco ” 615 

View  of  Sacramento  City,  from  the  River . 619 

Scene  in  the  Mines— Washing  out  the  Gold 623 

Rounded  Water-worn  Pebble  of  Gold,  with  Quartz..  624 

Foliated  Gold  intermingled  with  Quartz **  625 

Lump  of  Gold,  as  it  came  from  the  Mines " 625 

Specimens  of  Gold-Dust  and  Gold  in  Crystals ...  625 

.View  of  Astoria  on  the  Columbia  River 631 


View  of  Oregon  City,  at  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette.  1 9^3 


Seal  of  the  United  States 


648 


Although  Maine  was  settled  by 
Europeans  several  years  before  any 
other  part  of  New  England,  it  was 
not  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a state 
until  1820.  Previously  to  that  peri- 
od it  was  a mere  territory  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  long  bore  the  title  of 
the  “ district  of  Maine.”  In  point 
of  extent,  however,  and  rapidity  of 
growth,  it  ranks  at  the  head  of  the 
eastern  states  ; embracing,  between 
its  distant  limits  of  Lower  Canada 
on  the  north,  New  Brunswick  on  the 
east,  the  Atlantic  on  the  south,  and 
New  Hampshire  on  the  west,  an  area 
of  33,223  square  miles. 

A considerable  part  of  the  northwestern  division  of  the  state  is  mountainous, 
and  there  are  rough  tracts  and  peaks  of  considerable  elevation  in  some  other 
parts;  but  in  the  north  the  surface  is  generally  even,  although  the  height  is  con- 
siderable, dividing  the  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  from  those  emptying  into  the 
ocean.  The  Allegany  range,  which  first  appears  in  Alabama,  and  traverses  all 
the  intermediate  Atlantic  states,  with  mountains  or  hills  of  different  breadth  and 
elevation,  is  considered  as  terminating  in  that  cluster  of  wild  and  lofty  heights 
which  occupy  the  northwestern  counties  of  Maine  ; beyond  which  no  ridge  is  to 
be  found,  except  that  of  the  greatly  rising  land  in  the  north  just  mentioned. 

The  highest  land  east  of  the  Mississippi,  excepting  only  Mount  Washington, 
and  a few  of  its  neighboring  peaks,  in  the  heart  of  the  New  Hampshire  White 
hills,  is  Katahdin  mountain,  on  the  Penobscot  river,  near  the  centre  of  this  state. 
It  is  5,335  feet  high.  The  other  most  elevated  points  are  Speckled,  Whiteface, 
Bald,  and  Saddleback  mountains,  north  of  Androscoggin  river,  and  not  far  from 
the  western  boundary  of  the  state. 

The  rivers,  of  Maine  present  some  striking  peculiarities.  The  surface  of  the 
state  is  divided  into  unequal  parts  by  the  courses  of  the  Penobscot,  Kennebec, 


■* ",  - rj t~  "v. : 

14  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 

and  Androscoggin,  which  run  nearly 
south,  in  directions  nearly  parallel  and 
equidistant ; while,  as  they  approach  the 

1 sea,  a number  of  smaller  streams  flow 
in  short  courses  between  them,  subdivi- 
ding the  coast  into  many  capes  and  pe- 
ninsulas, whose  number  is  still  further 
increased  by  bays  and  coves  which  set 
up  into  the  land  every  few  miles,  and 
fringe  the  southern  outline  of  the  state 
along  its  whole  extent  of  221  miles,  from 
Kittery  point  to  Quoddy  head.  The 
northern  part  of  the  map  presents  count- 
less small  streams  pouring  into  the  main 
trunks  of  the  rivers  above-mentioned,  of 
which  they  are  the  tributaries  ; while 
still  above  them,  flowing  with  a long 
sweep,  from  north  to  east  and  southeast, 
the  St.  John’s,  the  principal  stream  of 
the  state,  encircles  the  whole,  marking 
out  the  present  northern  boundary, 
till  it  crosses  the  eastern  boundary,  and 
flows  on  through  the  neighboring  Brit- 
ish province  of  New  Brunswick. 

The  valley  of  the  Saco  embraces  650 
square  miles,  that  of  the  Androscoggin 
3,300,  the  Kennebec  5,280,  and  the 
Penobscot  8,200.  The  smaiier  streams 
in  the  south  part  of  the  state,  before  al- 
luded to,  are  the  Piscataqua,  Sheepscot, 
Damariscotta,  Muscongus,  Union,  Nar- 
ragaugus,  and  Machias.  The  region 
between  the  Penobscot  and  the  Kenne- 
bec, a distance  of  fifty  miles,  is  remark- 
ably well  supplied  with  streams  and  in- 
lets, so  that  almost  every,  town  has  a 
navigable  channel  of  its  own. 

The  soil  along  the  Atlantic  border, 
extending  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  back 
from  *the  coast,  is  generally  poor,  al- 
though varying  from  sand  to  gravel, 
cl&y  and  loam,  producing  small  crops  of 
grass,  Indian  corn,  rye,  &c.  The  next 
belt  of  land,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
miles  wide,  is  of  better  quality,  and 
yields,  in  addition  to  these  articles, 
wheat,  oats,  flax,  and  hemp,  as  well  as 
most  of  the  northern  plants.  The  tract 
between  the  Kennebec  and  Penobscot 
is  remarkably  favorable  to  grazing,  and, 
when  well  cultivated,  yields  forty  bush- 
els of  corn,  and  from  twenty  to  forty 

1 bushels  of  wheat,  to  the  acre.  Agricul- 
1 ture  was  greatly  neglected  for  many 

1 years,  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants 

being  almost  entirely  engrossed,  on  the 
one  hand,  by  the  cutting  of  timber  in 
the  interior,  its  transportation  to  the 
mills  at  the  falls  of  the'  rivers,  the  saw- 
ing and  exportation  of  it  to  the  different 
ports  of  the  Union  and  the  West  Indies; 
and,  on  thp  other  hand,  by  the  fisheries 
along  the  coast.  The  increase  of  pop- 
ulation, however,  with  the  rapid  disap- 
pearance of  the  forests  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  streams,  together  with  the 
diffusion  of  just  views  of  the  importance 
and  methods  of  agriculture,  have  pro- 
duced great  and  extensive  improve- 
ments ; and  the  benefits  resulting  to 
the  state  are  already  incalculably  great. 
Manufactures  have  also  been  introduced 
to  a considerable  extent,  while  the  min- 
eral resources  have  be  gnu  to  be  devel- 
oped,  as  iron,  slate,  marble,  and  espe-, 
cially  limestone,  which  is  celebrated  for 
its  excellent  quality.  Literary  institu- 
tions have  been  multiplied  and  well  sup- 
ported, and  the  common-school  system 
has  been  placed  on  a liberal  foundation. 

Trade  is  much  favored  by  the  nature 
of  the  coast  and  the  character  of  some 
of  the  principal  rivers ; and  already  great 
improvements  have  been  made  by  the 
construction  of  roads,  railroads,  and  ca 
nals,  and  the  establishment  of  steamboat 
lines.  The  principal  ports  and  places  of 
trade  are  Portland,  Hallo  well,  Bangor, 
Calais,  Brunswick,  and  Belfast ; and 
Saco,  Machias,  and  Eastport,  have  also 
excellent  harbors.  The  exports  are 
chiefly  timber,  lumber,  dried  fish,  salt 
pork  and  beef,  lime,  and  pot  and  pearl 
ashes. 

The  business  of  cutting,  transporting, 
and  manufacturing  timber,  includes  ma- 
ny laborious  operations,  and  occupies  a 
considerable  part  of  the  population. 
Trees  are  felled  in  the  winter,  drawn 
by  oxen  to  the  nearest  water-course,  and 
left  upon  the  ice,  marked  with  the  axe 
in  such  a manner  that  they  may  be  rec- 
ognised by  the  agents  of  the  owner,  sta- 
tioned on  the  lower  parts  of  the  main 
river.  In  the  spring,  at  the  melting  of 
the  deep  snows,  the  floods  carry  down 
the  timber  with  the  broken  ice ; and, 
after  a long  voyage,  every  log  is  drifted 
to  the  falls  of  the  great  stream  on  whose 
i branches  it  has  grown.  Here  numerous 

r*— — 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE.  15 

mills  are  kept  in  active  operation  by  the 
powerful  currents,  which  bring  down 
abundant  materials  to  employ  them. 
Above  these  are  long  rafts,  or  floating 
bridges,  called  buoys,  formed  of  logs, 
connected  strongly  together,  and  stretch- 
ed from  bank  to  bank,  to  stop  the  float- 
ing timber.  Men  are  continually  em- 
ployed with  boats,  in  the  spring,  in 
bringing  it  to  the  shore  as  it  comes 
down;  and  great  care  is  taken  to  dis- 
pose of  each  stick  according  to  the  di- 
rection of  the  owner,  whose  name  is 
known  from  the  mark.  The  millers, 
with  their  circular  saws  and  other  ma- 
chines, saw  whole  rafts  of  logs  into 
millions  of  planks,  boards,  shingles, 
staves,  headings,  &c. ; and  vessels,  lying 
at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  readily  receive 
their  cargoes  of  lumber  from  the  doors 
of  the  mills,  slid  down  upon  their  decks 
and  into  their  holds  ; and,  hoisting  sail, 
steer  away  for  many  a distant  harbor. 

History. — The  Jesuits  in  Lower  Can- 
ada early  began  their  intercourse  with 
the  Indian  tribes  in  Maine,  and  soon  j 
established  a mission  on  the  Penobscot, 
which,  according  to  custom,  became  a 
centre  of  intrigue  and  of  military  oper- 
ations against  the  New  England  settle- 
ments. It  was  at  length  cut  off  by  an 
expedition  from  Massachusetts,  by  which, 
in  a sudden  attack,  the  Jesuit  chief, 
Ralle,  was  killed.  The  remnants  of 
the  Penobscot  tribe  are,  to  this  day, 
chiefly  Roman  catholics.  Previously  to 
the  landing  in  Massachusetts  bay,  a col- 
ony was  commenced  on  the  coast  of 
Maine,  by  Gorges  and  Mason,  under  a 
grant  from  the  council  of  Plymouth, 
England,  to  whom  the  territory  had  been 
granted  by  King  James  I.,  in  1606. 
The  first  settlements  made,  at  Damaris- 
cotta  and  a few  other  points  on  the  coast, 
were  soon  abandoned ; and  few  traces 
are  to  be  found  of  any  of  them.  Few 
motives  were  offered  to  colonists,  to 
counterbalance  the  inhospitable  nature 
of  the  country,  the  severity  of  the  cli- 
mate, and  the  exposure  to  interference 
from  the  Indians  and  French. 

Two  or  three  miles  from  the  road 
that  leads  between  Linniken’s  bay  and 
Damariscotta  river,  where  was  formerly 
j an  Indian  burying-place,  the  remains 
L_ — : 

of  cellar-walls  and  chimneys  are  found, 
as  also  broken  kettles,  wedges,  &c.  At 
the  head  of  the  bay  are  the  hulks  of  two 
or  three  large  vessels  sunk  in  the  water; 
and  on  the  shore,  the  ruins  of  an  old 
gristmill,  where  the  present  one  stands. 

On  the  islands  opposite  the  town,  are 
other  ruins,  the  history  of  which  is  un- 
known, as  is  also  that  of  those  already 
mentioned.  The  following  interesting 
facts  afford  a guide  to  their  origin. 

In  the  year  1605,  Captain  Weymouth,  i 
of  Plymouth,  in  England,  returned  from  j 
an  unsuccessful  voyage  made  for  the  dis-  | 
covery  of  a northwest  passage,  bringing  j 
with  him  five  American  savages,  whom  J 
he  had  taken  on  board  in  the  Penobscot 
river.  Sir  Fernando  Gorges  felt  so  much 
interest  in  these  men  from  a new  world, 
that,  to  use  his  own  language,  he  “seized 
upon”  them,  and  had  three  of  them  in 
his  own  family  for  three  years  ; and 
“this  accident  must  be  acknowledged  as 
the  means,  under  God,  of  putting  on  foot 
and  giving  life  to  all  our  plantations.” 
He  obtained  much  information  from  the 
Indians,  and  became,  from  that  time, 
deeply  interested  in  schemes  for  the  set- 
tlement of  the  New  World,  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Plymouth  company. 

The  first  settlement  was  attempted  by 
Englishmen,  on  the  Kennebec,  at  the 
early  date  of  1609,  the  same  year  as  that 
of  Jamestown.  King  James,  having,  by 
request,  granted  a patent,  in  1606,  divi- 
ding the  coast  into  North  and  South  Vir- 
ginia, this  part  of  Maine  was  embraced 
in  the  former,  which  extended  from  the 
38th  to  the  45th  degree  of  north  latitude. 
While  Gosnold,  with  Captain  Smith  for 
his  agent,  commenced  planting  a colony 
at  Jamestown,  Captains  George  Popham 
and  Raleigh  Gilbert  led  another  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Kennebec.  They  landed 
near  the  island  of  Monheagan,  a few 
leagues  east  of  that  river,  and  soon  after 
entered  the  stream,  and  stopped  at  an 
island  near  its  eastern  shore,  now  form- 
ing a part  of  Georgetown.  As  Chief- 
Justice  Popham  had  procured  an  accu- 
rate survey  of  the  river  the  year  before, 
it  is  probable  that  this  place  was  chosen 
in  England,  before  the  sailing  of  the  ex- 
pedition. 4 

1 But  the  history  of  this  colony  is  short 

16 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 


and  melancholy.  As  it  did  not  arrive 
until  August,  there  was  not  • sufficient 
time  to  complete  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  the  winter,  which  set  in  early 
and  with  rigqr.  A fort  was  erected,  but 
many  arrangements,  important  to  the 
comfort  of  the  people,  could  not  be 
made  ; and,  as  the  ships  returned  in 
December,  about  half  of  the  number 
embarked  in  them,  apprehending  severe 
sufferings  from  the  cold  and  the  want  of 
food.  Part  of  the  buildings  and  provis- 
ions were  soon  after  destroyed  by  fire ; 
and  Captain  Popham  died  before  spring,  j 
The  first  ships  brought  the  news  of  the  de- 
cease of  the  chief-justice  ; and  the  pain- 
ful intelligence  of  the  death  of  a brother 
rendered  it  necessary  for  Captain  Gilbert 
to  return  to  England.  The  remaining 
colonists,  becoming  disheartened,  aban- 
doned their  enterprise  ; and,  the  place 
being  deserted,  the  Plyfnouth  company 
did  not  repeat  the  experiment. 

Gorges,  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  devoted  friends  of  America  among 
the  members  of  the  Plymouth  colony, 
endeavored  in  vain  to  induce  them  to 
send  out  a second  colony.  Unwilling, 
however,  to  see  the  object  wholly  aban- 
doned, he  engaged  in  private  enterprises 
for  trading  with  the  natives  and  fishing; 
and,  in  1616,  sent  out  a party,  under  the 
command  of  Richard  Vines,  to  explore 
this  part  of  the  coast.  They  penetrated 
into  the  country,  and  were  kindly  treat- 
ed; but  they  found  the  people  suffering 
from  the  smallpox,  and  the  hostile  at- 
tacks of  the  Tarrantines,  a nation  east 
of  the  Penobscot.  They  met  with  the 
Indians  who  had  been  in  England,  and 
received  special  marks  of  favor  from 
them.  On  the  approach  of  winter,  which 
they  had  agreed  to  spend  in  the  country, 
they  chose  a spot  on  the  western  side  of 
Saco  liver,  at  its  mouth.  Some  of  them 
took  up  a hundred  acres  of  land  on  lease 
from  Vines,  one  of  which  was  for  a thou- 
sand years,  at  the  annual  rent  of  two 
shillings  and  one  capon,  after  the  pay- 
ment of  a previous  compensation.  The 
lease,  partly  in  Latin,  was  executed  in 
163S.  A considerable  trade  was  carried 
on  here  for  some  years,  the  colonists 
employing  themselves  both  in  agricul- 
ture and  in  fishing,  besides  trading  con- 


siderably with  the  savages  for  beaver- 
skins,  &c. 

In  the  southwestern  parts  of  the  state 
are  several  scenes  of  the  later  and  more 
permanent  settlements. 

Pegipscot  Falls. — Near  Lewistown, 
on  the  Androscoggin  river,  is  a remark- 
able cataract,  where  the  current  breaks 
through  a range  of  mountains,  and  pours 
over  a broken  ledge  of  rocks.  The 
scene  is  wild  and  striking,  and  derives 
an  additional  interest  from  its  connexion 
with  the  history  of  a tribe  of  Indians 
long  since  extinct.  According  to  a tra-  j 
dition  current  in  the  neighborhood,  the  j | 
upper  parts  of  this  stream  were  formerly  ; 
the  residence  of  the  Rockmego  Indians,  j 
who  inhabited  a fine  and  fertile  plain  1 
through  which  the  river  winds.  The  I 
situation  was  remote,  and  they  had  never  , 
engaged  in  any  hostilities  with  the  whites,  i 
but  devoted  themselves  to  hunting  and  ' 
fishing.  The  ground  still  contains  many  ! 
remains  of  their  weapons,  utensils,  &c.  I 
They  were,  however,  at  length  persua-  1 
ded  to  engage  in  a hostile  incursion  ! ; 
against  Brunswick,  at  that  time  an  ex-  j 
posed  frontier  settlement;  and  the  whole  j , 
tribe  embarked  in  their  canoes  to  ac-  | 
complish  the  enterprise.  The  stream  ; 
flows  gently  on  for  a great  distance,  un-  | 
til  it  approaches  very  near  to  the  falls  ; j 
and  this  was  the  spot  appointed  for  the 
night  encampment.  Night  set  in  before 
their  arrival ; and  they  sent  two  men  j 
forward  to  make  fires  upon  the  banks  a 
little  above  the  cataract.  F or  some  un- 
known reason,  the  fires  were  kindled 
below  the  falls  ; and  the  Indians,  being 
thus  deceived  concerning  their  situation, 
did  not  bring  up  their  canoes  to  the 
shore  in  season,  and  were  carried  over 
the  rocks,  and  the  tribe  all  destroyed  to- 
gether. 

It  was  along  the  valley  of  the  Kenne- 
bec that  the  expedition,  formed  in  the 
winter  of  177-5-’6,  for  the  capture  of 
Quebec,  proceeded.  The  hardships  they 
endured  were  very  severe,  as  the  coun- 
try at  that  time  was  wholly  destitute  of 
inhabitants  through  almost  the  whole 
route,  after  leaving  the  seacoast,  until 
approaching  the  valley  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence. The  plan  had  been  formed  and 
adopted  while  the  American  army  was 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE.  17 


engaged  in  the  siege  of  Boston,  and 
General  Montgomery  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  it.  Benedict  Arnold  was  among 
the  most  active  of  the  officers.  After 
numerous  delays,  caused  by  the  difficul- 
ties of  navigation  and  transportation, 
cold  and  hunger,  they  arrived  af  the 
French  settlements  ; but  being  unable 
to  proceed  with  desirable  rapidity,  or  to 
cross  the  St.  Lawrence  immediately  after 
reaching  its  shore,  the  inhabitants  had 
time  to  make  preparations;  and,  instead 
of  taking  the  city  by  surprise,  and  at 
once  finding  comfortable  quarters,  they 
were  able  only  to  encamp  on  the  heights 
of  Abraham,  after  scaling  the  precipitous 
shore  at  Wolfe’s  cove,  with  an  army  be- 
tween them  and  the  walls.  This  un- 
fortunate expedition  failed,  after  losing 
their  commander,  who  was  killed  it)  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  to  gain  the  lower- 
town  by  a night  attack,  and  Arnold,  with 
a large  division  of  the  forces,  who  were 
made  “prisoners  in  an  assault  on  the  up- 
per town. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Maine  was 
printed  on  January  1,  1785.  It  was 
called  the  “ Falmouth  Gazette  and 
Weekly  Advertiser,”  and  published  at- 
Falmouth  (now  Portland),  by  Benjamin 
Titcomb  and  Thomas  B.  Wait, on  a demy 
sheet.  Its  name  was  changed  to  the 
“ Cumberland  Gazette,”  in  1786.  Tire 
second  was  commenced  in  the  same 
town,  in  1790,  called  the  “ Maine  Ga- 
zette,” by  Benjamin  Titcomb,  and  con- 
tinued till  1796 ; at  which  time  there 
were  but  three  newspapers  in  Maine, 
one  of  them  at  Hallowell,  and  one  at 
Augusta.  In  1810,  there  were  eight 
newspapers,  and,  in  1850,  fifty-six. 

The  first  daily  paper  was  begun  at 
Portland,  October  13,  1829,  and  called 
the  “ Daily  Corn  ier ;”  and  the  second, 
the  “ Daily  Evening  Advertiser,”  in 
1831. 

York. — There  are  some  pleasant  fields 
about  this  little  place,  but  its  size  is  in- 
significant, when  compared  with  the  an- 
ticipations formed  of  its  destiny  at  the 
time  of  its  first  settlement ; for  the 
ground  was  laid  out  for  streets,  and  the 
divisions  of  the  land  still  retain  much  of 
the  regular  form  given  it  by  the  first  sur- 
veyors. Population,  about  3,500. 


The  Nubble  is  a rocky  point,  four  and 
a half  miles  from  York,  and  Cape  Ned- 
dock  lies  beyond.  While  travelling 
along  this  dreary  country,  the  road  pass- 
es the  site  of  an  old  fort  or  blockhouse, 
built  before  Philip’s  war.  The  Aga- 
menticus  hills  form' a range  some  dis- 
tance west. 

Lower  Welles. — There  is  a little 
harbor  here,  defended  by  a sandbar,  with 
a narrow  entrance  under  a rock  ; but  it 
is  almost  dry  at  low  water. 

Welles. — The  sea  ofien  breaks  beau- 
tifully on  the  beach,  in  front  of  the  tav- 
ern. Porpoise  point  is  just  distinguish- 
able in  the  northeast,  and  the  view  of 
the  sea  is  fine  and  refreshing. 

Three  miles  beyond  is  Breakneck  hill, 
over  which  falls  a small  stream,  from  the 
height  of  thirty  feet,  about  forty  yards 
from  the  path.  The  old  fort  was  half  a 
mile  beyond,  or  a quarter  of  a mile  from 
the  church.  This  little  fortress  was  once 
attacked  by  five  hundred  Indians,  who 
at  first  supposed,  as  was  the  fact,  that 
the  men  were  absent  from  home.  The 
place  was,  however,  very  bravely  and 
successfully  defended  by  five  women, 
dressed  in  their  husband’s  clothes. 

Portland.  — The  situation  of  this 
place  is  remarkably  fine,  occupying  the 
ridge  and  side  of  a high  point  of  land, 
with  a handsome  though  shallow  bay  on 
one  side,  and  the  harbor  on  the  other. 
The  anchorage  is  protected  on  every 
side  by  land,  the  water  is  deep,  and  the 
communication  with  the  sea  direct  and 
convenient.  Congress  street  runs  along 
the  ridge  of  the  hill,  and  contains  a 
number  of  very  elegant  private  houses. 
There  is  also  the  town-hall,  with  the 
market  below,  and  a beautiful  church, 
with  granite  columns.  The  steps  are 
fine  blocks  of  granite,  six  by  nine  feet, 
brought  from  the  quarry  at  Brunswick, 
twenty-two  miles  distant. 

From  the  observatory,  south  and  south- 
west, are  seen  several  distant  eminences  : 
among  others,  the  Agamenticus  hills ; 
northwest  are  seen,  in  clear  weather,  the 
lofty  ridges  and  peaks  of  the  White  hills 
in  New  Hampshire,  which  are  discov- 
ered at  sea  often  before  the  nearer  land 
appears  in  sight. 

Cape  Elizabeth  is  the  highland  on  the 


18 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 


south  side  of  the  harbor;  and  the  islands, 
which  nearly  close  the  entrance,  are 
called  Bangs’s  and  House  islands.  Fort 
Preble  stands  on  the  former,  and  Fort 
Scammel  on  the  latter.  Due  east  is 
Seguin  lighthouse,  which  is  visible,  in 
clear  weather,  thirty-two  miles  distant, 
tit  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec.  Nearer, 
and  in  the  same  quarter,  lie  numerous 
islands  of  various  forms. 

The  intrenchments  on  the  hill,  west 
of  the  observatory,  belong  to  Fort  Sum- 
ner, and  part  of  them  were  made  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Under  the  bluff, 
on  the  water’s  edge,  is  Fort  Burroughs. 

Portland  (the  former  name  was  Fal- 
mouth) was  burnt  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  by  Captain  Mo  watt,  in  the  British 
sloop-of-war  Canceau,  on  the  18th  of 
October,  1775,  on  the  refusal  of  the 
inhabitants  to  deliver  up  their  arms. 
About  one  hundred  and  thirty  houses, 
three  quarters  of  all  the  place  contained, 
were  consumed,  some  being  set  on  fire 
with  brands,  after  a cannonade  and  bom- 
bardment of  nine  hours.  The  old  church 
is  among  the  buildings  saved,  and  has 
the  mark  of  a cannon-shot  in  it.  A small 
part  of  the  hotel  belonged  to  one  of  the 
houses  not  destroyed.  There  are  many 
fine  stores  and  dwelling-houses  in  the 
middle  of  the  town,  and  the  shore  is 
lined  with  shipping.  Pop.  28,000. 

Augusta. — This  town,  the  capital  of 
Kennebec  county,  is  fifty-six  miles 
northeast  Rom  Portland,  and  two  miles 
north  of  Hallowell.  It  stands  on  both 
sides  of  the  Kennebec,  forty-seven  miles 
from  its  mouth,  and  has  a bridge  across 
that  river,  connecting  its  two  parts.  It 
is  a place  of  some  trade,  being  at  the 
head  of  sloop-navigation.  The  situation' 
is  pleasant,  on  the  top  and  sides  of  an 
elevation.  Population,  9,000. 

The  statehouse  has  a front  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  toward  the  east,  with 
two  wings,  of  thirty-three  and  fifty-four 
feet,  on  a plan  somewhat  resembling  that 
at  Boston  ; and  its  position,  on  Capitol 
hill,  is  commanding.  It  is  built  of  gran- 
ite, and  has  eight  granite  columns,  twen- 
ty-one feet  high,  each  weighing  ten  tons. 
The  top  of  the  dome  is  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  feet  from  the  ground. 

Hallowell  is  a considerable  town, 


fifty-four  miles  northeast  from  Portland, 
and  is  a place  of  much  business,  and  one 
of  the  principal  in  the  state.  The  Ken- 
nebec is  navigable  in  vessels  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons,  and  an  extensive  and 
productive  tract  of  country  is  depend- 
ent <5h  it.  Granite  of  excellent  quality 
abounds  in  the  vicinity,  which  is  quar- 
ried on  a considerable  scale. 

Brunswick. — This  town  is  situated 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Androscoggin  riv- 
er,  at  the  Pejepscot  falls,  which  here 
make  an  extensive  water-power.  It  con- 
tains about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  ten 
churches,  two  academies,  cotton  and  wool- 
len factories,  and  is  the  seat  of 

Boivdoin  College. — The  two  larger 
buildings  represented  in  the  engraving, 
are  occupied  by  the  students.  The  three- 
story  building  contains  the  mineralogical 
cabinet,  gallery  of  paintings,  medical  cabi- 
net, the  library,  and  lecture  rooms.  The 
northerly  of  the  two  central  buildings, 
besides  rooms  for  the  students,  has- reci- 
tation-rooms, and  two  spacious  apart- 
ments for  the  libraries  of  two  societies. 
This  edifice  was  ejected  in  place  of  the 
one  destroyed  by  fire  in  1836.  The 
three-story  building  is  called  Massachu- 
setts hall,  the  large  building  on  the  south, 
Maine  hall,  the  other,  North  college. 

It  was  after  several  petitions  had  been 
presented  to  the  government  of  Massa- 
chusetts, that,  in  1^31,  a bill  was  intro- 
duced for  the  establishment  of  a college 
in  the  district  of  Maine,  which  was  to 


be  called  Bowdoin  college,  after  the  dis- 
tinguished governor  of  that  name.  It 
was  not  built,  however,  until  1734,  du- 


ring which  time  Brunswick  was  chosen 
as  the  seat  of  the  college.  This  act  also 
appointed  a board  of  trustees,  which  was 
to  consist  of  thirteen  members,  and  a 
board  of  overseers,  of  forty-five  mem- 
bers, who  were  to  regulate  the  institu- 
tion. At  the  same  time  a grant  was 
made  to  it  of  five  townships  of  wild  land 
in  the  interior  of  Maine.  Immediately 
after  its  establishment,  Governor  Bow- 
doin’s  son,  honorable  James  Bowdoin, 
made  to  it  a donation  of  a thousand  acres 
of  land,  and  upward  of  eleven  hundred 
pounds  in  money.  Now  the  business 
of  the  boards  was  the  erection  of  a suit- 
able building.  Accordingly,  a meeting 


Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick. 


I 


20  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 


was  called  at  Brunswick,  in  1796,  for 
the  selection  of  a location.  This  town 
is  on  a sandy  plain,  south  of  the  Andros- 
coggin river.  The  plain  is  slightly  ele- 
vated, nearly  a mile  south  of  the  river ; 
and  this  spot  was  chosen  as  the  most 
desirable  situation  for  the  college.  Al- 
though the  uninterrupted  level  of  the 
ground,  and  the  dark  green  of  the  pines 
and  firs,  render  the  scenery  of  Bruns- 
wick rather  monotonous,  yet,  by  its  quiet 
Retirement,  it  is  well  adapted  for  the  seat 
of  an  institution  of  learning.  Shortly 
after,  the  brick  building,  called  Massa- 
chusetts hall,  was  erected,  and  received 
the  name  which  it  still  bears. 

The  boards  assembled,  in  July,  1801, 
for  the  election  of  a president.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  M‘Keere,  from  Beverley,  Mas- 
sachusetts, was  chosen;  an  1 Mr.  John 
Abbott  was  chosen  professor  of  lan- 
guages. They  were  inducted  into  office 
on  the  2d  of  September.  Also,  at  this 
time,  eight  students  were  admitted  to 
the  institution.  Ihe  services  were  per- 
formed on  a stage  which  was  raised  un- 
der a grove  of  evergreens,  near  to  the 
college.  In  1804,  Mr.  Samuel  Willard 
entered  the  college  as  tutor,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  Mr.  Parker  Cleaveland  was 
installed  professor  of  mathematics  and 
natural  history.  Mr.  Bowdoin  had  given 
one  thousand  acres  of  land  toward  this 
professorship. 

The  first  commencement  of  this  col- 
lege was  in  1806,  when  the  honors  of  the 
institution  were  conferred  upon  seven 
young  men.  The  name  of  Richard  Goff, 
Esq.,  of  Boston,  stands  first  on  the  list 
of  graduates.  This  was  the  only  com- 
mencement at  which  President  MTveene 
was  allowed  to  preside,  for,  in  July  of 
the  following  year,  he  was  removed  by 
death  from  the  scene  of  his  labors. 

Eastport,  on  Moose  island,  occupy- 
ing the  extreme  point  of  the  coast  of  the 
United  States  on  the  eastern  border,  is 
a spot  interesting  alike  for  its  military 
importance  and  its  natural  features. 
The  ground  is  rocky,  and  rises  abruptly 
from  the  western  shore  of  St.  Croix 
river,  to  a considerable  eminence,  which 
is  crowned  by  the  fort,  on  which  waves 
the  first  American  flag  that  greets  the 
eye  of  a traveller  from  the  east,  on  ap- 


proaching our  country.  It  is  41  miles 
east-northeast  from  Machias,  176  miles 
east  from  Augusta,  and  279  miles  east- 
northeast  from  Portland.  It  contains 
2,500  inhabitants. 

Moose  island,  on  which  Eastport  is 
situated,  lies  in  Passamaquoddy  bay,  and 
is  four  miles  long,  surrounded  by  deep 
wafer,  and  connected  with  Lubec  by  a 
ferry,  and  with  Perry  by  a bridge. 
The  village  is  in  the  south  part  of  the 
island,  and  is  a place  of  considerable 
business  ; the  lumber-trade  and  fishing 
being  carried  on  with  activity. 

Bangor. — This  city  is  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Penobscot,  at  the  head 
of  navigation,  on  an  elevation  which 
commands  an  extensive  view.  There  is 
a bridge  across  the  river,  1,329  feet  in 
length  : and  the  place  contains  a court- 
house, a jail,  seven  churches,  a bank, 
two  academies,  and  a population  of 
fifteen  thousand.  It  is  thirty-five  miles 
north  from  Castine,  sixty-five  northeast 
of  Augusta,  and  two  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-two miles  from  Boston,  with  which 
communication  is  held  by  steamboats, 
touching  at  Portland,  to  which  latter 
place  rail-road  trains  run  daily.  An  ex- 
tensive trade  in  lumber  is  carried  on  at 
Bangor.  The  distance  from  the  sea,  at 
Owl’s  Head  point,  is  thirty  miles. 

The  spot  now  occupied  by  the  town 
was  in  a wilderness  only  about  fifty 
years  ago.  The  region  above,  lying  in 
the  valley  of  the  Penobscot,  and  natu- 
rally tributary  to  Bangor,  is  an  area  of 
nine  thousand  square  miles.  The  wa- 
ter-power is  abundant,  and  applicable  to 
a great  variety  of  machinery.  There 
are  few  places  in  the  Union  which  pos- 
sess greater  advantages  of  this  kind. 
The  lumber-trade,  which  has  formed  the 
chief  source  of  business  and  prosperity, 
must  necessarily  decrease ; but  the  clear- 
ing of  the  land  will  as  naturally  be  ac- 
companied with  the  extension  of  agri- 
culture and  the  increase  of  its  more 
valuable  products,  which  will  of  course 
I seek  their  vent  through  this  town.  N av- 
igation  is  active  during  the  summer-sea- 
son,  and  much  transportation  is  per- 
formed in  the  winter  in  sleighs.  The 
soil  in  the  neighborhood  is  good  for 
brickmaking 


1 

'! 

! 

1 

( 


1 


22  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 


Bangor,  on  account  of  its  rapid  growth, 
as  well  as  its  important  position,  and  the 
beauty  of  its  situation,  is  the  place  of 
, the  greatest  note  in  the  interior  of  the 
state.  The  Kenduskeag  enters  the  Pe- 
nobscot nearly  at  right-angles,  dividing 
the  town  into  two  parts,  and  diversify- 
ing the  surface  in  the  environs  with  high 
and  picturesque  banks.  The  town  ap- 
pears to  great  advantage  on  approach- 
ing it  from  down  the  valley  of  the  Pe- 
nobscot, as  it  is  gradually  disclosed  to 
view,  displaying  its  numerous  clusters 
of  houses  spread  up  the  rising  grounds 
and  over  the  more  level  surface  on  the 
summit  of  the  bank.  On. the  northwest 
side  of  the  town  the  eminence  commands 
an  extensive  and  charming  view,  Mount 
Katahdin  appearing  in  the  distance,  in 
clear  weather,  though  more  than  seventy 
miles  off,  its  head  often  capped  with 
snow. 

Judge  Williamson’s  History  of  Maine 
informs  us,  that  the  first  settlement 'was 
made  in  this  place  in  the  year  1769, 
when  only  one  family  became  the  inhab- 
itants. A second  followed  in  the  course 
of  1770  ; and  two  years  later  there  were 
twelve  families.  In  1787,  the  first  pub- 
lic meeting  was  held,  to  procure  a pas- 
tor and  a place  for  public  worship  ; when 
the  Rev.  Seth  Noble,  a whig  refugee 
from  Nova  Scotia,  was  appointed,  and 
received  his  ordination  under  the  shade 
of  an  oak-tree.  He  received  a salary 
of  four  hundred  dollars  from  the  people 
residing  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and 
’remained  there  twelve  years.  He  was 
appointed,  in  1791,  to  procure  an  act  of 
incorporation  from  the  Massachusetts 
legislature ; and,  although  Ntlie  people 
proposed  to  call  the  place  Sunbury,  the 
present  name  was  chosen. 

The  courthouse  (now  the  city-hall) 
was  the  first  public  building  erected  in 
the  place,  in  1812.  It  was  occupied  for 
public  worship,  as  well  as  for  various 
other  public  purposes,  until  1822.  That 
year  the  first  meetinghouse  was  built, 
by  the  only  religious  society  existing 
there.  The  Rev.  Harvey  Loomis,  who 
was  ordained  in  1811,  officiated  in  it  un- 
til 1822,  when,  having  preached  a new- 
year’s  sermon,  Qn  the  2d  of  January, 
from  the  text,  “ This  year  thou  shalt 


die,”  on  leaving  the  pulpit  he  dropped 
down  dead.  Five  years  afterward  the  1 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire ; and, 
in  1831,  a handsome  brick  edifice  was 
erected  in  its  place. 

In  1828,  three  houses  for  public  wor- 
ship were  commenced,  by  societies  of 
methodists,  baptists,  and  Unitarians,  and 
several  others  were  erected  a few  years 
later;  and,  in  1832,  a large  courthouse, 
with  county  offices,  and  a jail. 

The  Theological  Seminary  has  three  j 
professors,  about  fifty  students,  and  a li- 
brary of  seven  thousand  volumes.  The 
classical  and  theological  course  occupies 
four  years.  It  was  instituted,  in  1815, 
to  prepare  young  men  to  preach  the 
gospel.  A tract  of  five  acres  of  land 
was  given  to  the  institution  by  Isaac 
Davenport,  of  Milton,  Massachusetts,  on 
which  the  present  fine  building  stands. 

It  is  of  brick,  four  stories  high,  and  en- 
joys an  elevated  and  commanding  situa- 
tion. A second  edifice,  of  a similar  de-  ’ 
scription,  with  houses  for  the  professors, 
was  afterward  planned.  The  institu-  • 
tion  is  under  the' direction  of  a board  of 
trustees,  and  has  a fund  of  about  a hun- 
dred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

The  Bangor  House  is  one  of  the  orna- 
ments of  the  town.  It  is  constructed  on 
a plan  resembling  that  of  the  Tremont 
house  in  Boston,  and  was  built  in  1836.  i 

There  is  a bridge  across  the  Penob-  I 
scot,  and  three  across  the  Kenduskeag.  j 
Two  of  the  latter  were  built  by  individ-  J 
uals.  ^ \ 

The  first  printing-office  was  opened  j 
in  Bangor  in  the  year  1815,  by  Peter 
Edes.  The  first  bank  was  established 
in  1818 ; and  banks  have  since  been  mul- 
tiplied to  supply  the  demands  of  the  ex-  | 
tensive  lumber-business  and  navigation 
carried  on  here.  The  ice  interrupts  the 
river-trade  during  four  or  five  months  in 
the  year  ; but  the  river  is  generally  open 
to  Frankfort,  twelve  miles  below. 

The  first  railroad  in  the  state  was  that 
from  Bangor  to  Oldtown,  in  Oxford  coun-  j 
ty,  twelve  miles  of  which  was  opened  in 
1836,  at  an  expense  of  $250,000. 

The  market-house  is  large,  and  well 
planned.  A wiral  cemetery,  on  the  plan 
of  that  of  Mount  Auburn,  near  Boston, 
was  laid  out  in  1S36,  two  miles  from  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE. 


23 


city,  enclosing  about  thirty  acres ; of 
which  twenty  belong  to  the  public,  and 
the  remainder  to  individuals.  A fine 
greenhouse  is  connected  with  it. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Bangor,  sev- 
eral small  manufacturing  villages  have 
been  founded  by  capitalists,  where  large 
quantities  of  timber  are  sawn. 

North  Bangor. — Here  are  the  mills 
of  the  Penobscot  Milldam  company.  It 
is  four  miles  from  Bangor,  on  the  road 
to  Orono,  and  three  miles  from — 

Lower  Stillwater  Village , another  of 
these  industrious  settlements,  situated, 
like  the  preceding,  on  the  Kenduskeag. 
The  ample  water-power  at  these  places 
admits  of  a large  amount  of  business. 

The  population  of  Bangor  experi- 
enced a very  rapid  increase  in  the  course 
of  a few  years.  In  1793,  there  were 
hut  forty-five  rateable  polls  in  the  town. 
In  1800,  the  population  was  277 ; m 
1810,  850  ; in  1820,  1,221 ; in  1830, 
2,868;  in  1840,  8,627  ; in  1850,  14,441. 

Bath,  thirty-four  miles  northeast  from 
Portland,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
northeast  from  Boston,  is  situated  on  the 
western  side  of  the  Kennebec,  and  occu- 
pies a considerable  eminence,  on  a piece 
of  land  almost  isolated  by  several  arms 
of  the  sea,  from  which  it  is  distant  about 
twelve  miles.  It  is  a considerable  town, 
of  8,500  inhabitants,  extends  along  the 
river  a mile  and  a half,  and  back  from  ir 
about  three  fourths  of  a mile.  The  har- 
bor is  excellent,  and  freely  admits  to  its 
wharves  ships  of  the  largest  size.  There 
are  in  the  town  two  banks  and  five  acad- 
emies. Steamboats  communicate  daily 
with  Portland  and  Boston  during  nearly 
the  whole  year. 

Castine,  the  capital  of  Hancock  coun- 
ty, occupies  a promontory  on  the  east 
side  of  Penobscot  bay,  and  has  a good 
harbor,  always  open,  and  accessible  to 
large  vessels.  It  is  in  latitude  forty-four 
degrees  and  twenty-four  minutes,  seven- 
ty-eight miles  from  Augusta,  and  a hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  east-northeast  from 
Portland.  Pop.  2,000. 

Houlton  is  a military  post  jn  a small 
branch  of  St.  John’s  river,  near  the  line 
of  New  Brunswick.  It  is  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  north-northeast  from 
Bangor. 


Frye  burg,  sixty  miles  northwest  of* 
Portland,  is  remarkable  both  for  its  sit- 
uation and  its  history.  The  township, 
in  its  extent  of  six  square  miles,  embraces 
a rich  and  beautiful  valley,  secluded  on 
every  side  by  a wild  and  mountainous 
range  of  country.  The  Saco  river,  ta- 
king- its  rise  on  Mount  Washington,  and 
flowing  through  the  notch  in  the  White 
hills,  passes  down  the  valley  to  Conway, 
where  it  finds  the  termination  of  “the 
southern  range ; and  then  turning  ab- 
ruptly  to  the  east,  soon  enters  the  charm- 
ing meadows  of  Fryeburg,  and  performs 
a serpentine  course  of  no  less  than  thir- 
ty-six miles  within  the  limits  of  the 
township. 

The  Indian  fort  was  on  a gentle  hill 
at  the  western  side  of  the  village,  which 
commands  a view  of  the  Saco  valley 
six  miles  up  its  course,  and  six  miles 
down. 

LoveV s Pond  is  on  an  isthmus,  about 
one  mile  southeast  from  the  village,  and 
j is  memorable  as  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
most  severe  and  disastrous  battles  in  the 
old  partisan  warfare  against  the  Indians. 
The  Portland  road  passes  along  the 
western  side  of  the  pond,  and  affords  a 
view  of  its  north  end.  This  was  the 
place  of  the  action.  Another  road  runs 
very  near  the  north  shore ; and  it  is  a 
pleasant  ride  to  the  place. 

LoveV s Expedition. — In  1725,  Captain 
Lovel  undertook  a secret  expedition 
through  the  wilderness  against  the  Pick- 
waket  tribe  of  Indians.  Instigated  by 
the  French,  they  had  committed  many 
depredations  on  the  frontier,  so  that  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts  had  of- 
fered one  hundred  pounds  each  for  their 
scalps.  His  company  consisted  of  thir- 
ty or  forty  men,  many  of  them  accus- 
tomed to  the  life  of  hardy  hunters  and 
settlers,  with  young  Mr.  Frye  for  their 
chaplain,  whose  history  was  somewhat 
romantic,  and  from  whom  this  town  re- 
ceived its  name.  They  passed  up  Win- 
nipiseogee  lake,  Ossipee  pond,  the  Saco, 
and  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  Mill 
! brook,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Lov- 
el’s  pond.  It  happened  that  the  Indians 
had  gone  down  the  Saco  river,  and  on 
their  return,  discovering  tracks,  pursued 
! them  toward  Lovel’s  pond,  and,  having 


24 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAINE 


discovered  the  encampment,  and  the  way 
they  had  gone,  removed  their  packs,  and, 
forming  an  ambush  around  the  place, 
fired  upon  them,  on  their  return,  and 
killed  eight  men.  The  white  men  re- 
treated to  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
pond,  where  is  a narrow  strip  of  land, 
and  defended  themselves  till  night ; and 
j the  remains  of  the  unfortunate  expe- 


dition returned  through  the  forest,  suf- 
fering from  hunger  and  fatigue,  and 
some  of  them  from  wounds. 

Sebago  Lake. — This  is  one  of  the 
numerous  bodies  of  water,  of  different 
forms  and  sizes,  which  spot  the  surface 
of  Maine,  and  cover  so  large  a part  of 
it.  It  has  been  estimated  that,  including 
lakes  and  rivers,  one  sixth  part  of  the 
surface  of  the  state  is  water.  Sebago 
lake  is  in  Cumberland  county,  and  thir- 
teen miles  by  twenty  in  extent,  nearly 
divided  by  a long  cape,  which  extends 
from  the  eastern  side,  in  Raymond,  in  a 
southwest  direction.  No  less  than  five 
townships  lie  upon  its  shores.  It  re- 
ceives Crooked  river  from  the  north, 
with  the  waters  of  Long  lake,  which 
flow  into  that  stream  through  its  outlet. 
Presumpscut  river,  which  drains  Sebago 
lake  from  the  south,  falls  into  Casco 
bay,  and  affords  a channel  of  navigation 
in  boats  to  Portland. 

Monsehead  Lake , in  Kennebec  coun- 
ty, and  the  source  of  the  east  branch 
of  Kennebec  river,  is  sixty  miles  in 
length,  of  an  irregular  form,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a tract  of  country  but  little 
inhabited. 

Mount  Desert  Lighthouse. — Off  a part 
of  the  coast  remarkable  for  its  deso- 
late and  forbidding  character,  and  upon 
a small  barren  rock,  is  erected  the  tall 
and  fine  lighthouse  depicted  in  the  vig- 
nette at  the  head  of  this  description. 
One  of  the  spots  most  dangerous  to 
passing  ships,  and  most  destitute  of  the 
means  of  subsistence  for  shipwrecked 
strangers,  is  thus  provided  with  one  of 
those  marks  for  navigators  which  now 
occupy  every  important  point  along  our 
seaboard,  from  one  extremity  of  the 
country  to  the  other. 

Mount  Desert  island,  which  lies  be- 
tween Union  river  and  Desert  sound,  is 
fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  twelve  in 


breadth.  It  is  in  latitude  forty-four 
degrees  twelve  minutes,  and  comprises 
a township  of  the  same  name. 

With  so  large  a surface  as  Maine 
comprehends,  such  supplies  of  timber, 
and  such  remarkable  facilities  for  pro 
curing,  sawing,  and  transporting  it  ; 
with  so  much  valuable  land  cleared  and 
clearing  as  the  forests  are  removed  ; to- 
gether with  a population  of  such  ener- 
getic character  and  intelligence,  a more 
rapid  increase  of  numbers,  wealth,  and 
power,  might  be  anticipated,  if  more 
genial  climates  and  more  luxuriant  soils 
did  not  attract  the  great  masses  of  emi- 
grants in  other  directions.  In  spite, 
however,  of  the  richness  of  the  western 
and  southern  lands,  and  the  softness  of 
the  climates  in  the  new  states  and  terri- 
tories, Maine  will  probably  continue  1o 
improve,  and  to  experience  a more  solid 
and  substantial  growth  than  .could  be 
produced  by  the  introduction  of  a less 
educated  and  hardy  population. 

According  to  the  censuses,  taken  suc- 
cessively, Maine  contained  96,540  in- 
habitants in  1790;  151,719  in  1800; 
228,705  in  1810;  298,335  in  1820; 
399,955  in  1830;  501,793  in  1810;  and 
’ 583,088  in  1850. 

Maine  has  a stringent  law  for  the 
' suppression  of  traffic  in  intoxicating  li- 
quors. It  allows  the  seizure  and  confis- 
; cation  of  liquor  wherever  found,  with 
the  exception  of  places  designated  by 
proper  authority,  where  it  may  be  sold 
for  mechanical  or  medicinal  purposes. 

! Those  who  are  discovered  with  this  illicit 
article  of  traffic  in  their  possession,  are 
allowed  no  redress  for  the  loss  by  the 
! confiscation  of  their  property ; and  the 
attempt  to  try  the  matter  judicially  is 
ineffectual,  as  the  courts  are  forbidden 
to  entertain  suits  of  this  description. 

The  contrast  presented  in  this  state, 
by  a comparison  between  the  present 
and  several  past  periods  of  its  history, 
is  striking:  indeed.  The  most  favorable 

O # _ 

effects  resulted  from  its  separation  from 
Massachusetts  and  erection  into  a state. 
Legislation,  with  the  energies  of  the  peo- 
ple, has  effected  wonders  ; while  com- 
merce, agriculture,  manufactures,  and 
education,  are  annually  making  advances, 
I which  bid  fair  to  continue. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


25 


HEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

This  state  is  bonneted  on  the  north 
by  Canada,  east  by  Maine,  south  by 
Massachusetts,  and  west  by  Vermont. 
Connecticut  river  forms  a part  of  the 
northern  boundary,  and  its  western 
shore  the  whole  of  the  western,  the 
entire  breadth  of  the  stream  belong- 
ing to  New  Hampshire.  Extending 
from  latitude  forty-two  to  forty-five, 
and  having  much  mountainous  sur- 
face, the  climate  is  cold,  and  in  some 
parts  severe,  although  the  southern 
regions,  being  both  low  and  nearer 
the  ocean,  have  milder  seasons  and 
shorter  winters. 

The  Allegany  range,  which  crosses  this  state  near  the  middle,  though  here 
far  distant  from  its  broadest  ranges,  has  its  highest  peaks  in  the  White  hills, 
whose  principal  eminences  tower  above  all  other  peaks  this  side  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.  In  that  region  are  the  sources  of  the  principal  rivers  of  the  state. 
The  Merrimack  rises  from  the  outlet  of  Winnipiseogee  lake,  a broad  and  beauti- 
ful sheet  of  water  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  southern  eminences  of  that  Alpine 
region  ; while  the  Ammonoosuc,  pouring  down  the  steep  declivity  of  Mount 
Washington,  finds  its  way  to  the  Connecticut;  and  the  Saco,  a direct  tributary  to 
the  Atlantic,  after  rising  within  a few  yards  of  the  Ammonoosuc,  is  soon  diverted 

flowing  through  the  celebrated  Notch  in  the  moun- 
ine  region  of  New  England,  before  it  reaches  the 
which  are  moved  by  its  power. 

The  impediments  offered  to  navigation  are  not  only,  in  a great  measure,  coun- 
j terbalanced  by  the  abundance  of  valuable  water-power  afforded  by  nature,  but 
j are  obviated  by  science  and  art,  in  the  construction  of  railroads  as  well  as  canals, 

! which  have  been  multiplied  within  a few  years,  in  proportion  to  the  increasing 
demands  created  by  the  numerous  manufactories.  In  all  these  branches  of 


in  an  opposite  channel,  and, 
i tains,  waters  the  most  Alp 
I!  manufactories  at  its  mouth, 


— 1 

26  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


improvement,  New  Hampshire  has  dis- 
played a degree  of  intelligence  and  en- 
terprise unsurpassed  by  any  other  state, 
in  proportion  to  her  extent  and  re- 
sources, and  promises  to  reap  from  them 
long-continued  benefits. 

A large  nart  of  her  territory  is  ren- 
dered useless  by  lofty,  wild,  barren,  and 
almost  inaccessible  mountains.  The 
surface,  soil,  and  climate  there  discour- 
age almost  any  attempt  at  cultivation, 
and  in  many  places  entirely  refuse  a 
spot  for  the  habitation  of  man.  Im-'1 
mense  masses  of  stone,  however,  which 
have  been  brought  down  from  those  re- 
gions, by  some  ancient  cause  not  easily 
explained,  are  spread  over  the  surface 
for  seventy  or  eighty  miles  south,  and 
have  supplied  the  state  with  one  of  the 
chief  sources  of  its  we.alth.  Blocks  of 
granite  and  sienite  have  been  cut  up 
for  building,  and  transported  to  near 
and  many  distant  places,  often  at  great 
profit.  The  New  Hampshire  stones  of 
these  kinds,  like  those  from  some  of  the 
adjacent  states,  aie  known,  used,  and 
highly  valued,  and  form  the  materials  in 
constructing  many  of  the  finest  edifices 
in  our  cities,  even  to  the  southern  ex- 
tremities of  our  country. 

The  northern  extremity  of  this  state 
is  in  latitude  forty-five  degrees  eleven 
minutes,  and  the  southern  in  forty-two 
degrees  forty-one  minutes.  The  area 
is  9,280  square  miles  ; and  the  popula- 
tion in  1850  was  317,864.  New  Hamp- 
shire has  the  smallest  extent  of  seacoast 
of  all  the  Atlantic  states — only  eighteen 
miles.  There  is  but  one  good  harbor 
in  the  state — viz.,  Portsmouth,  where  is 
a navy-yard  of  the  United  States.  Ly- 
ing at  the  mouth  of  the  Piscataqua  river, 
and  having  a great  depth  of  water,  this 
port  is  deficient  in  one  very  important 
respect.  That  river  is  navigable  but  a 
short  distance,  when  it  is  broken  by  a 
fall.  The  Merrimac  has  a succession 
of  rapids,  which  have  been  canalled  and 
locked  all  along  its  course,  and  render 
it  useful  for  boat  navigation.  But  its 
principal  value  is  for  manufacturing,  in 
which  respect,  however,  it  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  streams  in  the  United 
States.  The  largest  and  most  flourish- 
ing manufacturing  town  in  the'Union, 


Lowell,  in  Massachusetts,  occupies  the 
most  advantageous  point  on  the  Merri- 
mac, on  the  south  side,  by  which  it  is 
supplied  with  abundant  water-power. 

Lakes. — Winnipiseogee  lake  is  re- 
markable for  its  picturesque  shores,  and 
numerous  and  beautiful  islands,  as  well 
as  for  the  fine  scenery  which  here  be- 
gins to  display  itself,  offering,  to  the 
traveller  from  the  south,  the  first  and 
distant  introduction  to  the  noble  fear 
tures  of  the  White  mountains.  It  is 
twenty-three  miles  in  length  and  ten  in 
breadth,  measured  in  the  widest  part. 
The  water  is  remarkably  clear,  and 
abounds  in  fish. 

Squa?n  Lake,  situated  north  of  it,  is 
six  miles  long  and  three  wide,  and  lies 
at  the  bottom  of  a deep  and  narrow  val- 
ley, surrounded  by  several  mountainous 
elevations,  except  on  the  side  where  it 
sends  an  inlet  into  Winnipiseogee.  Fine 
trout  abound  here,  which  are  taken  in 
considerable  numbers,  and  salted  for 
market. 

Above  these  lie  Ossipee  and  Sunapee 
lakes,  which  are  of  inferior  size. 

Connecticut  River. — This  is  the 
principal  stream  of  New  England,  both 
for  size,  the  rich  and  populous  country 
through  which  it  passes,  and  the  large 
meadows  which  it  annually  overflows 
and  fertilizes.  It  rises  in  the  elevated 
region  between  this  state  and  Canada, 
in  a pond  called  Lake  Connecticut ; and 
its  eastern  branch  marks  the  boundary 
between-  the  two  countries,  to  a point 
at  the  distance  of  one  mile  from  the 
forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude.  The 
course  of  the  river  is  neprly  south,  and,- 
after  separating  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont,  it  flows  on  through  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut,  and  falls  into 
Long  Island  sound  at  Saybrook.  It 
is  navigable  in  sloops  to  Hartford,  in 
steamboats  a few  miles  further,  and  in 
flat-bottomed  boats  through  Massachu- 
setts to  the  middle  of  this  state. 

Short  canals,  with  locks,  are  formed 
round  the  falls  at  Enfield,  Connecticut, 
and  South  Hadley,  Massachusetts : but 
the  Farmington  canal,  with  its  extension 
to  Northampton  in  the  last-mentioned 
state,  takes  off  a portion  of  the  trade  to 
New  Haven  ; and  much  freight,  as  well 


quain  Lake 


28 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


as  most  of  the  travellers,  now  pass  more 
swiftly  along  the  banks  of  the  stream 
over  the  railroads.  Several  _ important 
routes  cross  Connecticut  river  at  differ- 
ent points  ; but  the  principal  one  is  the 
railroad  loute  from  Boston  to  Albany, 
through  Springfield.  ; 

Natural  Curiosities. — The  Notch, 
Flume,  and  several  objects  in  the  heart 
of  the  White  mountains,  may  be  termed  ' 
curiosities,  and  a remarkable  rock  in  ! 
Franconia  is  noted  as  such.  The  pro- 
file, when  viewed  from  a particular  j 
point,  presents  a considerable  resem- 
blance to  the  human  profile,  whence  it 
has  received  the  name  of  The  Old  Man  j 
of  the  Mountains.  The  peak  rises  about 
one  thousand  feet  above  the  valley  at  its 
base. 

History. — The  first  settlements  were 
made  as  stated  on  page  42,  at  Dover  and 
Portsmouth,  in  1623 ; and  the  people 
voluntarily  united  themselves  to  Massa- 
chusetts in  1641.  But  in  1679  the  coun- 
try was  constituted  a separate,  colony 
by  Charles  II.  For  many  years  the 
frontier  villages  suffered  severely  from 
the  hostile  incursions  of  the  Indians, 
usually  led  or  sent  against  them  by  the 
French  Jesuits  in  Canada.  Many  dwel- 
lings were  burned  in  the  wars  of  Philip 
and  France,  many  lives  were  lost,  and 
many  captives  taken  to  Canada. 

The  people  of  New  Hampshire  bore 
an  active  part  in  the  war  of  the  revolu- 
tion. On  the  21st  of  June,  1788,  the 
convention  of  the  state  adopted  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  by  a vote 
of  fifty-seven  to  forty-six. 

Portsmouth,  the  principal  seaport  in 
New  Hampshire,  is  the  capital  of  Rock- 
ingham county.  It  enjoys  a pleasant 
situation  at  the  mouth  of  Piscataqua, 
three  miles  from  the  ocean.  The  har- 
bor, although  perfectly  shut  in  by  land, 
is  never  obstructed  by  ice.  It  is  fifty- 
four  miles  from  Boston,  and  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety-three  from  Washington. 
It  is  connected  with  the  town  of  Kittery, 
in  Maine,  by  two  bridges,  and  a third 
extends  to  Great  island,  where  is  a 
lighthouse.  The  navy-yard  is  on  Con- 
tinental island,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  harbor.  There  are  eight  churches, 
seven  banks,  two  markets,  a custom- 


house, an  athenaeum,  and  an  almshouse. 
The  population  is  about  ten  thousand. 
The  Boston  and  Portland  railroad  passes 
through  the  town. 

The-  Athenaium,  incorporated  in  1817, 
has  about  five  thousand  volumes  in  its 
library,  a cabinet  of  minerals,  and  col- 
lections in  other  branches  of  natural 
history. 

Concord. — This  town,  the  capital  of 
New  Hampshire,  is  located  upon  the 
Merrimack  river,  with  the  principal  vil- 
lage upon  the  western  side.  It  is  forty- 
five  miles,  west-northwest,  from  Ports- 
mouth, and  seventy-four  miles,  north- 
north-west,  from  Boston  by  railroad,  and 
sixty-two  by  turnpike.  It  has  communi- 
cation, also,  with  Boston  by  the  Merri- 
mac  river  and  the  Middlesex  canal,  and 
engrosses  the  chief  trade  from  the  north. 
Main  street,  its  principal  thoroughfare, 
on  which  are  located  most  of  the  public 
buildings,  and  the  stores  and  principal 
places  of  business,  is  about  two  miles 
in  length.  A fine  intervale  lies  between 
the  village  and  the  river.  Here  are  the 
statehouse,  state  prison,  lunatic  asylum, 
also  a state  institution,  county  court- 
house, several  banks,  twelve  churches, 
and  several  other  public  buildings.  Con- 
cord has  about  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
dwelling-houses,  and  a population  of 
about  nine  thousand. 

The  Statehouse , a beautiful  structure, 
appropriately  built  of  granite,  is  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  in  length, 
and  forty-nine  in  breadth.  It  occupies 
a conspicuous  situation,  surrounded  by 
a fine  park.  The  view  from  the  cupola 
is  very  extensive  and  picturesque.  The 
halls  of  the  house  of  representatives  and 
the  senate  contain  several  works  of  art ; 
among  which  are  a portrait  of  Count 
Rumford,  the  founder  of  the  town,  after 
whom  it  was  originally  named,  and  a 
full-length  likeness  of  Washington  (after 
Stuart)  by  Walter  Ingalls,  a native-artist 
of  the  granite  state,  whose  lifelike  portraits 
have,  both  in  his  own  country  and  abroad, 
given  him  a high  rank  in  his  profession. 

A few  years  since,  but  a single  rail- 
road extended  to  Concord  ; but  several 
roads  now  radiate  from  this  busy  town, 
and  the  enterprise  of  the  people,  being 
once  awakened  to  their  true  interests, 


The  State  House,  at  Concord. 


'1 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


j 30 


I will  not  rest  till  the  iron  bands,  which 
are  drawing  the  extremes  of  our  wide- 
spread country  nearer  and  nearer,  shall 
extend  to  every  section  of  the  state, 
and  even  to  the  commercial  metropolis 
: of  Canada. 

Manchester. — This  city  is  one  of  the 
I youngest  but  most  flourishing  manu- 
facturing places  in  the  state.  It  was 
fcommenced  with  activity,  by  a large 
Boston  company,  about  ten  years  ago, 
at  one  of  the  best  sites  for  water-power 
on  the  Merrimac,  and  has  rapidly  in- 
creased in  business.  Pop.  20,000.  The 
soil  is  sandy,  and  the  situation  favorable 
only  for  the  objects  for  which  the  town 
has  been  built;  but  the  prospects  are 
flattering  for  permanent  and  increasing 
prosperity.  The  good  regulations  es- 
tablished in  most  of  the  other  large 
manufacturing  places  in  New  England, 
have  been,  from  the  first,  adopted  here, 
and  the  results  are  highly  favorable. 
Precautions  are  taken  to  secure  com- 
fortable, healthy,  and  respectable  lodg- 
ings and  accommodations  for  the  work 
people,  or  “ operatives,”  of  both  sexes. 
Several  churches,  of  different  denomina- 
tions, are  erected ; schools  are  abun- 
dant ; and  the  agents  of  the  manufacto- 
ries are  men  of  intelligence  and  public 
spirit,  who  favor  all  measures  for  moral 
and  intellectual  improvement.  A rail- 
road, as  in  most  other  instances  in  towns 
of  this  kind,  affords  its  advantages. 

Several  other  towns  might  be  men- 
tioned, in  this  part  of  the  state,  of  a 
similar  character,  though  none  of  so 
recent  a date,  and  such  rapid  and  re- 
markable growth.  The  various  and  val- 
uable products  of  manufacturing  skill, 
constantly  yielded  by  the  thousands  of 
industrious  hands  and  busy  wheels  in 
these  places,  find  their  way  to  Boston, 
with  but  few  exceptions ; the  grand 
route  of  transportation  being  the  Lowell 
railroad,  with  its  extension  and  branches. 
It  is  by  this  channel  that  the  capital  of 
that  wealthy  city  extends  its  influence 
through  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
brings  its  profitable  returns  to  the 
wharves,  whence  they  are  transported 
to  distant  ports. 

There  are  many  agreeable  interior 
towns  in  the  midst  of  pleasant  agiicul- 


tural  regions.  The  land  varies  from  jj 
valleys  and  level  meadows,  to  swelling  |j 
and  often  elevated  uplands  ; but  the  soil 
is  generally  well  cultivated,  situations 
healthful  and  agreeable,  and  the  state 
of  society,  in  different  degrees,  refined 
and  intelligent.  Considerable  diversity 
is  observable,  in  different  parts  of  New 
Hampshire,  in  the  character  of  the  pop- 
ulation. Portsmouth  was,  for  a time,  a j 
seat  of  no  little  aristocratic  pride,  during  J 
the  period  of  its  existence  as  a royal  j 
colony  ; and  some  remains  of  the  feel- 
ings of  those  days  may  still  be  found. 
Large  bands  of  emigrants',  of  the  agri- 
cultural classes,  who  came  out  from 
Great  Britain  and  occupied  large  tracts 
in  the  interior,  were  for  a long  time 
found  slow  in  conforming  to  the  habits 
and  institutions  which  have  always  char- 
acterized those  of  puritan  origin,  who 
constitute  the  third  division  of  the  pop- 
ulation. 

Charlestown. — This  is  a beautiful 
village  on  the  bank  of  Connecticut  river, 
and  one  of  the  first  places  occupied,  in 
early  times,  in  the  interior  of  the  state. 

It  was  included  within  “ Township  No. 

4”  (by  which  name  it  was  long  known), 
being  one  of  a range  of  settlements  first 
laid  off  above  the  present  line  of  Massa- 
chusetts. For  many  years  it  was  much 
exposed  to  Indian  depredations,  and 
was  defended  by  a small  fort,  built  of  < 
logs,  in  a spot  now  crossed  by  the  street, 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  village.  In- 
significant as  was  this  little  place  of  de- 
fence, it  was  held  by  a few  men,  against 
a considerable  body  of  savages,  during 
a long  and  persevering  attack. 

Walpole. — In  full  view  of  Connec- 
ticut river,  this  town  occupies  a fine, 
commanding  situation,  on  a bold  and 
beautiful  hill,  which  rises  abruptly  from 
the  shore,  three  or  four  miles  south  of 
Bellows’  Falls.  The  country  in  the  vi- 
cinity presents  many  striking  scenes  and 
beautifnl  landscapes ; the  soil  is  strong  j 
and  well  cultivated,  and  the  village  very 
pleasant.  Pop.  2,500. 

Bellows’  Falls. — Although  the  vil- 
lage which  bears  this  name  is  on  the 
western  side  of  the  Connecticut,  the  re- 
markable descent  of  the  stream  from 
whiah  it  has  received  itfe  name  is  within 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  31 


the  bounds  of  New  Hampshire.  There 
is  no  other  spot  along  its  course  which 
bears  so  striking  marks  of  the  violent 
operations  of  nature.  An  immense  mass 
of  the  hardest  and  most  solid  kind  of 
gray  granite  has  been  burst  through, 
and  the  masses  have  apparently  been 
torn  away  in  some  long  passage,  while 
the  smoothed  surfaces  of  those  which 
remain  indicate  the  slow  but  consider- 
able effects  of  rushing  streams,  uninter- 
mitted for  ages.  A little  above  the  spot, 
the  water  flows  in  a smooth  and  gentle 
current,  and  spreads  out  to  a consider- 
able breadth  ; while  broad  meadows  on 
both  sides  line  its  course,  and  show 
marks  of  successive  elevations  which  it 
formerly  maintained  at  different  periods. 
But  just  at  the  falls,  the  whole  stream 
is  confined  between  two  rocks  only  a few 
feet  apart ; while  only  a portion  of  the 
intermediate  space  is  filled  by  the  water, 
as  large  masses  of  granite  lie  between 
and  divide  the  current  into  several 
parts.  The  rapidity  and  force  of  the 
descent  are  extremely  great,  so  that  ex- 
travagant reports  have  been  made  on 
the  subject,  especially  by  a singular 
writer  of  past  days,  Hugh  Peters,  who 
gravely  published  that  the  water  was 
so  much  hardened  by  compression,  that 
a crowbar  could  not  be  forced  into  it ! 

Salmon,  however,  used  to  pass  the 
spot  in  great  numbers,  so  long  as  they 
abounded  in  the  river,  and  this,  like 
many  other  waterfalls,  was  the  site  of  a 
great  Indian  fishing-place.  The  deep 
pools  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  were 
crowded  with  them  at  that  season  in  the 
spring,  when  they  annually  moved  up 
toward  the  shallow  water  to  deposite 
their  spawn  ; and  large  encampments  of 
savages  were  at  that  time  made  upon  the 
blinks.  Marks  still  remain,  especially 
in  several  figures  engraved  on  a smooth, 
projecting  piece  of  granite,  a little  be- 
low the  cascade. 

A short  canal  was  commenced,  many 
years  ago,  to  facilitate  boat-navigation 
around  the  falls.  The  scenery  at  the 
spot  is  remarkably  wild;  a mountain 
rising  abruptly  from  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  river,  covered  with  rocky  and 
forest  trees,  and  casting  a deep  shadow 
upon  the  roaring  stream  which  rushes 


by  at  its  base.  An  elevated  bridge, 
which  crosses  it  just  below  the  falls, 
and  affords  a near  and  almost  terrific 
view  of  the  tumultuous  scene,  gives  the 
place  a double  interest  in  the  eye  of  the 
traveller.  The  effect  of  the  whole  is  ► 
greatly  heightened,  by  the  contrast  it 
forms  with  the  rich  and  tranquil  region 
which  opens  to  the  view  above.  One 
of  the  largest  and  most  fertile  tracts  of 
alluvion  there  spreads  out  on  the  river’s 
borders,  through  which  its  waters  mean- 
der in  long  and  graceful  curves ; and 
well-tilled  and  productive  fields,  covered 
with  the  deepest  verdure,  extend  to  the 
borders  of  the  rising  grounds,  which 
swell  to  the  wooded  uplands. 

Hanover. — This  is  a remarkably 
pleasant  village,  occupying  a high  level 
on  the  top  of  a considerable  ridge  of 
land,  in  the  midst  of  a wild  and  sterile 
tract,  which  has  but  few  inhabitants. 
It  presents  a pleasing  aspect ; for  be- 
sides having  several  streets  with  a num- 
ber of  neat  houses,  with  court-yards  and 
gardens,  there  is  a large,  level  public 
square  in  the  centre,  well  shaded  with 
trees,  and  ornamented  with  some  of  the 
finest  buildings  in  the  place,  especially 
those  connected  with  the  principal  lit- 
erary institution  of  the  state,  viz.  : — 

Dartmouth  College. — This  was  origin- 
ally a school,  founded  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Wheelock,  for  the  education  of  Indian 
youth  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 
With  a zeal  and  perseverance  fitting 
the  enlightened  and  noble  object,  that  de- 
voted man  surmounted  obstacles  which 
it  would  be  difficult  to  appreciate,  to  any 
one  not  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
state  of  the  country  at  the  time.  Like 
almost  every  other  attempt  made  for  the 
extensive  and  permanent  benefit  of  that 
unfortunate  race,  i(t  ultimately  failed  of 
success,  so  far  as  it  related  to  them.  In 
the  course  of  years,  however,  it  proved 
useful  in  an  eminent  degree ; and  Dart- 
mouth college  has  long  maintained  a 
highly  respectable  rank  among  its  kin- 
dred institutions.  Among  its  alumni 
have  , been  found  many  distinguished 
men ; and  its  standing  and  usefulness 
are  likely  to  rise  with  the  advance  of 
population. 

The  principal  academical  buildings 


32  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

stand  on  the  eastern  site  of  the  square, 
while  that  of  the  medical  department  is 
a little  further  north.  The  houses  of  ; 
the  president  and  professors  are  neat 
and  handsome  structures,  and  add  much 
*to  the  appearance  of  the  village. 

Dartmouth  college  is  supported  by 
funds  contributed  by  individuals  at  dif- 
ferent periods,  and  lands  granted  by  this  1 
state  and  Vermont.  The  library  of  the 
institution  contains  about  4,500  volumes, 
and  those  belonging  to  societies  of  stu- 
dents about  9,000.  The  corporation 
consists  of  the  governor  and  chief  jus- 
tice of  the  state,  the  president,  ten  mem- 
bers elected  for  the  purpose,  the  coun- 
cillors of  the  state,  the  president  of  the 
senate,  and  the  speaker  of  the  house  of 
representatives. 

Moore’s  charity  school,  a well-en- 
dowed institution,  is  connected  with  the 
college. 

The  following  are  the  names  and 
dates  of  the  presidents  of  Dartmouth  | 
college:  Rev.  E.  Wheelock,  D.D.,  1769 
to  1779;  Jno.  Wheelock,  LL.  D.,  1779 
to  1815;  Rev.  Francis  Brown,  D.  D., 
1815  to  1820  ; Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  D.  D., 
1S20  to  1821 ; Rev.  Ben  net  Tyler,  D.  D., 
1822  to  1828  ; Rev.  Nathan  Lord,  1828. 

The  annual  expense  of  tuition  is 
twenty-seven  dollars ; rent,  seven  and 
a half  dollars  ; board,  from  one  dollar  to 
one  dollar  and  a half  per  week. 

The  course  of  lectures  in  the  medical 
college  continues  fourteen  weeks.  F our 
or  live  lectures  are  delivered  daily,  d he 
fees  are  about  fifty  dollars. 

Haverhill  is  a town  extending  along 
the  Connecticut,  opposite  the  Great  Ox- 
1 bow,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  fertile 
tracts  of  meadow-land  on  this  part  of  its 
course.  The  size  of  this  stream  is  much 
smaller  here  than  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  state ; yet  its  source  is  still  quite 
distant ; and  there  are  a few  points  con- 
nected with  it  which  may  be  adverted 
to  in  this  place. 

Connecticut  river  in  this  state  makes 
a considerable  part  of  its  descent  from 
its  headwaters  to  the  ocean  level.  Lake 
Connecticut  is  one  thousand  six  hundred 
feet  higher  than  Long  Island  sound; 
but  six  hundred  of  this  is  reduced  in 
i the  first  twenty-five  miles,  in  which  the 

U — — - - 

course  is  southwest.  The  next  twenty 
miles,  where  it  runs  more  southwest, 
it  descends  three  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  more.  Below  this  point  are  two 
considerable  falls,  the  first  of  which  is 
at  the  mouth  of  White  river,  and  the 
other  is  Bellows  Falls,  which  has  been 
described. 

The  Passumpsic,  a considerable  branch  | 
of  the  Connecticut,  enters  it  at  the  foot  j 
of  Fifteen-mile  falls.  Nearly  two  hun-  j 
dred  small  lakes,  or  ponds,  are  formed 
in  different  parts  of  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut,  two  of  the  largest  of  which 
are  in  New  Hampshire,  viz.,  Mascony 
and  Sunapee.  The  former  is  seven 
miles  lono-,  and  the  latter  twelve.  From 
the  superior  elevations  m this  state,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  five  of  the  princi- 
pal rivers  of  New  England  should  have 
their  sources  within  its  limits. 

The  White  mountains — those  “ Alps 
of  New  England, '*  as  they  have  been, 
not  inappropriately,  called — present  nu- 
merous attractions  to  every  visiter  of 
taste  and  science,  and  are  the  annual 
resort  of  numerous  travellers.  Winni- 
piseogee  lake,  as  we  have  before  re- 
marked, lies  on  the  route  from  the  south, 
and  at  its  outlet  is  situated  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  villages  in  the  state. 

Meredith. — This  place  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  water-power  of  Winni- 
piseogee  river,  and  lies  on  the  route  of 
the  railroad  line  from  Concord  north- 
ward, which  is  gradually  extended  as 
the  stock  is  taken  up,  and  is  designed 
to  extend  to  Canada.  The  town  has 
sqme  twenty  stores,  and  its  population 
is  about  5,000. 

Red  Mountain. — This  is  a conspicu- 
ous eminence,  occupying  a favorable 
position  as  a point  of  view,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Lake  Winnipiseogee, 
which  is  a favorite  resort  of  travellers, 
being  easy  of  access,  and  commanding 
a scene  of  the  greatest  variety  and 
beauty.  The  following  description  was 
written  on  the  spt>t : — 

“North,  the  eastern  end  of  Squam 
lake,  and  part  of  a pond  lying  near  it, 
with  the  range  of  the  Sandwich  moun- 
tains behind,  stretching  off  toward  the 
east,  with  numerous  dark-brown  peaks, 
partly  cultivated  about  their  bases, -and 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ST A.TE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


33 


enveloped  above  with  forests,  excepting 
their  summits,  which  are  generally  di- 
vested of  verdure.  Far  beyond  these 
appear  several  loftier  peaks,  which 
might  be  mistaken  for  the  White  moun- 
tains, were  they  visible  from  this  point. 
An  intermediate  peak  with  rocky  preci- 
pices is  White-faced  mountain. 

“ East-northeast,  the  eye  ranges  up 
the  spacious  valley  through  which  lies 
the  way  to  the  White  mountains,  and 
the  road  which  is  to  conduct  the  travel- 
ler seems  diminished  to  the  dimensions 
of  a garden  walk.  Chocaway,  or,  as  it 
is  familiarly  called,  Coroway  peak,  rises 
on  the  left ; while  the  noble  ridge  of 
the  Ossipee  mountains  begins  nearer  at 
hand  on  the  right,  and  almost  overshad- 
ows the  observer  with  its  enormous  size. 
The  sides  of  these  mountains  show  a 
beautiful  display  of  farms,  interspersed 
with  wood-lots  and  dwellings,  which  in 
many  places  have  encroached  far  toward 
the  summits,  and  in  others  pursue  the 
slope  of  the  fertile  uplands  to  the  valley 
at  their  feet.  Numerous  elevations  ap- 
pear at  a greater  distance,  and  range 
themselves  in  lines  to  complete  the  per- 
spective of  a most  magnificent  vista, 
which  finally  closes  at  a ridge,  whose 
shade  is  reduced  by  its  remoteness  to 
the  color  of  a cloud.  A prominent  and 
remarkable  mountain,  which  appears 
scarcely  less  distant,  is  called  Pickvvaket 
mountain,  and  rises  by  the  Saco  river, 
near  the  place  where  Captain  Lovel 
fought  his  well-known  battle  with  the 
Indians  ; and  the  fine  valley  between  is 
the  country  passed  over  in  that  fatal  ex- 
pedition, in  both  the  approach  and  the 
retreat. 

“ East,  the  view  abuts  upon  the  Ossi- 
pee mountains,  and  no  variety  is  afforded 
until  we  turn  to  the  south-southeast.  In 
that  direction,  and  further  to  the  right, 
the  whole  surface  of  Winnipiseogee  lake 
lies  charmingly  spread  out  to  view,  va- 
ried by 'numerous  points  and  headlands, 
and  interspersed  with  beautiful  islands 
which  man  despairs  to  number.  Sev- 
eral distant  elevations  appear,  on  this 
side  of  which  the  sloping  land  just  men- 
tioned extends  for  several  miles  along 
the  shore,  with  a well-cultivated  surface 
spotted  in  all  directions  with  large  barns 


and  farmhouses,  to  the  very  margin  of 
the  lake.  There  numerous  points  run 
out  far  into  the  water,  to  complete  the 
labyrinths  formed  by  the  islands.  Gun- 
stock  mountain  rises  one  point  east  of 
south,  just  on  the  left  of  which  opens  the 
entrance  of  Merry-meeting  bay.  The 
elevated  island  on  the  right  of  that  is 
Rattlesnake  island,  named  from  the  ven- 
omous reptiles  with  which  it  abounds  ; 
over  this  the  distant  land  appears  high. 
South  by  west  rises  a high  hill  resem- 
bling the  Ossipee  in  the  richness  of  its 
slopes. 

“ The  southwest  and  west  is  agree- 
ably varied  with  wood-lots  and  cleared 
fields,  scattered  over  an  undulated  sur- 
face, which  extends  for  many  miles,  in 
some  places  quite  to  the  horizon,  and 
in  others  to  the  broken  boundary  of  tall 
but  distant  mountains.  In  the  south- 
west appear  two  or  three  peaks,  so  far 
removed  that  they  are  almost,  lost  in  the 
blue  of  the  sky.  Nearly  west  are  seen 
several  ridges  of  inferior  magnitude, 
which,  approaching  as  the  eye  slowly 
moves  toward  the  left,  at  length  come 
near  the  lake,  and  disappear  behind  the 
neighboring  mountains. 

“ Long  pond  may  be  distinguished  by 
its  shining  surface  between  the  west 
and  south,  with  several  other  little  sheets 
of  water,  which  lie  in  tranquillity  under 
the  shelter  of  the  hills.  , 

“ Winnipiseogee  lake  is  nineteen  miles 
in  length,  from  Centre  Harbor  to  Alton, 
at  the  southeastern  extremity.  Merry- 
meeting  bay  lies  beyond.  Several  of 
the  islands  are  large,  and  contain  good 
farms  and  wealthy  inhabitants,  although 
only  two  or  three  belong  to  any  town, 
or  pay  any  taxes.  Some  of  their  names 
are  Rattlesnake,  Cow,  Bear,  and  Moon 
islands;  also, Half-Mile,  One-Mile,  Two- 
Mile  islands,  &c.,  &c.  None  of  them 
contain  churches ; and  although  they 
have  few  school-houses,  yet  sufficient  at- 
tention is  paid  to  the  rudiments  of  edu-* 
cation  to  render  the  children  intelligent. 
Winnipiseogee  lake,  according  to  sur- 
veys made  by  Mr.  Baldwin  in  1S25,  is 
five  hundred  and  one  feet  above  the 
ocean. 

“ Squam  lake  lies  west  from  Red 
mountain,  and,  like  Winnipiseogee  lake, 


~J 


3 


34 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


abounds  not  only  in  islands,  but  in  fish 
of  the  finest  descriptions.” 

Centre  Harbor. — This  is  a village 
situated  at  the  northwest  extremity  of 
the  lake,  in  the  midst  of  interesting 
scenery.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged 
in  fishing  as  well  as  agriculture,  and  the 
place  is  a favorite  stopping-place  for 
travellers.  At  a short  distance  rises 
Red  mountain,  just  spoken  of. 

Conway,  six  miles. — The  view  of  the 
White  mountains  is  very  fine  from  this 
place,  presenting  a succession  of  lofty 
ridges,  the  most  distant  of  which  are  the 
peaks  of  Mounts  Washington,  Adams, 
Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe,  and  Quin- 
cy. The  most  prominent  elevation  on 
the  right,  with  two  summits,  is  Kear- 
sarge,  or  Pickwaket ; a level  meadow 
lies  in  the  foreground,  with  an  isolated 
woody  hill  in  the  middle,  and  the  Saco 
river,  which  rises  on  Mount  Washing- 
ton, and  flows  down  a narrow  valley, 
with  many  meanderings. 

The  Chalybeate  Spring,  in  Conway? 
is  in  a valley,  with  mountains  on  every 
side  except  the  southeast.  From  near 
the  church,  the  White  mountains  are  in 
sight.  Two  or  three  miles  above,  the 
Saco  valley  bends  to  the  left,  and  Ellis’s 
river  comes  down  a narrow  vale  in  front. 

A tremendous  catastrophe  occurred 
among  the  White  mountains  on  the 
night  of  August  28,  1826.  A storm  of 
rain,  unprecedented  within  the  memory 
of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  deluged  the 
principal  peaks  of  the  mountains,  and 
poured  such  an  inundation  upon  the  val- 
leys and  plains  below,  that  it  is  com- 
monly attributed  to  the  “ bursting  of  a 
cloud  although  that  expression  is  a 
very  ill-defined  one.  The  effects  pro- 
duced by  the  flood  will  remain  for  cen- 
turies. 

The  inundation  was  so  great  and  so 
sudden,  that  the  channels  of  the  stream 
were  totally  insufficient  to  admit  of 
•the  passage  of  the  water,  which,  conse- 
quently, overflowed  the  little  level  val- 
leys at  the  feet  of  the  mountains.  In- 
numerable torrehts  immediately  formed 
on  all  sides ; and  such  deep  trenches 
were  cut  by  the  rushing  water,  that  vast 
bodies  of  earth  and  stones  fell  from  the 
, mountains,  bearing  with  them  the  for- 


ests that  had  covered  them  for  ages. 
Some  of  these  “ slides,”  as  they  are  here 
popularly  denominated  (known  among 
the  Alps  as  “ avalanches  de  terre ”),  are 
supposed  to  have  been  half  a mile  in 
breadth,  and  from  one  to  five  miles  in 
length.  Scarcely  any  natural  occur- 
rence can  be  imagined  more  sublime ; 
and  among  the  devastation  which  it  has 
left  to  testify  the  power  of  the  elements, 
the  traveller  will  be  filled  with  awe  at 
the  thought  of  that  Being  by  whom  they 
are  controlled  and  directed. 

The  streams  brought  away  with  them 
immense  quantities  of  earth  and  sand, 
which  the  turbid  water  deposited,  when 
any  obstacle  threw  it  back,  in  tempo- 
rary ponds  and  lakes.  The  forest-trees 
were  also  floated  down,  frequently,  sev- 
eral miles  from  the  places  where  they 
were  rooted  up.  The  timber  was  often 
marked  with  deep  grooves  and  trenches, 
made  by  the  rocks  which  passed  over 
them,  during  their  descent  from  the 
mountains ; and  great  heaps  of  trees 
were  deposited  in  some  places,  while  in 
others  the  soil  of  the  little  meadows  was 
buried  with  earth,  sand,  or  rocks,  to  the 
depth  of  several  feet. 

The  turnpike-road  leading  through 
this  romantic  country  was  twenty  miles 
in  length,  but  was  almost  entirely  de- 
stroyed. Twenty-one  of  the  twenty- 
three  bridges  upon  it  were  demolished  ; 
one  of  them,  built  with  stone,  cost  one 
thousand  dollars.  In  some  places,  the 
Saco  river  ran  along  the  road,  and  cut 
down  deep  channels. 

The  Willey  house  was  the  scene  of  a 
most  melancholy  tragedy  on  the  night 
above  mentioned,  when  this  inundation 
occurred.  Several  days  previously,  a 
large  “slide”  came  down  from  the 
mountains  behind  it,  and  passed  so  near 
as  to  cause  great  alarm,  without*  any  in- 
jury to  the  inmates.  The  house  was 
occupied  by  Mr.  Calvin  Willey,  whose 
wife  was  a young  woman  of  a very  in- 
teresting character,  and  of  an  education 
not  to  be  looked  for  in  so  wild  a region. 
They  had  a number  of  young  children, 
and  their  family,  at  the  time,  included 
several  other  persons,  amounting  in  all 
to  eleven.  They  were  waked  in  the 
night  by  the  noise  of  the  storm,  or  more 


Centre  Harbor,  and  Lake  W innipiseogee* 


36  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


probably  by  the  second  descent  of  ava- 
lanches from  the  neighboring  mountains, 
and  fled  in  their  night-clothes  from  the 
house  to  seek  their  safety,  but  thus  threw 
themselves  in  the  way  of  destruction. 
One  of  the  slides,  a hundred  feet  high, 
stopped  within  three  feet  of  the  house. 
Another  took  away  the  barn,  and  over- 
whelmed the  family  ; nothing  was  found 
of  them  for  some  time;  their  clotheg 
were  found  lying  at  their  bedsides.  The 
house  had  been  started  on  its  foundation 
by  an  immense  heap  of  earth  and  tim- 
ber, which  had  slid  down  and  stopped 
as  soon  as  it  touched  it;  and  they  had 
all  been  crushed  on  leaving  the  door,  or 
borne  away  with  the  water  that  over- 
flowed the  meadow.  The  bodies  of  sev- 
eral of  them  were  never  found.  The 
last  remains  discovered  were  those  of  a 
child  found  in  1846.  A catastrophe  so 
melancholy,  and  at  the  same  time  so 
singular  in  its  circumstances,  has  hardly 
ever  occurred.  It  will  always  furnish 
the  traveller  with  a melancholy  subject 
of  reflection. 

Bartlett  is  a village  situated  in  a 
rich  valley,  or  intervale,  of  about  three 
hundred  acres,  where  the  view  is  bound- 
ed on  every  side  by  near  and  lofty  moun- 
tains. There  is  another  intervale  among 
the  mountains  westward,  which,  although 
it  contains  as  much  good  cleared  land, 
has  been  converted  into  a common,  in 
consequence  of  the  difficulty  of  making 
a good  road  to  it.  Pursuing  still  the 
course  of  the  narrow  valley,  against  the 
current  of  the  Saco,  the  country  is  found 
uncleared,  except  two  or  three  pretty 
little  meadows,  and  destitute  of  inhab- 
itants, excepting  only  three  or  four  poor 
families,  until  arriving  at  Crawford’s- 
farm,  seven  and  a half  miles  south  of 
the  Notch.  The  water  rose  in  this 
house  two  feet  in  the  flood  of  1826. 
This  is  the  place  from  which  visiters 
formerly  began  their  excursions  to  the 
mountains. 

Prospect  Mountain , one  of  the  princi- 
pal peaks,  presents  itself  to  view  a 
little  before  arriving  at  the  first  Craw- 
ford’s, with  its  smooth  rounded  sum- 
mit of  brown  »moss,  rising  several  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  region  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  offering  an  aspect  which 

I 


distinguishes  these  from  the  other  ele- 
vations. 

The  climate  in  this  narrow  valley  is 
still  so  warm  as  to  favor  the  growth  of 
various  trees,  which  are  scarcely  to  be 
found  a few  miles  further  north.  The 
forests  are  here  formed  of  spruce,  ash, 
beech,  maple,  and  sugar-maple  ; and  In- 
dian corn  grows  well,  which  will  not 
come  to  maturity  beyond.  The  orchard 
contains  hundreds  of  apple-trees.  This 
is  one  of  the  principal  stopping-places 
for  the  sleighs,  which  pass  the  moun- 
tains in  great  numbers,  during  the  win- 
ter, for  Portland,  Boston,  &c. 

Nancy’s  Hill  is  a small  elevation  a 
few  miles  north  of  this  place.  In  1773 
a young  woman  of  respectable  connex- 
ions, who  accompanied  a family  of  set- 
tlers to  Dartmouth  (now  Jefferson),  set 
out  in  the  winter  to  return  to  Ports- 
1 mouth,  alone  and  on  foot,  her  lover  hav- 
ing promised  to  meet  her  there  and 
marry  her.  There  was  then  no  house 
nearer  than  Bartlett,  thirty  miles.  Nancy 
was  found  by  some  travellers  in  this 
spot,  frozen  and  covered  with  ice,  un- 
der a shelter  formed  of  branches  of 
trees,  which  was  the  only  shelter  to  be 
found  on  the  way. 

There  is  a place  near  the  Notch, 
where  the  road  suffered  severe  injury. 
It  had  been  built  up  against  the  side  of 
a mountain,  on  a wall  forty  or  fifty  feet 
high,  and  about  thirty  yards  in  extent, 
at  the  expense  of  five  hundred  dollars. 
This  whole  fabric  was  swept  away  by  a 
mass  of  earth,  rocks,  and  trees,  which 
came  from  a half  a mile  up  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  rushing  down  at  an  angle 
of  forty-five  degrees,  and  precipitated 
itself  into  the  bed  of  the  Saco,  which  is 
nearly  three  hundred  feet  below. 

The  road  rises  with  a steep  ascent 
for  a considerable  distance  before  it 
reaches  the  Notch,  and  the  traveller  ob- 
serves two  cataracts,  one  pouring  down 
a precipitous  mountain  at  a distance  on 
the  west  side  of  the  valley,  and  the 
other,  which  is  called  the  Flume,  rush- 
ing down  on  the  right  hand,  and  cross- 
ing the  road  under  a bridge.  The 
scenery  is  sublime  and  impressive  be- 
yond descriotion.  There  is  also  another 
flume  just  beyond. 


The  Notch  House,  White  Mountains 


38  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


The  Notch  is  so  narrow  as  to  allow 
only  room  enough  for  the  path,  and  the 
Saco,  which  is  here  a mere  brook,  only 
four  feet  in  breadth.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  Saco  and  the  Ammonoosuc 
spring  from  fountains  on  Mount  Wash- 
ington, within  perhaps  sixty  yards  of 
each  other,  though  the  former  empties 
into  the  Atlantic,  and  the  latter  joins 
Connecticut  river.  Another  branch  of 
the  Ammonoosuc  approaches  the  Saco, 
in  one  place,  within  about  six  hundred 
yards.  They  are  both  crossed  beyond 
the  Notch.  The  head-waters  of  the 
Merrimac  rise  within  about  a mile  and 
a half  of  this  place,  and  run  down  a 
long  ravine,  little  less  remarkable  than 
that  of  the  Saco; 

A road  was  first  made  through  the 
Notch  in  1785.  It  was  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  higher  than  the  present  turnpike, 
and  so  steep  that  it  was  necessary  to 
draw  horses  and  wagons  up  with  ropes. 
The  assessment  for  the  turnpike  was 
made  in  1806. 

Two  rocks  stand  at  the  sides  of  this 
remarkable  passage,  one  twenty,  and 
the  other  about  thirty  feet,  in  perpen- 
dicular height.  They  are  about  twenty 
feet  asunder,  at  six  or  seven  yards  from 
the  north  end,  where  they  open  to  thirty 
feet.  The  part  which  appears  to  have 
been  cut  through  is  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  long.  A little  meadow 
opens  beyond,  where  is  an  inn. 

Mount  Washington. — The  ascent  of 
the  mountain  was  formerly  a most  ar- 
duous undertaking,  and  was  very  rarely 
performed ; but  many  ladies  are  now 
enumerated  among  those  who  have 
gained  the  summit.  The  whole  way 
lies  through  a perfect  forest.  The  first 
four  miles  are  over  a surface  compara- 
tively level ; but  the  last  two  miles  and 
a quarter  are  up  an  ascent  not  differing 
much  from  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees. 

The  streams  of  the  Ammonoosuc  river, 
which  are  to  be  crossed  several  times, 
show  the  ravages  of  the  inundation  of 
1826. 

The  ascent  of  Mount  Washington  is 
laborious,  and  the  most  arduous  exer- 


and  to  look  down  in  derision  from  a 
new  and  more  hopeless  height.  The 
first  part  of  the  way  is  through  a thick  I 
forest  of  heavy  timber,  which  is  sud- 
denly succeeded  by  a girdle  of  dwarf 
and  gnarlfed  fir-trees,  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
high,  and  eighty  rods,  or  about  four  ' 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  broad  ; which,  | 
ending  as  suddenly  as  they  began,  give 
place  to  a kind  of  short  bushes,  and 
finally  a thin  bed  of  moss,  not  half  suf- 
ficient to  conceal  the  immense  granite 
rocks  which  deform  the  surface.  For 
more  than  a mile,  the  surface  is  entirely 
destitute  of  trees.  A . few  straggling 
spiders,  and  several  species  of  little 
flowering  plants,  are  the  only  objects 
that  attract  the  attention  under  the  feet. 

The  following  heights  are  stated  to  j| 
be  those  of  the  different  peaks,  above  j 
the  level  of  the  Connecticut  river  at 
Lancaster:  Washington,  5,350  feet; 
Jefferson,  5,261;  Adams,  5,183;  Mad-  jj 
ison,  5,030;  Monroe,  4,932;  Quincy, 
4,470.  Mount  Washington  is  believed  j 
to  be  more  than  6,400  feet  above  the 
ocean. 

In  a clear  atmosphere  (says  the 
“ Northern  Traveller”),  the  view  is  sub- 
lime, and  almost  boundless.  The  finest 
part  of  it  is  toward  the  southeast  and.  j 
south.  Looking  down  the  valley,  through 
which  the  road  has  conducted  us,  a fine 
succession  of  mountainous  summits  ap-  ([ 
pears  for  many  miles,  extending  below  j 
the  bright  surface  of  Winnipiseogee  ,:j 
lake. 

Toward  the  southeast,  also,  the  eye 
ranges  over  an  extent  of  surface  which 
quite  bewilders  the  mind.  Mountains, 
hills,  and  valleys,  farmhouses,  villages, 
and  towns,  add  their  variety  to  the  nat- 
ural features  of  the  country ; and  the 
ocean  may  be  discovered  at  the  horizon 
with  the  help  of  a telescope,  although 
the  sharpest  sight,  perhaps,  has  never 
been  able  to  distinguish  it  without  such 
assistance.  In  that  direction  lies  Port- 
land, the  capital  of  Maine,  and  nearer 
is  Lovel’s  pond. 

On  the  northeast  is  seen  the  valley  of 
the  Androscoggin  river,  which  abounds 
in  wild  and  romantic  scenery,  and  was 


tion  will  be  necessary  to  attain  the 

summit,  which  seems  to  fly  before  the  j the  usual  passage  by  which  the  Indians, 
stranger  when  he  deems  it  just  attained,  I in  their  hostile  incursions  from  Canada, 

— =*J 

“ ~ 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.  39 


used  to  approach  the  eastern  frontier 
settlements  of  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire.  Beyond  are  the  Ivtardin 
hills,  near  the  extremity  of  Maine. 

North,  the  country  is  more  wild  and 
uncultivated ; and  Umbagog  lake  is  seen, 
from  which  flows  the  Androscoggin. 

West,  the  nearer  view  is  over  a moun- 
tainous region,  covered  with  a thick  for- 
est, through  which  an  occasional  opening 
is  perceived,  formed  by  the  farms  (or 
clearings)  of  the  hardy  inhabitants.  Be- 
yond, the  hills  are  seen  to  *rise  from  the 
opposite  shore  of  Conoecticut  river,  the 
surface  of  which  is  everywhere  hid- 
den from  view,  and  the  summits,  rising 
higher  and  higher,  terminate  in  the 
ridges  of  the  Green  mountains  in  Ver- 
mont. 

Southwesterly  is  seen  the  Grand  Mo- 
nadnock. 

The  Indians  knew  the  White  moun- 
tains by  the  name  of  Agiocochook,  and 
regarded,  them  as  inaccessible,  or  at 
least  represented  them  as  such  to  white 
men. 

The  Lake  of  the  Clouds  is  a little 
pond,  near  the  summit  of  Mount  Mon- 
roe, of  beautiful  clear  water;  it  supplies 
the  head  stream  of  the  Ammonoosuc 
river.  This  little  current  immediately 
begins  its  descent,  and  dashes  in  a head- 
long course  of  several  thousand  feet,  in- 
to the  valley  near  the  encampment. 

Loose  fragments  of  granite  are  every- 
where scattered  over  the  mountain,  with 
some  specimens  of  gneiss.  The  grai^te 
is  generally  gray,  and  at  first  fine-grained, 
but  grows  coarser  as  we  ascend,  and  is 
occasionally  sprinkled  with  small  gar- 
nets. At  the  summit  it  frequently  con- 
tains a little  black  tourmaline,  sometimes 
in  crossing  crystals.  On  the  summit, 
also,  some  of  the  granite  is  tinged  with 
red,  although  much  of  it  is  colored 
bright-green  by  lichens,  dampened  by 
the  humidity  of  the  clouds,  and  inter- 
spersed with  thick  and  soft  gray  moss. 
The  grain  of  the  coarse  granite  is  elon- 
gated; and  what  strikes  the  visiter  as 
very  singular,  is  that  not  a single  rock 
is  to  be  found  in  its  original  place — 
everything  bears  the  mark  of  removal ; 
and  this,  taken  into  view  with  the  preci- 
pice on  the  northern  side,  seems  to  in- 


dicate that  the  summit  of  the  mountain 
has  fallen  down  and  disappeared. 

The*-general  opinion  seems  to  be  that 
the  lofty  peak  above  us  is  the  highest 
elevation  in  North  America,  except  Mex- 
ico, and  some  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 
The  inhospitable  nature  of  the  climate 
is  such  as  to  forbid  all  hopes  of  future 
improvement ; so  that  the  feeling  of  sub- 
limity, produced  by  the  lonely  and  des- 
olate character  of  this  desert  region,  is 
increased  by  the  reflection  that  it  is  des^ 
tined  to  be  a wilderness  for  ever. 

The  only  places  susceptible  of  culti- 
vation in  the  heart  of  the  mountains  are 
the  little  meadows  inhabited  by  single 
families,  and  that  at  the  Notch  house; 
and  there  the  interval  of  warm  weather 
is  so  short  in  the  year  that  few  vegeta- 
bles can  arrive  at  maturity,  with  all  the 
rapidity  of  growth  which  distinguishes 
such  cold  regions.  Indeed,  the  short- 
ness and  uncertainty  of  crops,  with  the 
expense  of  keeping  stock,  &c.,  would 
scarcely  allow  the  farmer  a support, 
without  the  advantages  afforded  by  the 
thoroughfare,  which  is  particularly  great 
during  the  winter  season.  Population, 
therefore,  may  extend  to  the  borders  of 
these  regions,  and  increase,  as  it  does, 
on  every  side ; but  it  can  not  pass  the 
limit,  because  it  can  not  contend  with 
their  coldness  and  sterility. 

Various  kinds  of  wild  birds  and  game 
are  to  be  found  in  the  woods,  besides 
bears,  wild-cats,  and  deer.  The  moose 
and  the  buffalo  were  formerly  abundant 
among  the  mountains  ; and  it  is  scarcely 
forty  years  since  they  were  killed  in 
• great  numbers,  merely  for  their  hides 
and  tallow,  as  the  latter  still  are  in  the 
regions  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Deer 
are  common  in  the  woods,  and  frequently 
are  killed  by  the  hunters.  Black  bears 
are  occasionally  seen  in  the  more  unfre- 
quented places,  but  they  will  always 
endeavor  to  avoid  a man.  A large  spe- 
cies of  reindeer,  known  here  by  the 
name  of  the  Cariboo,  has  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  the  White  mountains. 

The  weather  is  liable  to  frequent 
changes  in  the  mountainous  region, 
which  is  partly  owing  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  Notch,  through  which  the  wind 
blows  almost  without  ceasing,  even  when 


i the  air  is  perfectly  still  at  only  a short 
1 distance  from  it.  From  the  situation 
of  the  mountains,  it  is  impossible  that 
the  direction  of  the  wind  should  vary 
materially  in  the  valley,  and  it  is  there- 
fore, of  course,  always  north  or  south. 
During  the  winter  it  is  often  very  vio- 
lent ; so  that  not  only  the  snow  is  pre- 
vented from  lying  on  the  path  at  the 
Notch,  but  the  surface  is  swept  of  every- 
thing that  a strong  wind  can  remove. 

The  summits  of  the  mountains  are 
frequently  invested  with  mist  when  the 
sky  is  clear,  and  those  only  who  inhabit 
the  vicinity  are  able  to  tell  whether  the 
day  is  to  be'  favorable  for  the  ascent. 
The  mists  sometimes  collect  in  the  val- 
leys, and  then  present  some  of  the  most 
singular  and  beautiful  appearances. 

The  Shaker  Village  at  Canterbury . — 

I The  accompanying  engraving  affords  a 
view  of  this  settlement  of  a small  and 
very  peculiar  sect — the  Shakers,  or  Sha- 
king Quakers,  as  they  are  sometimes 
called.  Like  their  other  villages,  or 
“ families,”  as  they  call  their  settle- 
ments, it  consists  of  a few  dwelling- 
houses  and  offices,  or  shops,  in  which 
their  wares  are  manufactured,  and  their 
seeds  and  herbs  prepared,  stored,  and 
sold.  Separate  habitations,  of  large 
size,  are  appropriated  to  the  different 
sexes,  as  their  doctrines  condemn  mat- 
rimony, separate  man  and  wife,  and 
break  up  the  real  family  state  from  its 
foundation.  Their  moral  and  theologi- 
cal opinions  it  would  be  difficult  to  ascer- 
tain, as  they  keep  much  aloof  and  pub- 
lish but  little,  while  few  avow  much  that 
is  consistent  with  one  another,  or  even 
with  themselves.  The  writer  speaks 
from  personal  knowledge,  having  held 
a conference  with  the  leading  men  of  a 
Shaker  village  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  tried  in  vain  to  learn  their 
whole  creed.  They  only  intimated  a 
rejection  of  some  of  the  doctrines  held 
as  fundamental  by  most  American  Chris- 
tian denominations. 

Ann  Lee,  an  Englishwoman,  the  found- 
er of  their  sect,  they  regard  as  a divine 
person,  but  differ  in  their  representations 
of  her.  She  formed  the  first  Shaker  set- 
tlement at  Niskayuna,  near  Albany,  N.Y. 
She  came  from  England  in  1774. 


The  Shakers  first  took  up  their  resi 
dence  in  Canterbury  in  1782,  and  formed 
a society  in  1792,  under  the  direction 
of  V Elder”  Job  Bishop,  who  died  in 
1831,  aged  seventy-one,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Benjamin  Whittier.  Their 
religious  exercises  consist,  chiefly,  of  a 
peculiar  dance,  in  which  both  sexes 
move,  in  a regular  but  awkward  man- 
ner, about  a large  hall,  sometimes  whirl- 
ing round,  and  uttering  inarticulate 
sounds.  Some  of  them  pretend  to  speak 
in  “ unknown  tongues,”  to.  which  no  in- 
terpreter has  ever  yet  been  found.  We 
add  the  following  particulars,  relating  to 
this  settlement,  from  a published  de- 
scription : — 

This  village  is  located  in  the  north- 
easterly part  of  the  county  of  Merrimack, 
on  the  main  road  from  Concord  to  Con- 
way, twelve  miles  from  Concord,  on  an 
eminence;  at  the  foot  of  which,  as  you 
approach  the  village,  is  a spacious  gran- 
ite watering-trough,  from  the  bottom  of 
which  boils  a bountiful  and  never-failing 
spring,  furnished  by  the  society  for  the 
accommodation  of  travellers. 

As  you  approach  the  village,  the  first 
object  is  the  meetinghouse  on  the  right, 
the  only  white  building  in  the  village, 
which  stands  a few  rods  from  the  road, 
at  the  head  of  a large  open  lawn. 

On  the  left  stands  the  trustees’  office, 
a new,  spacious,  and  elegant  building 
of  hewn  granite  and  pressed  brick,  sev- 
enty-two by  forty  feet  in  size.  In  this 
the  trustees  reside,  and  transact  all  the 
regular  business  of  the  family.  To  this 
office  customers,  strangers,  and  visiters, 
are  to  apply,  who  wish  to  buy  or  sell,  or 
for  the  transaction  of  any  business  with 
the  society  whatever. 

All  sales  and  purchases  are  made  by 
the  trustees,  who  are  the  general  agents 
of  the  society  for  transacting  all  their 
secular  matters,  and  in  whom  the  fee  of 
all  the  real  estate,  in  trust  is  held. 

The  total  number  of  dwellinghouses 
in  the  society  is  ten,  mostly  of  wood, 
painted  yellow.  There  are  also  many 
other  large  and  convenient  wooden  and 
brick  buildings,  occupied  as  workshops; 
also  storehouses  and  granaries,  wood- 
houses,  barns,  &c.,  which  are  spacious 
| and  convenient. 


The  Shaker  Settlement,  at  Canterbury 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


The  whole  number  of  buildings  in 
the  village  is  about  one  hundred,  many 
of  which  are  very  valuable,  composed 
of  the  best  materials,  and  built  in  a 
faithful  and  durable  manner.  Among 
these  are  a convenient  schoolhouse,  one 
spacious  gristmill,  two  sawmills,  three 
carding-machines,  one  fullingmill,  one 
triphammer,  five  mills  for  sawing  fire- 
wood, three  turningmills,  and  two  tan- 
neries, besides  various  other  machinery. 
These  buildings  are  all  laid  out  and 
constructed  in  a regular,  plain,  and  ele- 
gant manner,  which  gives  the  village  a 
very  fine  appearance. 

The  society  own  and  occupy  upward 
of  2,500  acres  of  land,  which,  though 
stony,  is  a good  deep  soil,  about  2,000 
of  which  lie  in  one  body,  enclosed  with 
good  stone  wall  and  cross-fenced  with 
the  same  materials.  Grass,  corn,  grain, 
and  potatoes,  are  raised  in  abundance. 

They  are  industrious,  frugal,  and  tem- 
perate. They  manufacture  many  use- 
ful articles  for  sale,  which  are  very  neat 
and  durable;  such  as  leather,  whips, 
sieves,  tubs,  pails,  churns,  measures, 
rakes,  brooms,  trusses,  snaths,  &c.,  &c. 
Their  gardens  are  large,  and  perhaps 
the  most  productive  of  any  in  the  coun- 
try. They  raise  and  vend  a general 
assortment  of  garden-seeds,  and  spare 
no  pains  to  furnish  those  of  the  best 
kind.  They  also  collect  and  prepare  a 
variety  of  botanical  herbs,  barks,  roots, 
and  extracts,  which  are  prepared  in  the 
most  faithful  manner ; the  herbs  and 
roots  are  neatly  pressed  in  packages  of 
a pound,  and  papered  and  labelled.  All 
the  medicines  prepared  by  them  being 
pure,  and  gathered  in  proper  season, 
insure  them  a very  ready  sale. 

They  usually  keep  about  twenty 
horses,  eighty  cows,  fifteen  yoke  of  oxen, 
five  to  six  hundred  sheep,  and  other 
stock  in  proportion,  and  cut  sufficient  hay 
on  their  premises  for  their  own  con- 
, sumption.  They  also  annually  slaugh- 
ter forty  or  fifty  swine. 

They  freely  pay  their  proportion  of 
taxes,  and  share  all  the  burdens  of  gov- 
ernment, except  the  bearing  of  arms, 
which  they  deem  incompatible  with 
genuine  Christianity,  being,  as  they  be- 
lieve, directly  contrary  to  the  precepts 


and  spirit  of  the  gospel.  So  tenacious 
are  they  of  this  fact,  that  they  not  only 
refuse  to  bear  arms,  but  decline  even  to 
receive  pensions  for  their  former  mili- 
tary services,  to  which  some  of  them  are 
legally  entitled. 

Their  school  will  compare  well  with 
any  in  the  country.  The  English  lan- 
guage is  taught,  and  partly  on  the  Lan- 
casterian  system.  They  are  careful  to  * 
furnish  the  school  with  good  books,  sta- 
tionery, &c.,  so  that  their  scholars,  who 
are  disposed,  may  acquire  a good  edu- 
cation. 

They  entirely  discard  the  use  of  ar- 
dent spirits,  except  occasionally  in  med- 
ical preparations,  but  drink  some  cider. 

They  are  temperate  and  regular  in 
all  their  habits  ; their  food  is  plain  and 
wholesome,  avoiding  all  luxuries.  They 
allow  eight  hours  in  twenty-four  for 
sleeping.. 

The  society,  from  its  commencement, 
has  gradually  increased  in  number,  as 
well  as  in  good  order.  At  present  it 
consists  of  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
members. 

History. — In  1621  the  English  Plym- 
outh company  granted  to  John  Mason, 
one.  of  its  members,  thte  country  between 
Naumkeag,  or  Salem,  and  the  Merri- 
mack ; and  soon  after,  in  the  same  year, 
to  Mason  and  Gorges  all  the  lands  be- 
tween the  Merrimack  and  the  Sagada- 
hock,  extending  back  to  the  rivers  of 
Canada.  The  latter  tract  was  called 
Laconia.  Two  years  later,  two  parties 
of  settlers  were  sent  out  by  “ the  La- 
conia company,”  who  began  settlements 
at  Portsmouth  and  Dover.  In  1629, 
Mason  took  out  a new  patent  for  the 
territory  between  the  Merrimack  and 
the  Piscataqua,  under  the  name  of  New 
Hampshire.  In  1635,  the  Plymouth 
company  divided  New  England  among 
their  members,  before  they  gave  up 
their  charter  to  the  king,  and  the  terri- 
tory between  Naumkeag  and  Piscat- 
aqua rivers  fell  to  Mason. 

The  first  church  formed  within  the 
present  limits  of  the  state  dates  in  1641. 
Coos  county,  including  the  northern 
parts  of  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,- 
was  occupied  by  a few  scattered  fam- 
| ilies  before  1775  ; but  at  the  commence- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.  43 


ment  of  the  revolutionary  war,  the  fear 
of  invasion  from  Canada  drove  them  all 
back,  and  only  the  return  of  peace  could 
induce  a second  and  permanent  occupa- 
tion of  that  region,  then  a perfect  wilder- 
ness, difficult  of  access. 

Railroads. — The  people  of  this  state 
have  entered  with  commendable  zeal 
upon  several  railroad  enterprises,  which 
promise  to  be  of  permanent  advantage 
to  the  state. 

The  Northern  Railroad,  from  Concord 
to  Lebanon,  a distance  of  fifty  miles,  has 
been  completed  the  entire  distance,  and 
forms,  in  conjunction  with  the  Vermont 
Central  railroad,  a continuous  lin'e  to  Bur- 
lington, by  way  of  Montpelier,  the  capital 
of  Vermont,  210  miles  from  Boston. 

The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
Railroad,  already  incidentally  alluded 
to  on  page  32,  is,  as  its  name  implies, 
intended  ultimately  to  connect  the  com- 
mercial capitals  of  Canada  and  New 
England.  It  has  been  opened  as  far  as 
Warren,  and  is  being  rapidly  pressed  to 
completion.  This  road  furnishes  an  easy 
and  rapid  conveyances  theWhitemount- 
ains  ; while  the  whole  line  of  the  route 
from  Meredith  village  lies  through  a re- 
gion so  replete  with  that  splendid  lake 
and  hill  scenery  which  has  given  such  a 
world-wide  celebrity  to  New  Hampshire, 
as  to  render  it,  for  that  alone,  a desirable 
route  for  the  admirer  of  the  beauties  of 
nature. 

. Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad. — 
This  is  another  and  most  important  rail- 
road enterprise.  Concord,  as  indicated 
by  its  heing  the  point  at  which  so  many 
railroads  meet,  is  destined  to  become  the 
great  inland  freight-depot  of  New  Eng- 
land. This  renders  it  important  that  the 
commercial  capital  of  the  state  should  pos- 
sess those  facilities  of  communication  wii  h 
Concord  which  other  sections  of  country 
have,  particularly  as  it  shortens  the  com- 
munication by  railroad  with  the  Atlantic 
about  thirty  miles.  This  road,  which  is 
now  nearly  completed,  will  make  Ports- 
mouth the  second  port  in  New  England. 

There  are  several  other  railroads  in 
process  of  construction,  but  our  limits 
will  not  admit  a further  reference  to  the  m. 

Education.  — Common  schools  are 
universal  in  New  Hampshire,  as  in  other 


parts  of  New  England.  Each  township 
is  divided  into  school-districts,  which  are 
empowered  to  build  schoolhouses.  An 
annual  tax  is  assessed  on  the  town  by 
the  selectmen,  and  with  the  avails  of  it 
is  distributed  the  income  of  the  literary 
funds,  which  is  raised  by  a tax  on  the 
capital  of  banks. 

Academies,  or  high-schools,  are  scat- 
tered all  over  the  state.  The  oldest  are 
those  founded  at  Exeter  in  1781,  at  Ches- 
terfield in  1790,  at  Atkinson  in  1791,  and 
at  Gilmanton  and  Haverhill  in  1794. 

Phillips  Academy  has  its  name  from 
its  liberal  founder,  John  Phillips,  LL.  D., 
and  has  an  income  of  $70,000,  with  a 
library  of  six  hundred  volumes.  The 
number  of  pupils  is  limited  to  sixty. 

The  Congregational  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Gilmanton,  and  the  Baptist  Ac- 
ademical and  Theological  Institution  at 
New  Hampton,  are  worthy  of  particular 
notice.  The  latter  has  had  above  three 
hundred  pupils  at  one  time. 

Learned  Societies. — The  N.  Hamp- 
shire Medical  Society  was  incorporated 
in  1791,  and  holds  an  annual  meeting 
in  Concord  on  the  Tuesday  preceding 
the  state  election. 

The  New  Hampshire  Historical  So- 
ciety was  incorporated  in  1823,  and  has 
published  several  volumes  of  collections. 
The  annual  meeting  is  on  June  17th. 

Government. — The  legislative  power 
is  vested,  by  the  constitution,  in  a senate 
and  house  of  representatives,  which,  to- 
gether, are  styled  the  General  Court  of 
New  Hampshire.  Every  town  or  incor- 
porated township  having  one  hundred 
and  fifty  ratable  polls  may  send  one  rep- 
resentative ; and  every  three  hundred 
additional  polls,  one.  The  senate,  con- 
sisting of  twelve  members,  is  elected  by 
the  people  in  districts.  The  executive 
power  is  vested  in  a governor,  and  a 
council  of  five  members.  The  governor, 
council,  senators,  and  representatives,  are 
elected  annually  by  the  people  on  the 
second  Tuesday  of  March.  The  gen- 
eral court  meets  annually  (at  Concord) 
on  the  first  Wednesday  of  June.  The 
right  of  suffrage  is  granted  to  every  male 
inhabitant  of  age,  except  paupers,  &c. 
The  judiciary  power  is  vested  in  a supe- 
rior court  and  court  of  common  pleas. 


This  state  is  distinguished  among 
the  other  New  England  states  by 
several  marked  peculiarities.  In 
situation,  .it  borders,  on  one  side,  a 
foreign  country,  and  on  another  the 
grand  route  of  northern  invasion,  in 
consequence  of  which  its  soil  has 
been  exposed  to  hostile  incursions, 
in  the  successive  wars  with  the  In- 
dians, the  French,  and  the  English. 
Its  climate  is  so  cold  and  healthful 
to  give  hardihood  and  vigor  to 
the  inhabitants  ; while  it  possesses 
so  much  rich  soil,  and  such  abundant 
water-power  and  facilities  for  navigation,  as  to  encourage  all  the  arts  of  life. 
Although  circumstances  retarded  the  settlement  of  the  country,  and  led  to  unfor- 
tunate dissensions  and  conflicting  claims  for  the  possession,  yet  the  happy  adjust- 
ment  of  all,  with  New  York  on  one  side  and  New  Hampshire  on  the  other,  and 
the  erection  of  Vermont  into  an  independent  state,  gave  an  impulse  to  improve- 
ments of  everv  kind,  which  has  produced  most  extensive  and  impoitant  lesults. 

Extending  from  forty-two  degrees  forty-four  minutes  to  forty-five  degrees 
north  latitude,  and  near,  several  lakes,  the  climate  of  "V  ermont  would  have  been 
rigorous  in  the  winter,  even  if  its  surface  had  not  been  elevated,  much  above  the 
ocean  level  ; but  the  Green  mountain  ridge  is  of  such  extent  and  elevation  as 
to  render  the  cold  season  very  long  and  quite  severe.  The  longitude  is  between 
three  degrees  thirty-one  minutes  and  five  degrees  east;  the  greatest  length  of  the  | 
state  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  and  a half  miles,  and  the  greatest  breadth  : 
ninety  miles.  The  whole  area  comprehended  within  the  boundaries  is  10,200 
square  miles. 

The  Green  mountain  ridge  forms  a marked  and  natural  dividing  line  between 
the  counties  of  Windham,  Windsor,  and  Orange,  on  the  one  side,  and  Bennington, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


45 


Rutland,  and  Addison,  on  the  other.  IVn 
all  that  part  of  it  there  is  not  a single 
passage  to  be  found  wide  enough  for  a 
road,  nor  is  its  long  and  uniform  eleva- 
tion so  much  as  interrupted  by  the  bed 
of  any  stream.  Five  turnpike  roads,  in- 
deed, pass  it  in  different  places,  but  they 
have  been  constructed  at  considerable 
cost  and  labor,  and  are  very  laborious 
to  travel,  as  they  rise  and  descend  the 
height  of  the  ridge. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Washington 
county  it  divides  into  two  ridges,  the 
principal  of  which  borders  the  counties 
of  Chittenden  and  Franklin  on  the  east, 
and  the  other,  known  by  the  name  of 
“ The  height  of  lands,”  strikes  oft*  in  a 
northeast  direction  into  the  county  of 
Caledonia.  This  keeps  a remarkably 
uniform  elevation,  and  forms  the  dividing 
line  between  the  waters  of  the  Connec- 
ticut and  the  two  lakes,  Champlain  and 
Memphremagog.  The  western  ridge  is 
cut  through  by  Onion  and  Lamoille  riv- 
ers, although  its  principal  summits  are 
the  highest  in  the  state.  Among  these 
is  the  Camel’s  Hump;  this  ridge  con- 
stitutes the  grandeur  of  the  scenery  so 
much  admired  along  the  northeastern 
side  of  Lake  Champlain. 

Mount  Ascutney  is  one  of  the  emi- 
nences most  celebrated  in  V ermont,  more 
on  account  of  the  beautiful  scenery  upon 
which  it  looks  down,  and  its  vicinity  to 
Windsor,  one  of  the  principal  and  most 
beautiful  towns  in  the  state.  An  excur- 
sion to  its  summit  affords  many  fine 
views,  as  it  rises  abruptly  from  the  bor- 
ders of  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut, 
and  the  path,  in  its  gradual  ascent,  opens 
to  the  eye  many  varying  landscapes. 

Not  less  than  twenty-one  rivers  have 
their  sources  in  the  Green  mountains, 
of  which  twelve  flow  into  the  Connec- 
ticut, and  nine  into  the  two  principal 
lakes.  From  the  nature  of  the  country, 
these  streams  are  necessarily  short  and 
small;  though  in  the  season  of  floods, 
some  of  them  drain  off  great  quantities 
of  water  through  their  rocky  channels. 
No  country  is  better  supplied  with  abun- 
dant and  pure  springs.  The  water  of 
Vermont  is  generally  good,  except  along 
the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  where 
the  rocks  are  of  limestone. 


Mineral  springs  of  different  kinds  are 
found  in  several  counties.  Some  are 
chalybeate,  others  sulphurous ; and  some 
are  resorted  to  by  invalids  for  the  im- 
provement of  their  health. 

Lakes. — Lake  Champlain  extends 
along  nearly  the  whole  western  bound- 
ary of  the  state,  and  forms  an  important 
feature  in  several  respects.  It  affords 
invaluable  advantages  of  navigation,  for 
it  is  of  sufficient  uniform  depth  for 
vessels  of  considerable  size,  and  forms 
several  good  harbors  ; while  the  canal 
which  connects  it  with  Hudson  river 
offers  a direct,  safe,  and  cheap  channel 
of  commerce  to  the  city  of  New  York. 
At  the  same  time,  fine  steamboats  of  the 
largest  class  daily  traverse  the  lake 
through  its  whole  extent,  on  the  grand 
route  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  touching  at  the  principal  towns 
along  the  shore. 

Lake  Memphremagog,  lying  on  the 
boundary  line  of  the  United  States,  has 
four  or  five  miles  of  its  southern  part  in 
Orleans  county,  Vermont,  but  its  north- 
ern and  larger  portion  in  Canada.  It 
is  about  thirty  miles  long  from  north  to 
south,  and  three  or  four  miles  wide  from 
east  to  west.  It  is  about  midway  be- 
tween Lake  Champlain  and  Connecticut 
river.  Three  small  rivers — the  Clyde, 
Black,  and  Barton — enter  the  south  part 
of  the  lake  from  Vermont.  On  an  island 
two  miles  above  the  line  are  obtained 
the  celebrated  oilstones,  for  sharpening 
tools,  which  are  well  known  throughout 
pur  country,  and  highly  prized,  being 
worth  half  a dollar  a pound.  Whet- 
stones, for  scythes,  &c.,  are  obtained  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  lake,  at  the  place 
where  the  gneiss-rocks  pass  into  mica- 
slate. 

In  Lake  Champlain  are  a number  of 
islands,  the  largest  of  which  are  North 
Hero  and  South  Hero,  in  the  northern 
part  and  near  the  shore  of  Vermont,  to 
which  they  belong. 

North  Hero  forms  a township  of  the 
same  name,  in  the  county  of  Grand 
Isle.  It  is  twenty-six  miles  north  of 
Burlington,  six  west  of  St.  Albans,  and 
contains  6,272  acres.  The  first  settle- 
ment was  made  on  this  island  in  1783. 
In  1793  the  British  erected  a block- 


46  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


house  on  it,  which  was  given  up  to  the 
United  States  in  1796.  The  soil  is 
good,  and* there  is  a small  village,  four 
school  districts,  a courthouse,  and  a jail, 
built  of  stone.  The  rocks  are  of  lime- 
stone. 

South  Hero  is  a small  island,  of 
9,055  acres,  twelve  miles  northwest  of 
Burlington,  and  sixteen  southwest  of 
St.  Albans.  The  first  settlement  was 
made  here  in  1784.  In  the  summer 
season,  when  the  water  in  the  lake  is 
low,  a passage  can  often  be  made  by 
fording  to  Chittenden,  on  the  mainland, 
a sandbar  extending  the  whole  distance. 
The  surface  is  level  and  the  soil  good, 
being  formed  of  limestone,  like  that  of 
the  adjacent  shores  and  islands.  Many 
marks  remain  in  them  all  of  the  numer- 
ous Indians  who  formerly  resorted  to 
them. 

Rivers. — Two  or  three  of  the  rivers 
of  Vermont,  viz.,  those  which  cross  the 
Green  mountains,  being  of  considerable 
size,  are  navigable  through  most  of  their 
course  in  canoes,  and  communicating, 
by  a-  short  carrying-place,  with  the 
navigable  waters  of  Lake  Champlain, 
were  as  many  principal  routes  of  traffic 
and  of  war  for  the  Canadian  Indians, 
on  their  way  to  the  Connecticut  river. 
When  the  English  first  visited  the  latter 
stream,  they  found  the  savages  on  its 
banks,  as  low  down  as  Hartford,  had  a 
trade  in  furs,  &c.,  with  those  who  in- 
habited the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain 
and  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  was  car- 
ried on  by  the  channels  just  indicated. 
At  later  periods,  when  the  Jesuits,  who 
occupied  Montreal  and  other  places  in 
Canada,  as  lords  of  the  manor,  incited' 
and  directed  the  fanaticism  of  the  In- 
dians against  the  eastern  colonies,  these 
same  routes  were  used  in  the  secret, 
and  often  unexpected  and  bloody,  incur- 
sions which  were  so  numerous  in  the 
French  wars. 

Onion  River  is  seventy  miles  long. 
Rising  in  Cabot,  Caledonia  county,  it 
runs  south,  then  southwest,  and  finally 
i northwest,  falling  into  Lake  Champlain, 
passing  through  Washington  and  Chit- 
tenden counties,  five  miles  below  Bur- 
lincrton.  The  principal  branches  are 
Dog,  Steven’s,  North,  Mad,  Waterbury, 


and  Huntington  rivers.  Many  scenes 
along  the  course  of  the  Onion  and  some 
of  its  tributaries  are  peculiarly  wild  and 
romantic.  Its  highest  branch  has  a fall 
of  five  hundred  feet,  almost  perpendic- 
ular; and  at  Bolton  is  a remarkable 
chasm,  cut  by  the  stream  into  the  solid 
rocks,  sixty  feet  wide,  thirty  feet  deep, 
and  two  hundred  and  seventy  yards 
long,  where  the  descent  is  so  rapid  that 
the  stream  rushes  through  with  great 
rapidity.  Four  miles  below  Waterbury 
is  a spot,  where  a wall  of  rock  rises  on 
one  side  to  the  height  of  one  hundred 
feet,  and  large  fragments  have  fallen 
down,  and  lie  in  such  a manner  as  to 
form  a bridge.  Three  quarters  of  a 
mile  above  the  falls,  an  artificial  bridge 
commands  a striking  view,  upon  a place 
where  the  channel  of  the  river  is  sev- 
enty feet  wide  and  sixty-five  feet  deep. 
A fine  turnpike-road  now  leads  through 
the  mountains  from  this  stream  to  White 
river  and  Royalton. 

This  was  the  principal  Indian  route 
to  the  Connecticut ; and  many  captives, 
as  well  as  loads  of  plunder,  were  in  for- 
mer times  carried  by  this  route,  from 
the  New  England  frontier  villages,  by 
war  parties  returning  to  Canada.  The 
water-power  on  this  river  is  very  great. 
It  is  mostly  of  little  depth,  as  might  be 
expected  from  its  shortness  and  its  small 
supply  of  water.  It  is,  however,  use- 
ful in  navigation.  Lake  vessels  can  en- 
ter the  river  and  sail  up  five  miles,  and 
boats  forty. 

Two  of  the  earliest  and  most  spirited 
military  measures  taken  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war  were  performed  by  a few 
men  from  Vermont,  at  important  points 
just  beyond  the  bounds  of  this  state. 
We  allude  to  the  surprise  of  the  two 
great  fortresses  on  Lake  Champlain, 
Tieonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  These 
positions  are  very  peculiar.  The  lake 
at  these  two  points,  about  twelve  miles 
apart,  is  very  narow  and  crooked ; and 
the  two  fortresses  were  so  placed  as 
to  completely  command  the  passage. 
The  guns,  which  were  numerous  and 
heavy,  were  mounted  on  strong  walls, 
scientifically  planned  by  accomplished 
i British  engineers,  and  constructed  with 
| great  strength,  of  the  limestone  abound- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


47 


ing  along  the  shores ; while  deep  ditches, 
in  some  places  cut  far  down  into  solid 
rocks,  offered  almost  insurmountable 
obstacles  to  an  approach.  Lying  on 
the  very  borders  of  this  state,  with  some 
of  their  outworks  actually  erected  upon 
the  Vermont  side  of  the  lake,  and  owing 
their  capture,  as  they  did,  chiefly  to 
Vermont  men,  a brief  description  of 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  may  with 
propriety  be  here  introduced,  being  ex- 
tremely interesting  to  all  interested  in 
the  war  for  independence. 

Mount  Independence  is  a hill  on  the 
Vermont  side,  of  comparatively  small 
elevation  east  of  Mount  Defiance,  and 
separated  from  it  by  the  lake,  which  has 
here  reduced  its  size  to  that  of  a small 
river.  On  a bank  just  above  the  water 
a^e  the  remains  of  a zigzag  battery  for 
about  forty  or  fifty  guns,  running  across 
a little  cornfield  behind  a house,  and 
making  five  or  six  angles.  The  Horse- 
shoe battery  is  traceable  on  an  elevation 
about  a quarter  of  a mile  in  the  rear. 
A bridge  once  connected  Ticonderoga 
with  Mount  Defiance,  the  buttresses  of 
which  are  remaining,  to  the  great  an- 
noyance of  the  navigators  of  the  lake. 
On  the  west  shore  (near  the  stone  store- 
house), Arnold,  when  pursued  by  the 
British,  caused  his  flotilla  to  be  run  on 
shore.  These  hulks  remain  almost  as 
sound  as  when  first  stranded.  A forty- 
two  pounder  is  said  to  have  ranged  from 
the  Horse-shoe  over  this  channel  (now 
marked  by  a buoy)  and  the  fortress. 

After  the  revolutionary  war,  about 
five  hundred  cannon  were  lying  about 
the  fortress,  lines,  &c.,  many  of  them  as 
left  by  the  English,  with  their  trunnions 
knocked  off.  A twenty-four  pounder 
was  taken  to  the  forge  at  Fairhaven, 
some  years  ago,  and  discharged  by  the 
heat,  after  lying  loaded  for  above  twenty 
years,  and  a considerable  time  at  the 
bottom  of  the  lake. 

The  view  from  Ticonderoga  down 
Lake  Champlain  is  very  pleasant.  It 
abounds,  the  greater  part  of  the  way  to 
Canada,  with  fine  natural  scenes. 

The  Fortress  of  Ticonderoga. — This 
famous  old  fortress,  or  rather  its  re- 
mains, are  overlooked  from  Mount  In- 
dependence. An  elevated  piece  of  land, 


gently  sloping  toward  the  south,  and 
ending  abruptly  over  a bend  of  the  lake, 
appears  partially  covered  with  trees, 
and  crowned  near  its  extremity  with  a 
cluster  of  broken  walls  and  chimneys. 

The  old  French  Lines , where  General 
Abercrombie  was  defeated  in  1758,  are 
the  only  part  of  the  fortification  which 
was  ever  the  scene  of  a battle.  They 
commenced  on  the  east  side,  at  a battery 
of  heavy  cannon  on  the  shore,  about  a 
quarter  of  a mile  south  of  the  ferry. 
The  remains  of  the  breastwork  can  yet 
be  seen.  The  lines  were  drawn  in  a 
zigzag  ; first  stretching  off  to  the  right, 
along  the  side  of  marshy  ground,  to  a 
cluster  of  bushes  where  was  a battery; 
and  then  to  the  left  to  the  verge  of  a 
wood,  where  was  another. 

Their  course  may  be  distinctly  traced 
in  this  manner  across  the  ridge  of  land 
at  its  highest  elevation,  over  to  the  brow 
of  a steep  bank,  looking  toward  the  out- 
let of  Lake  George.  The  woods  which 
now  so  much  interrupt  the  sight  have 
grown  since  the  evacuation  of  the  for- 
tress, after  the  revolutionary  war. 

The  fortress  is  of  an  angular  form, 
and  embraces  a large  tract  of  ground, 
being  divided  into  parts  by  deep  ditches. 
The  walls  were  originally  much  higher 
than  at  present,  being  raised  by  super- 
structures of  logs  filled  in  with  earth. 

The  Barracks  formed  an  oblong,  and 
the  walls  still  remain  of  all  except  those 
on  the  eastern  side  ; their  form  is  plainly 
distinguishable.  The  parade,  is  fifty- 
two  and  a half  yards  long,  and  eight  in 
breadth.  The  barracks,  &c.,  the  walls 
of  which  remain  on  the  north,  south, 
and  west  sides,  are  built  of  the  rough 
blue  limestone  of  which  the  neighbor- 
ing rocks  are  formed,  two  stories  high  ; 
and  these  with  the  chimneys,  several  of 
which  are  standing,  are  the  principal 
objects  seen  from  a distance.  The  en- 
trances to  this  courtyard,  or  parade,  are 
between  the  buildings,  and  quite  nar- 
row. By  the  southern  entrance,  Ethan 
Allen  entered  with  his  eighty-three  raw 
soldiers  when  he  surprised  the  fortress 
on  the  18th  May,  1775;  and  on  reach- 
ing the  courtyard  and  calling  on  the 
commander  to  surrender,  the  British 
officer,  Captain  Deplace,  made  his  ap- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


I 


pearance  at  a window  and  submitted, 
delivering  up  three  officers  and  forty- 
four  rank  and  file.  In  consequence  of 
this  coup'-de-main , this  important  place 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans  until 
the  arrival  of  Burgoyne  in  1777. 

The  troops  in  the  garrison  had  be- 
come loose  disciplinarians.  A body  of 
men  had  been  despatched  from  Con- 
necticut to  surprise  the  place,  and  ap- 
proached upon'  the  opposite  shore,  but 
were  unprovided  with  a conveyance  to 
the  intended  point  of  their  enterprise. 
A countryman,  who  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  frequently  visiting  the  fort, 
was  made  acquainted  with  their  views, 
crossed  the  lake  by  daylight,  went  care- 
fully into  the  fort,  and  observed  in  what 
part  of  the  parade-ground  the  arms 
were  stacked.  Being  almost  domicil- 
iated by  the  frequency  of  his  previous 
visits,  he  lounged  away  his  time  until 
night  approached.  He  then  possessed 
himself  of  a large  bateau  owned  by  the 
garrison,  and  recrossed  the  lake.  Allen, 
having  joined  the  band,  embarked,  ef- 
fected a landing  about  one  mile  north 
of  the  fort,  and  proceeded  across  the 
meadows,  shrouded  by  the  night,  and 
made  good  their  daring  enterprise,  by 
threatening  the  sentry,  and  taking  im- 
mediate possession  of  the  firearms,  as 
pointed  out  by  their  avant-courier. 

The  battlements  of  Ticonderoga  first 
bore  the  flag  of  independence.  This 
circumstance  should,  of  itself,  render 
this  ruin,  so  fine  in  other  associations, 
interesting  to  the  traveller. 

At  each  corner  was  a bastion  or  a 
demi-bastion;  and  under  that  in  the 
northeastern  one  is  a subterranean  mag- 
azine. The  cellars  south  of  this,  which 
belonged  to  the  demolished  buildings, 
and  are  almost  filled  up,  have  a room  or 
two  with  fireplaces  still  distinguishable. 

The  Grenadiers’  battery  is  situated 
on  a rocky  point  toward  the  east  from 
the  main- fortress.  They  were  connected 
by  a covered  way,  the  traces  of  which 
are  distinctly  visible. 

On  a spot  formerly  occupied  as  the 
king’s  garden  Mr.  Pell  has  a fine  gar- 
den, abounding  in  the  choicest  fruits 
imported  from  Europe,  and  transported 
from  the  celebrated  nurseries  of  Long 


Island.  Mr.  Pell  has  been  a very  suc- 
cessful propagator  of  the  locust-tree 
(robinia  pseudo  acacia  of  Linnaeus), 
thousands  of  which  are  growing  on  these  | 
grounds  in  the  most  flourishing  manner; 
here  is  also  the  magnolia  grandiflora , 
never  before  cultivated  in  so  high  k lat- 
itude; the  horse-chestnut  [castanea  cqui- 
nus )*;  and  upward  of  seventy  varieties 
of  the  gooseberry  from  Europe.  Here, 
also,  we  find  the  beautiful  catalpat  and 
the  liriodendron  tulipifera. 

On  the  neighboring  Vermont  shore, 
there  are  still  some  slight  remains  of 
Burgoyne’s  intrenchments. 

From  Mount  Independence  the  vis- 
iter enjoys,  in  fine  weather,  a delightful 
view  of  the  lake  and  the  sui  rounding  ■ 
country.  On  the  left  is  the  outlet  of 
Lake  George,  winding  through  a dark 
and  narrow  valley,  and  spreading  out  to 
embrace  an  island  of  the  brightest  ver- 
dure ; while  more  immediately  under 
the  eye  lies  the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga, 
and  the  lake,  stretching  far  away  to  the 
north. 

Mount  Defiance  rises  on  the  left,  ■ 
about  eight  hundred  feet  high,  on  the 
summit  of  which  General  Burgoyne’s 
troops  showed  themselves  on  the  morn- 
ing of  July  4th,  1777,  with  a battery  of 
heavy  cannon,  which  they  had  drawn  up 
along  the  ridge  by  night,  and  planted 
in  that  commanding  position,  whence 
they  could  count  the  men  in  the  fort. 

The  distance  to  the  summit  in  a straight 
line  is  about  a mile,  so  that  the  defence 
of  Ticonderoga  would  have  been  im- 
possible ; and  on  the  firing  of  a few 
shots  by  the  British  upon  a vessel  in 
the  lake,  which  proved  the  range  of 
their  guns,  the  Americans  made  prep- 
arations to  evacuate  the  place,  and  ef- 
fected their  retreat  to  the  shore  below 
during  the  night. 

The  shores  are  in  this  part  strewed 
with  the  fragments  of  blue  limestone- 
rock  with  organic  remains. 

The  immediate  shores  are  generally 
low  all  the  way  to  Crown  Point,  where 
the  lake  suddenly  turns  to  the  west  at  a 
right  angle,  and,  at  the  distance  of  a 
mile,  as  suddenly  to  the  north  again. 

A low  stretch  of  land  covered  with  a 
young  forest,  on  the  left,  conceals  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT.  49 


approach  to  this  ancient  fortress,  which, 
for  position  as  well  as  appearance  and 
history,  may  be  called  the*  twin  sister 
of  Ticonderoga. 

Chimney  point  is  on  the  north  side 
of  the  lake,  opposite  Crown  Point,  to 
which  is  a ferry  three  quarters  of  a mile. 

The  Fortress  of  Crown  Point. — There 
are  several  old  works  thrown  up  along 
the  shore,  with  little  bays  between  them. 
The  easternmost  one  is  called  the  Gren- 
adiers’ battery  ; the  middle  one  is  the 
original  old  French  fort  of  1731,  and 
now  encloses  a garden  ; and  that  fur- 
ther west  is  an  outwork  to  a bastion  of 
the  fortress.  The  fortress  is  situated 
about  a quarter  of  a mile  back  from  the 
shore,  and  appears  much  like  Ticonder- 
oga from  a distance,  showing  the  walls 
and  chimneys  of  the  old  barracks,  and 
walls  of  earth  surrounding  them.  In 
regard  to  its  plan,  however,  it  is  mate- 
rially different.  The  fortress  ^KXlrown 
Point  was  a star  work,  bein]Pin  the 
form  of  a pentagon,  with  bastions  at  the 
angles,  and  a strong  redoubt  at  the  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  three 
hundred  yards  in  advance  of  each  of 
them.  The  fortress  is  surrounded  by  a 
ditch  walled  in  with  stone,  except  where 
it  has  been  blasted  into  the  solid  rock 
of  blue  limestone  (as  is  the  case  in  many 
parts,  from  five  to  twenty-five  feet),  and 
even  into  quartz-rock  which  underlays 
it.  Univalve  shells  are  found  in  the 
limestone-rock,  frequently  four  inches  in 
diameter.  The  walls  are  about  twenty 
or  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  there  is  a 
convenient  path  running  entirely  round 
upon  the  top,  interrupted  only  by  the 
gates  at  the  north  and  south  sides.  Al- 
though much  shaded  by  tall  sumacs, 
some  fine  views  are  enjoyed  in  making 
the  circuit,  which  is  .not  lar  short  of 
half  a mile. 

Opposite  the  north  gate  is  a small 
ledge  of  rocks,  and,  close  by,  the  remains 
of  a covered  way  to  the  lake  shore.  On 
entering  the  fortress,  the  stranger  finds 
himself  in  a level,  spacious  area,  bound- 
ed on  the  left  and  in  front  by  long  ruin- 
ous buildings  of  stone,  two  stories  high, 
and  the  first  two  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  long,  while  the  ruins  of  similar 
ones  are  seen  on  two  sides  on  the  fight. 


This  parade  is  about  five  hundred  feet 
in  length.  The  place  was  surprised  by 
Cojonel  Warner  in  1775. 

The  view  from  the  walls  toward  the 
north  is  very  fine  : looking  down  the 
lake,  which  widens  at  the  distance  of 
two  or  three  miles,  you  have  Chimney 
point  on  the  right,  and  two  other  points 
projectingbeyond  the  distant  peak,  called 
Camel’s  Hump.  Ranges  of  mountains 
on  the  western  shore,  beginning  at  the 
distance  of  eighteen  miles,  including 
Bald  peak,  gradually  approach  till  they 
form  a near  and  bold  boundary  to  the 
lake  on  the  left,  scattered  with  cleared 
farms  and  houses,  and  then  stretching 
away  to  the  south,  terminate  in  the 
mountain  behind.  This  elevation,  al- 
though it  seems  almost  as  well  calcu- 
lated to  command  Crown  Point  as  Mount 
Defiance  does  Ticonderoga,  is  not  less 
than  four  miles  distant. 

Everything  about  this  old  fortress 
bears  the  marks  of  ruin.  Two  maga- 
zines were  blown  up ; the  timbers  in 
the  south  barracks  are  burnt  black ; a 
portion  of  the  shingled  roof  which  re- 
mains serves  to  cover  a little  hay-mow 
and  the  nests  of  robins  ; while  some  of 
the  entrances  and  other  parts  are  fenced 
up  for  a sheepfold.  The  ground  around 
it  is  much  covered  with  fragments  of 
blasted  rocks,  and,  particularly  at  the 
south,  with  the  ruins  of  old  buildings. 
The  trees  which  are  seen  have  grown 
since  the  evacuation  of  the  place ; and 
on  one  of  the  angles  is  an  inscription 
of  the  date  of  the  fortress,  1756,  when 
it  was  constructed  on  a greatly-enlarged 
plan,  by  General  Amherst,  at  an  expense 
of  c£2,000,000  sterling. 

Naval  Action  on  Lake  Champlain , in 
1776. — After  the  unfortunate  termina- 
tion of  the  expedition  against  Quebec, 
and  retreat  of  the  American  troops  to 
Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  the  Brit- 
ish forces  under  General  Carleton  began 
to  collect  a formidable  flotilla  • at  St. 
John,  for  the  purpose  of  making  their 
way  over  the  lake.  Some  of  these  ves- 
sels were  constructed  at  Quebec,  or 
Montreal,  in  such  a manner  that  they 
could  be  taken  to  pieces,  transported 
over  land  to  the  lake,  and  the  parts 
there  united  and  soon  made  ready  for 


4 


50  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


service.  Active  preparations  were  im- 
mediately commenced  on  the  part  of 
the  Americans  to  put  afloat  a sufficient 
force  to  meet  the  enemy,  and  baffle  their 
movements.  General  Arnold,  who,  as 
is  well  known,  had  been  a sailor  in  his 
youth,  was  appointed  to  the  command ; 
and,  under  his  direction,  a squadron — 
consisting  of  two  sloops,  three  schoon- 
ers, three  galleys,  and  eight  gondolas — 
was  in  a short  time  ready  to  sail.  The 
sloops  carried  twelve  guns,  the  schoon- 
ers from  eight  to  twelve,  and  the  galleys 
and  gondolas  from  three  to  twelve  each. 

Having  received  his  instructions  from 
General  Gates,  who  had  command  of  the 
army  in  that  quarter,  he  sailed  down  the 
lake,  and,  when  within  a few  miles  of  the 
Isle-aux-Tetes,  discovered  it  to  be  occu- 
pied by  the  enemy.  At  Windmill  point 
he  moored  his  vessels  across  the  lake, 
so  as  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  pas- 
sing. The  decks  of  his  vessels  being 
very  low,  Arnold  sent  a party  of  men 
on  shore  to  cut  fascines,  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  around  them  barricades,  to 
prevent  their  being  boarded  by  superior 
numbers  in  small  craft.  While  engaged 
in  this  service,  they  were  fired  upon  by 
the  Indians,  and  three  of  their  number 
killed  and  six  wounded.  Finding  his 
position  too  much  exposed,  he  returned 
eight  or  ten  miles  to  Isle-la-Motte,  and 
took  a more  advantageous  station.  He 
here  received  information  of  the  formi- 
dable fleet  fitting  out  at  St.  John  ; and, 
deeming  it  unadvisable  to  hazard  an  ac- 
tion where  he  would  be  compelled  to 
engage  a superior  force  under  great 
disadvantage,  he  withdrew  still  further 
back,  and  anchored  the  fleet  in  a line 
between  Valcour  island  and  the  western 
shore  of  the  lake. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  11th  of 
October,  the  guardboats  gave  notice  that 
the  enemy’s  fleet  was  in  sight,  off  Cum- 
berland head,  moving  up  the  lake.  It 
soon  appeared  advancing  around  the 
southern  point  of  Valcour  island,  and 
presented  a formidable  aspect,  there 
being  one  ship  with  three  masts,  two 
schooners,  aradeau,  one  gondola,  twenty 
gunboats,  four  longboats,  and  forty-four 
boats  with  provisions  and  troops.  The 
armed  vessels  were  manned  by  several 


STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


hundred  chosen  seamen.  Such  an  array 
was  enough  to  convince  the  Americans 
that  they  must  rely  mainly  on  their 
bravery  and  the  advantages  of  their  po- 
sition. The  wind  was  likewise  in  their 
favor,  as  some  of  the  larger  vessels  could 
not  beat  up  sufficiently  near  to  engage 
in  the  attack.  While  the  enemy’s  fleet 
was  coming  round  the  island,  Arnold 
had  ordered  his  three  galleys,  and  a 
schooner  called  the  Royal  Savage,  to 
get  under  way  and  advance  upon  the 
enemy.  On  their  return  to  the  line,  the 
schooner  grounded  and  was  afterward 
destroyed,  but  the  men  were  saved. 

At  half-past  twelve  o’clock  the  action 
became  general  and  very  warm,  the 
British  having  brought  all  their  gun- 
boats and  one  schooner  within  musket- 
shot  of  the  American  line.  They  kept 
up  a heavy  fire  of  round  and  grapesliot, 
till  five  o’clock,  when  they  withdrew 
from  thgfc contest,  and  joined  the  ship 
and  sc^pmer,  which  a head  wind  had 
prevented  from  coming  into  action. 

During  the  contest,  Arnold  was  on 
board  the  Congress  galley,  which  suf- 
fered severely.  It  received  seven  shot 
between  wind  and  water,  was  h idled 
twelve  times,  the  mainmast  was  wound- 
ed in  two  places,  the  rigging  cut  in 
pieces,  and  the  proportion  of  killed  and 
wounded  was  unusually  great.  So  de- 
ficient was  the  fleet  in  gunners,  that 
Arnold  himself  pointed  almost  every  j 
gun  that  was  fired  from  his  vessel.  The  < ! 
Washington  galley  was  equally  shat- 
tered, the  first  lieutenant  wras  killed, 
and  the  captain  and*  master  wounded. 

All  the  officers  of  one  of  the  gondolas, 
except  the  captain,  were  lost,  and  an- 
other gondola  sunk  soon  after  the  en- 
gagement. The  whole  number  of  killed 
and  wounded  was  about  sixty.  The 
enemy  landed  a large  body  of  Indians, 
who  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  of  mus-  j 
ketry  from  the  island  and  the  opposite 
shore,  but  without  effecting  much  in- 
jury. 

A consultation  was  held  by  the  officers 
as  soon  as  the  engagement  was  over,  j 
and  they  agreed,  that,  considering  the 
exhausted  state  of  their  ammunition,  and 
the  great  superiority  of  the  enemy’s 
force  both  in  ships  and  men,  prudence 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


51 


required  them  to  return  to  Crown  Point, 
and  if  possible  without  risking  another 
attack.  The  British  had  anchored  their 
vessels  in  a line  within  a few  hundred 
yards  of  the  Americans,  stretching  from 
the  island  to  the  main,  apparently  to 
frustrate  any  such  design.  The  night 
was  dark,  but  a favoring  breeze,  blew 
from  the  north,  and  before  morning 
Arnold  had  passed  with  his  whole  fleet 
through  the  British  line  entirely  undis- 
covered. This  manoeuvre  was  not  less 
bold  in  its  execution  than  extraordinary 
in  its  success.  Arnold  himself  brought 
up  the  rear  in  his  crippled  galley,  and, 
before  their  departure  was  known  to 
the  enemy,  they  had  ascended  the  lake 
ten  or  twelve  miles  to  Schuyler’s  island. 
Here  they  were  obliged  to  cast  anchor 
for  half  a day,  in  order  to  stop  the  leaks 
and  repair  their  sails.  Two  of  the  gon- 
dolas were  abandoned  and  sunk.  In 
the  afternoon  they  set  sail  axun  ; but 
the  wind  had  died  away  in  the  Corning, 
and  it  now  sprung  up  from  the  south, 
equally  retarding  the  pursuit  of  the  en- 
emy and  their  own  progress. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day 
the  scene  was  changed.  The  Congress 
and  Washington  galleys,  with  four  gon- 
dolas, had  fallen  in  the  rear,  all  being 
too  much  disabled  to  sail  freely.  The 
advanced  ships  of  the  enemy’s  fleet,  in 
one  of  which  was  General  Carleton, 
were  found  to  be  gaining  upon  them, 
under  a press  of  sail,  and  in  a short 
time  were  alongside.  After  receiving  a 
few  broadsides,  the  Washington  struck, 
having  been  extremely  weakened  by 
the  loss  of  men  and  injury  received  in 
the  first  engagement.  The  whole  force 
of  the  attack  now  fell  upon  Arnold  in 
the  Congress  galley.  A ship  of  eighteen 
guns,  a schooner  of  fourteen,  and  another 
of  twelve,  poured  forth  an  unceasing  fire 
within  musket-shot.  The  contest  was 
kept  up  with  unparalleled  resolution  for 
four  hours,  when  the  galley  was  reduced 
almost  to  a wreck,  and  was  surrounded 
by  seven  sail  of  the  enemy.  In  this 
situation,  Arnold  ran  the  galley  and  the 
four  gondolas  into  a small  creek,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  lake,  about  ten  miles 
from  Crown  Point ; and  as  soon  as  they 
were  aground  and  were  set  on  fire,  he 


ordered  the  marines  to  leap  into  the 
water  armed  with  muskets,  wade  to  the 
bep,ch,  and  station  themselves  in  such  a 
manner  on  the  bank  as  to  prevent  the 
approach  of  the  enemy’s  small  boats. 
He  was  the  last  man  that  remained  on 
board,  nor  did  he  leave  his  galley  till 
the  fire  had  made  such  progress  that  it 
could  not  be  extinguished.  The  flags 
were  kept  flying,  and  he  maintained  his 
attitude  of  defence  on  the  shore  till  he 
saw  them  consumed,  and  the  whole  of 
his  flotilla  enveloped  in  flames.  There 
are  few  instances  on  record  of  more 
deliberate  courage  and  gallantry  than 
were  displayed  by  him,  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  of  this  action. 

Being  no  longer  in  a condition  to  op- 
pose the  enemy,  he  proceeded  imme- 
diately through  the  woods  with  his  men 
to  Crown  Point,  and  fortunately  escaped 
an  attack  from  the  Indians,  who  waylaid 
the  path  two  hours  after  he  had  passed. 
The  same  niodit  he  arrived  at  Ticon- 

O 

deroga.  All  his  clothes,  papers,  and 
baggage,  had  been  burned  in  the  Royal 
Savage  at  Valcour  island.  He  found 
at  Ticonderoga  the  remnant  of  his  fleet, 
being  two  schooners,  two  galleys,  one 
sloop,  and  one  gondola.  General  Water- 
bury,  who  commanded  the  Washington 
galley,  and  one  hundred  and  ten  prison- 
ers, were  returned  on  parole  by  General 
Carleton  the  day  after  the  last  action. 
The  whole  American  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  was  between  eighty  and  ninety. 
The  enemy  reported  theirs  to  be  about 
forty* 

Notwithstanding  the  signal  failure  of 
this  enterprise,  the  valor  and  good  con- 
duct of  the  commander  and  his  officers 
were  themes  of  applause  throughout 
the  country. 

Rutland. — This  is  the  capital  of 
Rutland  county,  and  is  fifty  miles  south- 
west of  Montpelier,  sixty  south  of  Bur- 
lington, and  fifty-two  northeast  of  Ben- 
nington. The  first  settlement  was  made 
in  this  township  about  the  year  1770  ; 
and  in  the  revolutionary  war  two  small 
picket  forts  were  built,  one  near  the 
present  courthouse  in  the  east  village. 
Otter  creek  flows  through  the  township 
from  south  to  north,  and  it  receives  two 
of  its  tributaries  here,  West  river  and 


52  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


East  creek,  on  which  are  several  manu- 
factories. Iron,  limestone,  and  clay,  are 
found  in  different  places,  the  rocks  being 
partly  primitive,  and  partly  secondary. 
Quarries  of  blue  and  black  marble  are 
wrought  in  the  limestone  range  which 
passes’ from  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, through  a great  part  of  Ver- 
mont. The  principal  village  is  in  the 
eastern  part,  and  contains  several  public 
buildings,  particularly  a courthouse. 

Burlington. — This  town,  the  capital 
of  Chittenden  county,  and  the  chief 
place  of  trade  in  the  state,  enjoys  a fine 
situation  on  an  excellent  harbor  of  Lake 
Champlain,  from  the  level  of  which  it 
rises,  up  a bold  and  considerable  emi- 
nence, making  a beautiful  display  toward 
the  water.  The  streets  present  a pleas- 
ant aspect,  containing  many  neat  and 
elegant  residences,  with  fine  gardens, 
abounding  with  flowers  and  fruits  in 
their  season.  The  inhabitants  are  dis- 
tinguished by  intelligence,  taste,  and 
enterprise,  and  are  extensively  engaged 
in  trade,  manufactures,  and  navigation, 
which  is  carried  on  both  in  steamboats, 
schooners,  and  vessels  adapted  to  pass 
through  the  Champlain  canal  to  Albany. 

The  county  buildings,  academy,  bank, 
and  various  churches,  are  the  principal 
public  buildings  in  the  town  ; while  the 
edifices  of  the  Vermont  university  crown 
the  summit  of  the  eminence.  Pop.  5,500. 

A manufacturing  village,  of  consider- 
able size,  lies  one  mile  and  a half  north- 
east from  the  town,  on  the  bank  of 
Onion  river,  about  five  miles  from  its 
mouth. 

The  settlement  of  Burlington,  which 
was  commenced  a little  before  the  rev- 
olution, was  interrupted  and  delayed  by 
the  war,  since  which,  and  especially 
since  the- opening  of  the  Champlain  ca- 
nal and  the  establishment  of  steam  nav- 
igation on  the  lake,  its  increase  has  been 
rapid.  Limestone  and  iron  ore  are  ob- 
tained in  the  vicinity,  but  the  soil  is  gen- 
erally poor,  excepting  a rich  alluvial 
tnlct  of  land  below  the  falls  of  Onion 
river.  Southwest  of  the  town  hard  tim- 
ber abounds,  and  pine  prevails  in  a 
region  lying  on  the  northeast.  Among 
the  branches  of  manufacture  is  that  of 
glass. 


The  University  of  Vermont. — This 
institution,  situated  at  Burlington,  was 
incorporated  in  the  year  1791,  but  did 
not  go  into  operation  until  1800.  The 
three  college  buildings  are  situated  on 


i 


a fine  elevation  about  a mile  from  the 
lake,  east  of  the  town,  commanding  a 
very  extensive  and  agreeable  view  of 
both,  two  hundred  and  forty-five  feet 
above  the  water.  The  first  edifice,  which 
was  built  in  1801,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1824.  Two  of  the  present  buildings 
are  devoted  to  the  accommodation  of 
students,  and  the  third  is  used  as  the 
chapel  and  for  other  public  purposes. 

The  institution  is  endowed  with  lands 
reserved  in  all  the  townships,  except 
those  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  the 
income  of  which  is  increasing,  and  must 
hereafter  become  very  large.  Money 
has  been  furnished  by  the  legislature 
and  by  liberal  subscriptions. 

The  cm*p  oration  consists  of  seventeen 
membe*,  including  the  governor,  the 
speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives, 
and  the  president  of  the  university. 

Rev.  Daniel  C.  Sanders  was  appointed 
president  in  1800,  Rev.  Samuel  Austin 
in  1816,  Rev.  Daniel  Haskell  in  1821, 
Rev.  Willard  Preston  in  1824,  Rev.  Jas. 
Marsh  in  1826. 

Commencement  is  held  on  the  first 
Wednesday  in  August,  and  the  vaca- 
tions, one  four  weeks  from  that  time, 
and  the.  other  eight  weeks  from  the  first 
Wednesday  in  January.  The  annual 
expense  for  room,  rent,  and  tuition,  is 
twenty-five  dollars. 

The  Medical  Department  of  the  insti- 
tution affords  lectures  during  fourteen 
weeks  from  the  first  Monday  after  com- 
mencent,  the  fees  for  which  are  twenty- 
five  dollars,  contingent  bill  three  dollars, 
and  graduation  fee  fifteen  dollars. 

Montpelier,  the  capital  of  Vermont 
and  seat  of  justice  of  Washington  county, 
is  thirty-six  miles  southeast  of  Burling- 
ton, one  hundred  and  forty  northwest  of 
Boston,  five  hundred  and  twenty-four 
north  by  east  of  Washington,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  southeast  of  Mon- 
treal. It  stands  at  the  confluence  of  the 
two  branches  of  Onion  river,  and  hao  a 


remarkably  wild  and  romantic  situation, 
I in  the  midst  of  high  and  rugged  hills. 


54 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


It  contains  the  statehouse,  a courthouse, 
the  jail,  academy,  hank,  several  churches, 
and  a variety  of  manufactories. 

The  Statehouse  is  in  a fine  situation, 
fronting  or.  State  street,  from  which  it 
is  distant  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet.  A spacious  gateway  opens  into 
an  ample  courtyard,  across  which  leads 
a pathway  of  pounded  granite,  seventy- 
two  feet  wide,  to  three  successive  ter- 
races, the  ascent  to  which,  by  a few 
steps,  gradually  surmounts  the  elevation 
of  thirty-two  fe6t  above  the  street.  The 
main  building  has  a front  of  seventy-two 
feet,  with  two  wjngs  thirty-nine  feet 
each  ; making  an  entire  front  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  main  build- 
ing, including  the  portico,  is  one  hun- 
dred feet  deep,  and  the  wings  fifty.  Six 
granite  Doric  columns,  thirty-six  feet 
high,  and  six  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base, 
support  the  portico.  The  walls  of  gran- 
ite, from  Barre,  nine  miles  distant,  are 
well  cut;  the  roof  and  dome  are  cov- 
ered with  copper.  The  entrance  hall 
is  thirty-two  by  thirty-eight  feet,  four- 
teen feet  high,  with  six  Ionic  granite 
columns. 

The  representatives’  hall  is  sixty-sev- 
en feet  by  fifty-seven,  and  thirty-one  feet 
high.  The  senate-chamber  is  oval,  forty- 
four  feet  by  thirty,  and  twenty-two  feet 
high.  The  governor’s  room  and  other 
apartments  are  commodious  and  in  good 
taste. 

The  expense  of  the  whole,  including 
the  iron  railing  around  the  yard,  was 
$132,000,  of  which  the  citizens  contrib- 
uted $15,000.  Pop.  4,500. 

Windsor,  of  which  we  have  spoken 
before,  is,  one  of  the  most  important 
towns  in  the  state,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful,  both  in  appearance  and 
situation.  It  occupies  a fine  piece  of 
ground,  which  rises,  by  two  graceful 
swells,  from  the  western  bank  of  Con-  i 
necticut  river,  shut  in  on  all  sides  by  su- 
perior eminences,  especially  on  the  New 
Hampshire  side,  where  the  shore  is 
steep  and  mountainous,  and  on  the  west, 
where  the  noble  Ascutney,  or  the  Two 
Brothers,  3,320  feet  higher  than  the 
ocean,  forms  the  background  of  the  pic- 
ture. Though  about  four  miles  distant, 
its  sides  and  peak  appear  near  at  hand, 


and  add  a feature  to  the  scenery  which 
few  landscapes  can  boast. 

Windsor  is  fifty-five  miles  south  of 
Montpelier,  fifty-five  northeast  of  Bur- 
lington, ninety-five  northwest  of  Boston, 
and  four  hundred  and  twenty  nearly 
north  of  Washington.  The  surface  of 
the  township,  though  hilly,  is  rich  and 
well  cultivated.  The  first  settlement  j 
was  made  here  in  1764.  The  principal 
street  is  crooked,  but  adorned  with  sev-  ! 
eral  handsome  public  and  private  build-  I 
ings,  the  stateprison  in  the  south  part ; 
and  a bridge  crosses  the  Connecticut. 


Bennington. — This  is  a frontier  town, 
on  the  borders  of  New  York,  with  a 
hilly  surface,  rich  in  iron  mines,  which 
supply  considerable  furnaces  and  forges. 
The  village  stands  upon  a conspicuous 
eminence,  and  contains  a court  and  an 
academy.  The  place  derives  its  name 
from  Governor  Benning  Wentworth, 
from  whom  it  received  its  charter  in 
1749.  The  settlement  was  commenced 
in  1761,  by  separatists,  under  Samuel 
Robinson.  They  were  the  first  of  the 
inhabitants  who  resisted  the  authorities 
of  New  York,  and  drove  thqm  from  the 
soil,  denying  her  jurisdiction. 

A range  of  limestone  crosses  Ben- 
nington county,  which  has  been  worked 
for  some  years,  and  yields  good  marble 
of  several  different  colors  and  qualities. 
Some  lead  is  also  found. 

The  Battle  of  Bennington  was  an  ac- 
tion of  considerable  importance,  though 
fought  by  a detachment  of  the  British 
army  on  the  one  side,  and  the  militia  of 
Vermont  and  the  neighboring  counties 
of  Massachusetts  on  the  other.  It  was 
brought  about  in  consequence  of  Gen- 
eral Burgoyne’s  despatching  a strong 
body  of  Hessians,  under  Colonel  Baum, 
to  seize  a large  supply  of  American  pro- 
visions collected  at  Bennington.  Bur- 
goyne  was  at  that  time — viz.,  in  the 
summer  of  1777— -preparing  to  move 
down  the  Hudson  for  Albany,  and  was 
occupied,  from  Juiy  28  to  August  15,  in 
transporting  bateaux,  provisions,  artil- 
lery, and  baggage,  from  Whitehall  (then 
called  Skeenesbourgh)  and  Fort  George 
to  the  Hudson.  Many  obstacles  were 
in  his  way,  General  Schuyler,  while  on 
his  retreat  from  Ticonderoga,  having 


i 


* 

s 


v 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


55 


thrown  trees  into  Wood  creek,  and  left 
much  to  be  done  in  clearing  the  chan- 
nel of  that  stream,  and  in  constructing 
a log  road  across  the  sandy  region,  for 
the  transportation  of  the  British  aitil- 
lery ; while  the  European  troops  showed 
great  want  of  skill  in  operations  so  for- 
eign to  their  habits. 

°Colonel  Baum  set  off  for  Bennington 
with  five  hundred  regular  troops,  a num- 
ber of  Canadians,  above  one  hundred 
Indians,  and  a few  tories  ; while  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Brayman  took  post  at 
Battenkill,  with  his  Brunswick  grena- 
diers, light  infantry,  and  chasseurs,  to 
support  him  if  necessary. 

General  Stark  first  received  informa- 
tion of  the  enemy’s  approach  on  the 
1 3th  of  August ; but  at  first  was  aware 
only  of  the°small  body  of  Indians,  and 
sent  an  equal  number  of  Americans  to 
meet  them,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Greg.  Near  night,  however, 
he  was  apprized  that  the  force  was 
large,  when  he  called  out  his  whole 
brigade,  and  sent  an  express  to  Man- 
chester to  inform  Colonel  Warner  of 
the  danger,  while  he  ordered  the  news 
to  be  spread  in  all  directions.  The , 
next  morning  he  marched,  and  soon  met 
his  advance  on  their  retreat,  pursued 
by  the  enemy,  then  only  a mile  in  the 
rear.  The  Americans  were  immediately 
drawn  up  for  battle ; on  seeing  which, 
the  enemy  halted  at  a commanding  po- 
sition, but  made  no  demonstration  of  a 
further  advance,  thinking  it  prudent  to 
send  back  for  a reinforcement.  Eager 
for  the  contest,  the  American  sharp-, 
shooters  pressed  the  enemy  with  skir- 
mishes, and  succeeded  in  killing  and 
wounding  about  thirty,  including  two 
Indian  chiefs,  without  suffering  any  loss 
themselves. 

To  secure  a better  position,  General 
I Stark  retired  to  more  favorable  ground, 
about  a mile  in  his  rear  ; and  the  fol- 
lowing day,  which  was  stormy,  was 
spent  in  skirmishing.  The  battle  be- 
gan the  following  afternoon,  Colonel 
Symonds  having  arrived  with  some 
militia  from  Berkshire  county,  Mass. 
The  enemy  had  by  this  time  fortified 
themselves  on  a branch  of  Hoosick  river, 

I and  were  attacked  according  to  a plan 


adopted  by  a council  of  war,  which  was 
designed  to  take  them  in  the  rear  of 
both  flanks,  while  an  advance  was  made 
on  their  front  to  occupy  their  attention.  | 
Colonel  Nichols,  with  two  hundred  men, 
marched  for  their  left — Colonel  Herrick,  | 
with  three  hundred,  for  their  right; 
while  one  hundred  men  marched  toward 
the  centre  of  their  line,  and  two  hun- 
dred more,  under  Colonels  Hubbard 
and  Stickney,  marched  against  the  right. 
The  first  two  detachments  were  to  unite 
in  the  enemy’s  rear,  and  then  fall  upon 
them  together.  The  Indians  fled  at  the 
onset,  but  the  rest  of  the  enemy’s  troops 
stood  their  ground  for  two  hours,  when, 
after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  by  the  Ger- 
man dragoons  to  cut  their  way  through 
with  their  swords,  all  their  works  were 
carried,  and  the  whole  body,  with  but 
few  exceptions,  were  either  killed  or 
taken  prisoners.  Baum  received  a mor- 
tal wound. 

The  victory  was  so  complete,  that  the 
Americans,  supposing  all  was  over,  be- 
gan to  disperse,  when  General  Stark 
was  apprized  of  another  large  force  ap- 
proaching in  front.  Happily,  Colonel 
Warner  arrived  at  the  moment  with  a 
reinforcement  of  Vermont  regulars,  who, 
without  loss  of  time,  pressed  on  to  en- 
counter the  enemy  ; General  Stark  soon 
followed,  with  all  the  militia  he  could 
muster;  and  an  obstinate  engagement 
ensued,  which  terminated  at  sunset,  by 
the  rout  and  pursuit  of  the  invaders. 
The  approach  of  darkness  alone  saved 
the  greater  part  of  the  fugitives,  who 
left  behind  two  cannon  and  many  wound- 
ed and  prisoners. 

The  whole  amount  of  the  enemy’s 
loss  in  these  actions  was  two  hundred 
and  seven  killed,  an  unknown  number 
wounded,  and  about  seven  hundred  piis- 
oners ; four  brass  fieldpieces,  twelve  base- 
drums,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dragoon 
Swords,  and  four  ammunition  wagons. 
The  American  loss  was  only  thirty  killed 
and  forty  wounded. 

The  principal  advantage  secured  by 
this  victory,  however,  was  in  the  cour- 
age with  which  it  inspired  the  army  and 
the  people,  who  had  been  exceedingly 
depressed  by  the  evacuation  of  the  for- 
tress of  Ticonderoga,  and  the  undis- 


56  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


puted  progress  of  Burgoyne  onward 
toward  Albany.  The  resistance  which 
he  met  with,  a few  days  after,  at  Bemis’s 
heights,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hud- 
son, is  supposed  to  have  been  rendered 
more  spirited  and  successful  by  this 
great  advantage,  gained  by  the  Vermont 
regulars  and  irregular  troops,  assisted 
by  their  bold  and  hardy  neighbors. 

The  supreme  court  has  five  judges, 
annually  chosen  by  the  legislature.  The 
county  courts,  likewise,  have  the  same 
number,  two  being  chosen  by  the  legis- 
lature every  year  in  each  county,  the 
third  and  chief  being  one  of  the  su- 
preme judges  on  the  circuit.  The  coun- 
ty courts  are  held  twice  a year.  The 
justices  of  the  peace,  also,  are  appoint- 
ed by  the  legislature. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Vermont  was 
the  “Vermont  Gazette,  or  Green  Moun- 
tain Newsboy, ” published  at  Westmin- 
ster in  1781  by  Judah  Paddock  Spooner 
and  Timothy  Green.  Two  years  after, 
their  press  was  removed  to  Windsor. 
In  1810,  the  number  of  newspapers  in 
the  state  was  ten  ; in  1828,  twenty-one  ; 
and  in  1834,  twenty-six. 

The  Battle  of  Plattsburgh. — This  was 
one  of  the  most  decisive  and  important 
engagements  in  the  war  of  1812  ; and 
like  several  others  which  we  have  no- 
ticed, although  not  fought  on  the  soil  of 
Vermont,  was  one  in  which  many  of  the 
people  of  this  state  were  engaged,  and 
in  the  results  of  which  multitudes  of 
them  were  personally  and  most  deeply 
interested.  Having  given  the  particu- 
lars of  the  naval  battle  of  the  same  date 
in  our  description  of  New  York,  and 
not  having  had  space  for  the  following 
account  of  the  battle  on  land,  we  may 
* with  propriety  introduce  it  in  this  place. 

Three  points  of  our  extensive,  country 
appeared  to  the  English  to  be  fatally 
vulnerable.  First,  the  outlet  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, against  which  Pakenham  was 
to  lead  an  army  of  veterans  ; second, 
Washington — the  seat  of  government — 
where  in  August,  1814,  General  Ross, 
at  the  head  of  his  victorious  legions, 
spread  fire  and  sword;  and  lastly,  Lake 
Champlain — the  great  highway  of  in- 
vasion to  the  most  densely-populated 
portion  of  the  Union — where  Sir  George 


STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


Provost,  renowned  for  skill  and  valor  on 
many  a battle-field,  was  to  lead  the 
largest  division  of  the  formidable  troops 
of  Wellington. 

On  the  4th  September,  14,000  troops, 
with  their  splendid  uniform,  and  fault- 
less discipline,  and  admirable  bands, 
and  waving  banners,  and  formidable 
trains  of  artillery,  having  crossed  the 
lines  and  marshalled  at  Champlain,  took 
up  their  line  of  march  for  Plattsburgh. 
There  was  one  regiment  of  these  veter- 
ans, in  which  there  was  scarcely  a man 
who  did  not  bear  a wound,  and  their 
disfigured  faces,  and  ferocious  and  de- 
termined aspect,  reminded  one  of  the  ! 
hundred  desperate  charges  of  the  san- 
guinary conflicts  of  the  peninsular  war. 

At  Plattsburgh  about  one  thousand 
regular  soldiers  under  the  command  of 
General  M‘Comb,  and  some  seven  hun- 
dred militia  under  General  Moore,  were 
prepared  to  oppose  the  enemy.  The 
nation,  saddened  and  oppressed  by  the 
then  recent  sacking  of  Washington,  and 
aware  of  the  tremendous  force  of  her 
formidable  foe,  looked  with  deep  anx- 
iety and  alarm  to  the  issue  of  the  con- 
test at  this  important  point. 

On  Monday,  September  5,  1814,  the 
British  army  having  advanced  to  Chazy 
and  found  the  state-road  guarded  by 
Colonel  Appling’s  rifle  corps  intrenched 
at  Dead  creek,  aided  by  a troop  of  horse  \ 
commanded  by  Captain  Saflord  and 
Lieutenant  Standish,  they  crossed  to  the 
Beekmantown  road,  and  encamped  du- 
ring the  night  three  or  four  miles  north  ; 
of  the  Burdick  house  at  Beekmantown.  jj 
The  militia  commanded  by  General  jj 
Moore,  and  composed  of  Colonel  Miller’s  ■ 
regiment,  a part  of  Colonel  Joiner’s  regi- 
ment, Major  Sanford’s  battalion,  and  the 
thirty-seventh  regiment,  from  Essex, 
spent  the  night  at  Beekmantown.  Be 
tween  9 and  10  o’clock  at  night,  Gen 
eral  Moore  sent  Major  R.  H.  Walworth 
to  the  quarters  of  General  M‘Comb, 
who  commanded  at  the  forts,  with  a 
request  that  he  would  send  a small  body 
of  infantry  and  a couple  of  pieces  of 
light  artillery,  to  support  the  militia  in 
the  attack  which  he  intended  to  make 
on  the  British  forces  on  their  advance 
in  the  morning.  Major  Walworth  ar- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


57 


rived  at  General  M'Comb’s  quarters 
about  midnight,  and  the  general  imme- 
diately ordered  a detachment  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  infantry  under  Major 
John  E.  Wool,  who  had  previously  and 
urgently  requested  such  a command,  and 
two  pieces  of  light  artillery  under  Cap- 
tain Luther  Leonard,  to  be  ready  by 
daylight  to  start  for  Beekmantown. 

Major  Walworth  took  a party  of  vol- 
unteers from  Captain  Atwood’s  company 
and  those  of  Captains  Cochran  and 
Manley,  marched  rapidly  on  the  bridge, 
and  had  just  commenced  taking  off  the 
plank,  when  the  advanced  guard  of  the 
enemy  emerged  from  the  woods  within 
half  musket-shot,  and  fired  upon  the 
party  taking  up  the  bridge,  two  of  whom, 
belonging  to  Atwood’s  company,  were 
severely  wounded  and  taken  prisoners. 

Major  Walworth  and  his  detachment 
immediately  fell  back  to  the  position 
occupied  by  Major  Wool,  who,  forming 
in  the  highway  and  flanked  by  the  militia, 
opened  a deadly  fire  upon  the  head  of 
the  British  column,  then  just  in  front  of 
Ira  Howe’s  house,  and  momentarily  ar- 
rested its  progress.  Here  several  of 
the  enemy  were  killed,  and  Lieutenant 
West,  of  the  Buffs,  and  twenty  privates, 
severely  wounded.  Very  soon  the  mi- 
litia broke  and  mostly  retreated  in  con- 
fusion. Many,  however,  remained  with 
the  regulars  to  contest  the  ground,  inch 
by  inch,  and  retreat  in  order. 

Meanwhile,  General  Moore,  with  the 
aid  of  other  officers,  had  succeeded  in 
rallying  a portion  of  the  militia,  which, 
being  ordered  to  join  Major  Wool  with 
his  detachment,  awaited  the  approach 
of  the  enemy  at  Culver’s  hill,  about 
four  miles  from  Plattsburgh.  This  com- 
manding position  was  maintained  with 
so  much  obstinacy  as  to  compel  the 
enemy,  after  attaining  the  summit  of 
the  hill,  to  retire  to  its  base  with  the 
loss  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wellington, 
who  fell  while  gallantly  leading  the 
Third  Buffs  to  the  charge.  Here,  also, 
Ensign  Chapman  fell,  and  Captain  West- 
roff,  of  the  thirty-eighth  British  regi- 
ment, was  severely  wounded  ; and  here 
j several  of  Major  Wool’s  men,  and  Pat- 
i ridge  of  the  Essex  militia,  were  killed, 
j Nor  was  this  position  abandoned  by 


Major  Wool,  until  after  he  had  received 
notice  from  General  Moore  that  a col- 
umn of  2,000  of  the  enemy,  advancing 
on  the  west  Beekmantown  road,  was 
gaining  on  his  rear  ; when  the  Vermont 
troops  fell  back  within  two  miles  of 
Plattsburg.  Here  Captain  Leonard, 
with  two  pieces  of  light  artillery,  des- 
patched by  General  M‘Comb,  arrived  to 
take  part  in  the  action  ; and  the  fire  of 
the  artillery,  the  regular  infantry,  and 
a portion  of  the  militia,  literally  mowed 
down  the  enemy’s  advancing  column. 

In  front  of  an  overwhelming  force, 
platoon  after  platoon  delivered  their  fire,  1 
and  fell  back  to  load  and  form,  in  reg- 
ular succession,  contesting  every  inch 
of  ground,  and  seizing  every  favorable 
point  to  unlimber  their  artillery  and 
pour  a deadly  shower  of  grape  upon  the 
advancing  enemy.  After  repeated  con- 
tests they  were  driven  across  the  river, 
the  bridges  were  taken  up  in  the  retreat, 
a final  stand  was  made  on  the  southern 
bank  of  the  Saranac,  and  the  enemy 
driven  back  beyond  the  reach  of  our 
guns.  Forty-five  of  our  men  were  killed 
in  the  letreat ; the  British  had  one  lieu- 
tenant-colonel,  two  captains,  four  lieu- 
tenants, and  more  than  two  hundred 
men,  killed  or  wounded.  Next  morn- 
ing the  British,  in  attempting  to  cross 
the  river  a few  miles  west  of  the  village, 
were  repulsed  by  Capt.  Vaughan.  The 
enemy  were  occupied,  the  four  succeed- 
ing days,  in  erecting  batteries  to  play 
upon  the  forts,  during  which  there  were  j 
frequent  skirmishes  along  the  river  ; the  j 
gallant  Green  mountain  boys,  under  the  j 
patriotic  General  Strong,  were  wafted  to  i 
our  aid  by  every  eastern  breeze,  swelling  | 
our  force  to  upward  of  three  thousand,  j 
On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  our  men  crossed  the  Saranac, 
stormed  and  took,  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  a battery  defended  by  four  hun- 
dred of  the  enemy,  spiked  the  guns,  and 
made  good  their  retreat,  without  the 
loss  of  a single  man.  The  battle  of 
Beekmantown,  the  spirited  resistance  to 
the  enemy’s  advance,  and  the  burning  of 
the  courthouse,  &c.,  north  of  the  river  by 
the  hot  shot  from  our  batteries,  prevent- 
ed an  immediate  attack  upon  the  forts,  to 
resist  which  would  have  been  fruitless. 


i 


This  state,  occupying  a leading 
position  among  the  six  eastern 
members  of  the  Union,  in  extent, 
commerce,  manufactures,  wealth, 
and  population,  borders  on  Maine, 
New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont,  on 
the  north,  and  Rhode  Island  and 
Connecticut  on  the  south;  while 
it  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
Atlantic,  and  on  the  west  by  New 
York.  With  the  exception  of  the 
seacoast,  the  boundaries  of  Massa- 
chusetts are  almost  entirely  art- 
ificial; and,  when  we  cast  our  eyes 
over  the  map,  we  can  discover 
none  of  those  natural  advantages  which  distinguish  most  other  countries  re- 
markable for  prosperity.  Massachusetts  is  a portion  of  the  western  continent 
containing  no  mines  of  gold,  no  long  navigable  rivers,  no  broad  and  fertile 
plains,  not  even  an  accessible  supply  of  timber;  and  a person  unacquainted  with 
the  true  source  of  her  power  and  wealth  would  be  at  a loss  in  seeking  foi  it. 
“A  land  of  hills,  and  valleys,  and  fountains  of  water,”  as  the  early  explorers 
represented  her,  in  their  favorite  scripture  language,  they  had  little  else  to  say 
in  praise  of  the  natural  features  of  the  country.  The  coast  presents  a line  of 
inhospitable  rocks  and  reaches  of  sterile  sand,  and  the  approach  is  rendered 
difficult  and  dangerous  by  a broad  tract  of  shoals,  through  which  a ship  can  find 
its  way  only  by  pursuing  narrow  and  intricate  channels,  by  careful  sounding. 

Harbors. — Massachusetts  is  distinguished  by  the  number  and  excellence  of 
her  harbors,  which  will  very  naturally  secure  to  her  a large  part  of  the  entire 
commerce  of  New  England,  with  the  exception  of  Maftie,  Rhode  Island,  ami 
Connecticut.  • 


Shoals. — Nantucket  shoals  line  the 
coast  for  fifty  miles,  and  are  forty-five 
miles  in  breadth.  They  are  very  dan- 
gerous, being  cut  through  by  numerous 
channels  of  different  depths,  discover- 
able only  by  sounding. 

Islands. — -Several  islands  of  consid- 
erable size  belong  to  this  state,  so  situ- 
ated, and  so  well  provided  with  head- 
lands for  lighthouses,  and  with  harbors 
for  shelter  in  storms,  as  to  be  of  impor- 
tant service  to  the  extensive  coasting 
and  foreign  trade — especially  such  as 
are  in  the  vicinity  of  the  shoals. 

Nantucket  Island  is  fifteen  miles  by 
eleven,  and  forms,  with  five  smaller 
islands,  a county  of  the  same  name. 
It  contains  nearly  thirty  thousand  acres. 
Its  inhabitants  have  ’ long  been  prover- 
bial for  their  skill  in  whalefishing,  which 
was  formerly  carried  on  in  boats  in  sight 
of  the  shore.  They  are  equally  distin- 
guished by  their  skill  and  boldness  as 
pilots,  many  of  them  spending  a consid- 
erable part  of  their  lives  in  sailing  about 
the  shoals  to  pilot  ships.  The  island  is 
thirty  miles  south  of  the  mainland,  sixty 
southeast  of  New  Bedford,  and  one  hun- 
dred south-southeast  of  Boston.  Lat- 
itude 41°  15'  22",  longitude  7(P  7'  56". 

Martha's  Vineyard  is  twenty  miles 
long  and  from  two  to  five  miles  broad 
and  lies  west  of  Nantucket.  Duke’s 
county  is  formed  of  this  island  and  sev- 
eral small  ones  in  its  vicinity. 

The  first  settlements  were  made  at 
Plymouth  by  the  passengers  in  the  May- 
Flower,  the  first  band  of  English  dis- 
senters, called  puritans,  who  arrived  in 
America.  They  reached  Cape  Cod  on 
the  22d  of  December,  1620,  and,  after  a 
few  days,  fixed  on  Plymouth  for  their 
residence,  which  received  its  name  from 
the  last  port  in  England  from  which 
they  had  sailed.  The  important  conse- 
quences which  resulted  from  the  arrival 
of  this  little  band  of  exiles  have  invested 
it  with  peculiar  interest ; and  the  event 
and  its  concomitants  have  been  com- 
memorated in  numerous  writings 


religious  freedom,  and  the  universal  dif- 
fusion of  learning.  Numbers  of  them 
had  taken  refuge  in  Holland  from  the 
persecution  they  were  exposed  to  in 
their  native  land,  from  the  laws  which 
then  forbade  them  to  worship  God  in 
their  chosen  manner.  But,  although 
treated  with  kindness  by  the  Dutch  prot- 
estants,  they  at  length  determined  to 
seek  a country  in  which  they  might 
rear  their  children,  without  exposing 
them  to  evil  influences  or  to  the  loss  of 
their  native  language.  A band  of  them 
,at  length  proceeded  to  England,  accom- 
panied by  their  pastor,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Robinson,  where,  arrangements  having 
been  made,  after  some  delay  they  sailed 
for  America.  The  part  of  the  coast  on 
which  they  were  landed  was  farther 
north  than  they  had  intended  to  reach; 
but  this  Was  probably,  in  the  end,  more 
favorable  for  their  success.  The  In- 
dians had  been  almost  all  destroyed  by 
a fatal  disease,  so  that  they  found  but 
little  opposition  among  the  natives  for 
some  years. 

The  Plymouth  colony  was  followed 
by  several  others.  Salem  was  planted 
in  1628,  and  Boston  in  1630.  Most  of 
the  settlers  being  of  the  same  class,  a 
uniform  system  of  laws  and  habits  was 
established,  which  was  gradually  ex- 
tended, and  most  of  the  peculiarities  of 
New  England  still  retain  the  same  char- 
acter. 

These  first  colonies  were  the  sources 
or  the  channels  from  which  the  settle- 
tlements  on  the  Connecticut,  and  many 
of  those  in  New  Hampshire  and  Ver- 
mont, derived  their  impulse  and  their 
population,  and  there  we  find  a general 
identity  of  sentiment  and  society. 

The  first  period  in  the  history  of  Mas- 
sachusetts is  that  between  the  first  set- 
tlement and  the  Pequod  war,  in  1636, 
when  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut 
river  had  been  occupied  and  exposed  to 
powerful  tribes  of  savages,  against  whom 
Massachusetts  afforded  them  aid.  Then 
commenced  that  active  system  of  mutual 


The  puritans  received  this  title  in  support,  which  often  secured  the  safety 
derision.  They  had  long  been  the  chief  j of  the  eastern  colonies,  and  gradually 
advocates  of  principles  which  have  since  extended  to  all  the  colonies  Rom  Eng- 
become  extensively  adcfpted  in  this  coun-  land,  and  resulted  in  forming  the  United 
try  and  elsewhere,  particularly  civil  .and  I States. 


62 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


The  second  period  extends  to  Philip’s 
war,  in  1675,  when  Massachusetts  had 
several  towns  on  Connecticut  river,  and 
had  an  extensive  region  to  protect  at 
home  from  a powerful  savage  combina- 
tion. The  third  period  may  be  limited 
by  the  close  of  the  last  French  war,  in 
1759,  when  the  capture  of  Canada  by 
the  British  put  an  end  to  the  long  and 
disastrous  hostilities  of  France  upon  the 
frontiers  of  the  colonies.  The  fourth 
period  extends  to  the  close  of  the  rev- 
olution, and  the  fifth  to  the  present  day. 

Early  Missions  among  the  Indians. — 
Rev.  John  Eliot  began  to  preach  to  the 
Indians  near  Boston  in  1646.  In  1650 
the  English  “ society  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospel  in  foreign  parts,” 
opened  a correspondence  with  the  com- 
missioners of  the  United  colonies,  and 
appointed  them  their  agents.  Eliot 
(the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  as  he  is  often 
called)  had,  ere  this,  been  so  far  suc- 
cessful in  his  exertions  as  to  feel  encour- 
agement, and  to  inspire  the  benevolent 
with  hope.  He  continued  his  labors 
several  years  without  reward  or  expec- 
tation of  payment ; but  afterward  re- 
ceiving contributions  from  gentlemen  in 
England,  he  was  enabled  to  extend  his 
operations,  and  to  educate  his  sons  at 
college,  the  eldest  of  whom  afterward 
preached  to  the  natives.  By  his  exam- 
ple several  other  clergymen  in  the  coun- 
try were  encouraged  to  adopt  similar 
measures.  Mr.  Bourne  and  Mr.  Cotton 
acquired  the  Indian  language  to  qualify 
them  for  the  task,  and  preached  at  Mar- 
tha’s Vineyard,  &c. ; Mr.  Mayhew  and 
his  son  preached  at  that  island  and  at 
Nantucket;  while  Messrs.  Pierson  and 
Fitch  followed  their  example  in  Con- 
necticut. 

Eliot  published  his  Indian  translation 
of  the  New  Testament  in  1661,  and  the 
whole  Bible  soon  after.  The  printing 
was  done  at  the  expense  of  the  society 
for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel.  He 
prepared  also  translations  of  Baxter’s 
Call,  psalms,  hymns,  &c.,  and  composed 
several  works  for  use  in  the  schools 
which  he  established  in  the  Indian  vil- 
lages. Some  of  the  youth  were  sent  to 
learn  Latin  and  Greek.  Several  Indian 
towns  were  constituted  by  Massachu- 


setts, and  courts  established  in  them, 
each  with  one  English  judge,  while  other 
officers  were  all  chosen  by  the  natives. 

The  first  Indian  church  was  formed 
in  1670,  at  Natick;  the  second  at  Pak- 
emit,  now  Stoughton,  whose  first  native 
teacher  was  named  Ahawton.  The  other 
Christian  or  praying  towns  in  the  Indian 
country  were  the  following  : Okomma- 
kummessit,  now  Marlborough;  Wam- 
esit,  now  Tewksbury;  Nashobah,  now 
Littleton  ; Mungunkook,  now  Hopkin- 
ton  ; and  there  were  others  in  Oxford, 
Dudley,  Worcester,  and  Uxbridge,  and 
three  in  Woodstock. 

The  gospel  was  thus  early  made  known 
to  the  Indians  ; many  of  them  received 
it,  and  it  immediately  began  to  produce 
its  natural  effects,  by  introducing  civil- 
ization with  many  of  its  advantages. 
The  people  became  fixed  in  their  hab- 
its and  residences,  attended  to  agricul- 
ture, began  to  acquire  learning,  erected 
more  substantial  habitations,  and  pur- 
sued the  arts. 

In  Plymouth  colony  the  success  of 
the  early  efforts  of  missionaries  among 
the  natives  was  still  more  remarkable. 
About  five  hundred  Indians  on  Cape  Cod, 
under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bourne, 
made  rapid  improvement.  About  two 
hundred  soon  learned  to  read,  and  more 
than  seventy  to  write,  and  there  was  a 
church  with  twenty-seven  communi- 
cants, with  the  Mayhews,  at  Martha’s 
Vineyard. 

Printing. — The  Rev.  Jesse  Glover, 
an  English  dissenting  clergymen,  has 
been  called  the  father  of  the  American 
press.  He  embarked  for  New  England 
in  1638,  with  his  family,  and  a printing- 
press  which  he  had  purchased  with 
money  contributed  by  himself  and  his 
friends,  accompanied  by  a printer,  Ste- 
phen Daye,  whom  he  had  hired.  Mr. 
Glover  died  on  the  passage;  but  the 
magistrates  and  elders  of  Massachusetts 
encouraged  Daye  to  put  the  press  in 
operation  at  Cambridge,  where  the 
new-comers  took  up  their  residences. 
In  January,  1639,  he  printed  the  Free- 
man’s Oath,  an  almanac,  and  the  Psalms 
in  metre.  His  first  successor,  Samuel 
Green,  began  to  print  in  1649,  and  died 
in  1702.  • He  had  nineteen  children, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  63 

and  many  of  his  descendants  have  been 
printers. 

Government.— The  legislative  power 
is  vested  in  a senate  and  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, which  together  are  styled  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts. 

The  senate  consists  of  forty  members, 
who  are  chosen  annually  by  the  people, 
by  districts,  according  to  population. 

The  house  of  representatives  consists 
of  members  chosen  annually  by  the  cities 
and  towns,  according  to  population,  ev- 
ery town  having  300  ratable  polls  elect- 
ing a representative,  and  for  every  450 
more,  one  addiiional  representative.  Any 
town  having  less  than  300  polls,  to  be 
represented  as  many  years  within  ten 
years,  as  300  is  contained'  in  the  product 
of  the  number  of  polls  in  said  town, 
multiplied  by  ten. 

The  governor  is  elected  annually  by 
the  people,  and  at  the  same  time  a lieu- 
tenant-governor is  chosen. 

The  governor  is  assisted  in  the  execu- 
tive department,  particularly  in  appoint- 
ments to  office,  by  a council  of  nine 
members,  who  are  chosen  by  the  joint 
ballot  of  the  senators  and  representa- 
tives, from  the  people. 

The  judiciary  is  vested  in  a supreme 
court,  a court  of  common  pleas,  and  such 
other  courts  as  the  legislature  may  es- 
tablish. The  judges  are  appointed  by 
the  governor,  by  and  with  the  advice 
and  consent  of  the  council,  and  hold  their 
offices  during  good  behavior. 

The  right  of  suffrage  is  granted  to  ev- 
ery male  citizen  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  upward  (excepting  paupers  and  per- 
sons under  guardianship),  who  has  resi- 
ded within  the  commonwealth  one  year, 
and  within  the  town  or  district  in  which 
he  may  claim  a right  to  vote,  six  months 
preceding  any  election,  and  who  has 
paid  a state  or  county  tax. 

Railroads. — There  are  completed  and 
in  full  operation  within  the  borders  of 
the  state  of  Massachusetts  more  than 
twelve  hundred  miles  of  railroads.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1850,  nearly  ten  millions 
of  passengers  passed  over  these  roads 
which  also  transported  two  and  a hal: 
millions  of  tons  of  freights. — But  these 
many  lines  of  railroad  have  more  thar 
an  interior  benefit  for  the  state.  Ir 

conjunction  with  other  railroads  beyond 
the  state  limits  and  steam  navigation, 
the  city  of  Boston  is  connected  with 
thirteen  states  of  the  Union,  thus  intro- 
ducing the  metropolis  of  the  state  to  a 
commercial  sphere  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance. The  people  of  Massachusetts 
have  shown  a remarkable  foresight,  en- 
ergy, and  perseverance,  in  the  projection 
and  construction  of  roads  within  their 
own,  and  in  the  subscription  to  the  stock 
of  others,  in  contiguous  states,  the  ulti- 
mate benefit  of  which  can  scarcely  be 
over-estimated.  The  money  thus  ap- 
propriated amounts,  in  the  aggregate,  to 
over  fifty  millions  of  dollars. 

Education. — Common  schools  were 
established  by  law  very  soon  after  the 
foundation  of  the  colony  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay ; and  parents,  guardians,  &c., 
were  .required  to  have  their  children 
and  wards  instructed.  Every  larger 
village  and  town  was  to  have  a gram- 
mar-school. Education,  at  least  in  the 
rudiments  of  learning,  has  always  been 
universal  in  this  state  ; and  the  influence 
of  Massachusetts  in  extending  and  sus- 
taining institutions  of  learning  in  other 
parts  of  the  country  has  been  great,  and 
not  less  creditable  to  her  citizens  than 
beneficial  to  their  fellow-citizens  of  the 
Union.  In  the  recent  improvements  in 
common  schools,  and  some  other  means 
of  diffusing  knowledge,  she  has  been 
one  of  the  most  efficient  states  ; and 
many  of  the  measures  approved  and 
practised  by  the  intelligent  friends  of 
learning  have  been  devised  or  brought 
into  use,  or  most  early  or  effectually 
put  into  practice,  within  her  boundaries. 
Yet  Massachusetts,  until  1835,  has  never 
had  a school  fund,  and  her  common 
schools  were  wholly  supported  by  the 
people.  A fund  was  then  provided  for, 
limited  to  one  million  of  dollars. 

Every  town  or  district  containing  fifty 
families  is  required  to  have  a school 
i kept  at  least  six  months  in  the  year;  or, 

• if  several  schools  exist,  they  shall  be 

5 kept  long  enough  to  equal  one  school 

5 for  six  months.  For  those  containing 
f one  hundred  families  the  requisition  is 

3 doubled  ; and  for  those  containing  one 
i hundred  and  fifty  families,  eighteen 
i months  are  required. 

64  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Massachusetts  is  therefore  justly  enti- 
tled to  a large  share  of  the  credit  of  hav- 
ing given  an  impulse  to  the  cause  of  pop- 
ular education.  The  early  settlers  of 
that  section  of  our  country  were  fully 
sensible  of  the  defects  of  the  English  in- 
stitutions which  they  had  forsaken.  That 
the  schools  of  learning  and  religion  were 
corrupted,  and  the  fairest  hopes  over- 
thrown by  licentious  behavior  in  those 
seminaries,  was  one  among  the  many 
causes  of  their  emigration  from  the  Old 
World,  and  of  pledging  themselves  to 
the  education  of  their  children.  In  the 
year  1668,  a document  was  published  by 
order  of  the  government  and  council  of 
Massachusetts,  and  addressed  to  the  el- 
ders and  ministers  of  every  town,  in 
which  paper  was  set  forth  an  earnest 
! desire  for  the  moral  and  religious  instruc- 
tion of  the  people,  and  an  appeal  to  those 
to  whom  the  instrument  was  directed,  to 
examine  whether  the  education  of  youth 
in  the  English  language  was  attended  to. 
From  the  time  of  the  Winthrops  and 
their  associates,  who  labored  zealously 
in  this  field  of  usefulness,  to  the  present 
period,  New  England  has  devoted  her 
attention  to  the  promotion  of  knowledge  ; 
and  in  the  industry,  integrity,  and  fru- 
gality of  her  children,  now  beholds  the 
brilliant  results  of  her  perseverance. 
When  we  consider  that  the  tide  of  im- 
migration, which  is  sweeping  before  it 
the  forests  of  the  west,  takes  its  rise  in 
the  eastern  section  of  the  United  States, 
and  bears  upon  its  bosom  the  elements 
of  enrichment — that  it  is  composed,  in  a 
great  degree,  of  those  who  have  been 
enabled  to  obtain  there  the  rudiments 
o*f  learning,  the  first  principles  of  valua- 
ble information — ought  we  not  to  be 
grateful  to  those  who  have  toiled  and 
are  still  doing  all  that  lies  in  their  pow- 
er to  render  the  fountain  pure  and  trans- 
parent ] 

Too  much  can  not  be  done  in  arousing 
public  opinion  on  the  subject  of  the  ed- 
ucation of  children.  Let  the  instruction 
of  a child  be  considered  the  paramount 
duty  of  a good  citizen,  and  then  public 
sentiment  will  act  much  more  powerful- 
ly to  produce  the  results  desired  than 
1 the  staff  of  the  officer  of  police.  Public 
opinion  is  the  best  balance-wheel  of  the 


machinery  of  a society  constituted  as 
that  is  in  which  we  live.  It  must  be  by 
promulgating  among  the  people  the  sen- 
timent of  the  necessity  of  education — by 
arousing  their  attention  to  its  value — by 
demonstrating  its  beneficial  results,  as 
not  only  the  best  check  on  the  increase 
of  crime,  the  prevention  of  pauperism, 
but  also  the  promoter  of  public  order 
and  private  happiness — that  we  can  hope 
to  have  education  generally  diffused.  So 
soon  as  the  people  are  convinced,  we 
shall  have  the  brilliant  object  which  all 
should  desire  to  see  effected.  To  pro- 
duce great  results,  must  be  the  work  of 
time.  The  past  labors  of  the  people  are 
the  best  evidences  of  their  devotion  to  the 
advancement  of  learning,  and  give  great 
hope  that  the  system  of  education  will 
be  laid  with  a broad  and  deep  founda- 
tion, on  which  the  pyramid  of  the  repub- 
lic’s glory  and  security  may  rise,  and  re- 
main an  imperishable  monument  of  the 
benevolence  and  wisdom  of  her  citizens. 

In  connexion,  however,  with  the  above, 
we  most  unhesitatingly  assert  that  mere 
intellectual  improvement  is  not,  or  should 
not  be,  the  exclusive  or  even  the  prima- 
ry object  of  education.  Moral  and  reli- 
gious principles  are  infinitely  more  mo- 
mentous to  the  character  and  interests 
of  the  future  man  than  the  cultivation  of 
the  mind  alone,  whether  we  look  to  the 
individual  himself,  or  to  the  influence 
which  he  will  hereafter  exercise  upon 
society.  The  talented  and  accomplished 
scholar  may  shine  in  public  and  social 
life — may  astonish  by  the  depth  of  his 
erudition,  charm  by  the  graces  of  his  el- 
oquence, or  dazzle  by  the  coruscations 
of  his  wit ; but  the  truly  moral  and  vir- 
tuous man — the  man  of  principle  only 
— is  the  centre  around  which  domestic 
felicity  revolves  ; he  only  contributes  to 
the  real  and  enduring  benefit  of*society, 
and  his  own  near  and  dear  connexions. 
Contemplated  in  this  aspect  (and  few, 
we  think,  will  refuse  thus  to  contemplate 
it),  the  morality  which  may  be  learned 
from  any  system  of  religious  opinions 
that  professes  to  take  the  Bible  for  its 
basis,  deserves  to  be  estimated  far  more 
highly  than  even  the  most  extensive  ac- 
quirements and  splendid  abilities,  if  un- 
controlled by  those  motives  and  principles 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  65 


of  action  which  alone  can  direct  them  to 
the  production  of  solid  and  abiding  advan- 
tage. Devoid  of  these  principles,  they 
have  been  almost  invariably  found,  like 
sharp  and  polished  weapons  in  the  hands 
of  a lunatic,  to  inflict  a mortal  wound  up- 
on the  possessor,  and  strike  deep  at  the 
best  interests  of  society. 

“ A people,  to  be  truly  free,  must  first 
be  wise  and  good.”  This  is  truly  an 
admirable  maxim,  and  so  evident  as  not 
to  admit  of  doubt,  even  if  it  had  not  been 
long  since  fully  demonstrated  in  the  an- 
nals of  the  past.  Education  is  the  ground- 
work of  national  freedom  and  civilization 
— the  foundation  on  which  have  origina- 
ted the  great  and  essential  improvements 
of  agriculture,  the  mechanical  branches, 
and  the  pursuits  of  science — the  main 
pillars  which  constitute  a nation’s  power 
and  character.  These  and  the  fine  arts, 
which  polish  and  adorn  the  whole — the 
beauties  of  nature,  eloquence,  and  sci- 
ence, with  all  the  social  endearments, 
which  refine  and  embellish  society — as 
well  as  the  higher  and  more  sublime 
character  of  those  moral  and  political  in- 
stitutions, which  bind  together  and  direct 
the  whole, — are  all  the  effects  of  that 
strength  and  intelligence  which  educa- 
tion has  imparted  to  the  human  mind. 
And  when  we  consider  that  ignorance  is 
the  grand  cause  of  vice  and  crime  among 
the  poor — that  it  contributes  to  their  mor- 
al debasement  and  misery,  excluding 
them  from  the  enjoyment  of  all  rational 
delight — confining  their  pastimes  and 
pleasures  to  mere  feats  of  strength  and 
inebriating  hilarity — and  how  it  prevents 
the  mind  from  expanding  for  the  recep- 
tion of  virtue  and  morality — we  can  not 
but  rejoice  at  the  success  of  all  plans  for 
illuminating  this  darkness,  and  respect 
the  names  and  memories  of  those  great 
and  good  men  who  have  contributed  so 
largely  and  freely  of  their  time,  influ- 
ence, and  earthly  substance,  to  extend 
the  blessing  of  a sound  and  religious  ed- 
ucation  to  every  son  and  daughter  within 
the  reach  of  their  influence. 

Many  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the 
state  and  nation  were  natives  or  long  citi- 
zens of  Boston.  The  early  clergymen 
were  Cotton,  Wilson,  the  Mathers,  Oxen- 
bridge,  Norton,  Allen,  Davenport,  Wil- 


lard, Coleman,  Prince,  the  Eliots,  Byles, 
Thacher,  Wadsworth,  Pemberton,  Cal- 
lender, Sewall,  Cooper,  Checkley,  May- 
hew,  Gee,  Walter,  Condy,  Stillman, 
Chauncey,  Lathrop,  Howard,  West,  Bel- 
knap, Parker,  Everett,  Kirkland,  Emer- 
son, Buckminster,  and  Channing.  They 
were  eminent  scholars,  as  well  as  able 
theologians.  We  have  only  room  for  a 
few  of  the  distinguished  laymen  of  early 
times.  These  were  Winthrop,  Belling- 
ham, Leverett,  Stoughton,  Cheever,  Bulk- 
ley,  Dummer,  Cook,  Brattle,  the  Sew- 
alls,  Belcher,  Oliver ; and  in  later  pe- 
riods, Otis,  Bowdoin,  Samuel  Adams, 
Gridley,  Joseph  Warren,  John  Hancock, 
Richard  Dana,  Governor  Hutchinson, 
Thacher,  Sears,  Quincy,  Mason,  &c.  Of 
these  latter  individuals  especially,  many 
of  them  made  great  exertions,  and  suf- 
fered much  in  various  ways,  during  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  Several  of  them 
were  opulent  merchants,  and  they  loaned 
largely  of  their  money  to  the  government 
for  its  support.  During  that  period  not 
only  was  the  commerce  of  this  ancient 
metropolis  long  suspended  and  greatly 
injured,  but  many  of  its  public  and  pri- 
vate buildings  destroyed.  It  furnished 
great  numbers  of  men  in  various  ways 
in  the  service  of  the  country ; they  were 
obliged  to  be  constantly  under  arms  in 
times  of  danger  and  apprehension.  The 
citizens  of  all  classes — the  merchants  and 
mechanics,  and  the  professional  men — 
were  zealous  advocates  of  the  Federal 
Constitution  in  1788,  and  afterward  the 
firm  supporters  of  tho  administrations  of 
Washington  and  Adams.  We  learn,  from 
a series  of  articles,  prepared  and  pub- 
lished by  Edwin  Williams,  Esq.,  of 
New  York,  that  “ the  honor  of  origina- 
ting a suggestion  which  afterward  led  to 
the  organization  of  the  old  Continental 
Congress,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
independence  of  these  United  States, 
was  due  to  the  name  of  Sears.”* 

* Colonel  Isaa'c  Sears,  the  distinguished  character 
here  alluded  to,  was  the  originator  and  leader  of  the 
“ Sons  of  Liberty’-'  at  the  opening  of  the  American 
Revolution.  He  seems  for  a time  to  have  represent- 
ed the  spirit  of  that  revolution  more  fully  than  any 
other  person  in  the  city  and  vicinity  of  New  York. 
His  life  has  never  been  written,  which,  including  the 
doings  of  the  “Liberty  Boys,”  is  an  interesting  and 
unexplored  province  of  our  revolutionary  annals.  He 
is  often  referred  to  in  the  correspondence  of  Wash- 
[ ington,  Gouverneur  Morris,  and  Messrs.  Adams,  as 


5 


66 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


These  illustrious  worthies  of  a past 
age  being  dead,  yet  speak  to  us.  We 
do  well  to  hallow  their  memories  and 
record  their  noble  deeds.  Interesting 
associations  cluster  around  these  great 
actors  in  the  drama  of  the  Past.  They 
belong  to  the  nation  ; for  not  the  old 
states  merely,  but  those  which  sprang  in- 
to being  but  yesterday,  look  upon  the 
glory  of  the  Revolution  as  a common 
patrimony.  This  nation  must  ever  be 
sensible  of  the  worth  of  its  benefactors, 
and  real  merit  will  soon  dissipate  the 
mists  of  party  prejudice.  Its  effect,  like 
that  of  a very  strong  sympathetic  feeling 
running  through  the  people,  must  be  to 
knit  more  closely  the  bonds  of  national 
union.  It  has  given  freshness  to  the 
memory  of  common  efforts  in  the  great 
national  struggle,  which  must  always 
prove  a powerful  tie  among  men  who 
exult  in  the  achievements  of  a common 
ancestry.  It  may  have  furnished  some 
incense  to  the  vanity  imputed  to  our  na- 
tion ; but  this  is  as  dust  in  the  balance 
compared  with  the  spirit  which  it  indi- 
cates and  the  feelings  which  it  has  awa- 
kened. Here  we  may  learn  useful  les- 
sons for  the  future,  from  the  history  of 
the  past. 

Let  us  follow  these  distinguished  men 
to  “old  age when  Nature  seemed  to 
demand  repose,  each  had  retired  to  the 
spot  from  which  the  public  exigencies 
had  first  called  'him — his  public  labors 
ended,  his  work  accomplished,  his  be- 
loved country  prosperous  and  happy — 
there  to  indulge  in  the  blessed  retrospect 
of  a well-spent  life,  and  to  await  that  pe- 
riod which  comes  to  all.  Lid  they  pass 
their  time  in  idleness  and  indifference  ] 
No.  The  same  spirit  of  active  benevo- 
lence, which  made  the  meridian  of  their 
lives  resplendent  with  glory,  continued 
to  shed  its  1 ustre  upon  their  evening  path. 

' Still  intent  on  doing  good,  still  devoted 
to  the  great  cause  of  human  happiness 
and  improvement,  none  of  these  illustri- 
ous men  relaxed  in  their  exertions.  They 
seemed  only  to  concentrate  their  energy 

rendering  important  services  to  the  colonies,  and  is 
named  in  the  journals  of  those  times  as  a brave  and 
heroic  character  The  materials  of  his  biography  are 
yet  extant  in  public  and  private  documents  in  the 
city  and  state  of  New  York,  and  ought  to  be  collected 
and' preserved,  as  important  sources  of  history. 


as  age  and  increasing  infirmity  contract- 
ed the  circle  of  action — bestowing,  with- 
out ostentation,  their  latest  efforts  upon 
the  state  and  neighborhood  in  which  they 
resided.  There,  with  patriarchal  sim- 
plicity, they  lived,  the  objects  , of  a na- 
tion’s grateful  remembrance  and  affec- 
tion— the  living  records  of  a nation’s  his- 
tory ; the  charm  of  an  age  which  they 
delighted,  adorned,  and  instructed,  by 
their  deeds  of  benevolence,  and  vivid 
sketches  of  times  that  are  past;  and,  as 
it  were,  the  embodied  spirit  of  the  Rev- 
olution itself,  in  all  its  purity  and  force, 
diffusing  its  wholesome  influence  through 
the  generations  that  have  succeeded,  re- 
buking every  sinister  design,  and  invig- 
orating every  manly  and  virtuous  resolu- 
tion. 

We  can  not  set  in  too  strong  a light 
their  history.  It  awakens  the  public 
gratitude  for  their  services  ; it  tells  their 
countrymen  to  be  faithful  to  their  prin- 
ciples, and  vigilant  in  preserving  those 
institutions  free  and  unimpaired,  to  at- 
tain which  they  sacrificed  their  ease  and 
safety.  These  eulogies  are  in  fact  the 
people’s  testimony  to  the  excellence  of 
our  form  of  government.  The  venera- 
tion paid  to  such  men  as  Adams  and  J ef- 
ferson  is  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
worth  of  the  political  principles  which 
they  labored  to  establish.  And  when 
the  kingdoms  of  the  Old  World  are  tot- 
tering to  their  foundations,  what  can  be 
more  proper  or  grateful  than  the  sight 
of  a whole  people  uniting  to  testify  their 
love  for  thelgovernment  under  which  they 
live!  In  other  countries,  one  half  of  the 
nation  is  employed  in  preventing  the  oth- 
er from  pulling  the  political  machine  to 
pieces.  Here,  all  are  united  to  up- 
hold it. 

Of  the  present  distinguished,  patriotic, 
and  benevolent  citizens  of  Boston,  along 
list  might  be  here  given,  and  then  not  all 
be  mentioned.  It  has  been  remarked, 
and  with  great  truthfulness,  that  the  lib- 
erality of  her  rich  men  is  proverbial  from 
Maine  to  Missouri,  and  has  secured  for 
that  city  a name  which,  we  trust,  future 
generations  will  not  only  respect,  but  en- 
deavor to  add  to  its  lustre,  by  imitating 
such  men  as  the  Lawrences,  David 
Sears,  the  Appletons,  Thomas  Ii.  Pbr- 


Residence  of  John  Hancock,  Boston. 


* — ~ — -J 

68  DESCRIPTION  OE  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

kins,  and  a host  of  others,  whose  coffers 
are*  not  closed,  but  who  are  constantly 
contributing,  by  their  princely  individu- 
al donations  of  ten  and  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  to  undertakings  of  philanthropy 
and  charity — encouraging  talent,  promo- 
ting industry,  and  fostering  the  fine  arts  ; 
thus  setting  a most  noble  example  to  the 
wealthy  of  other  cities  which  we  could 
wish  more  generally  imitated.  Since 
the  year  1800,  over  three  millions 
of  dollars  have  been  given  in  munifi- 
cent gifts  by  the  citizens  of  Boston  to 
the  cause  of  education  alone. 

The  first  settlers  of  New  England  were 
exceedingly  tenacious  of  their  civil  and 
religious  rights,  and  they  well  knew  that 
knowledge  was  an  all-powerful  engine 
to  preserve  those  rights,  and  transmit 
them  to  their  posterity.  They  therefore 
v.ery  early  laid  the  foundation  of  those 
free  schools  of  which  all  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  New  England  are  so  justly 
proud.  Exclusive  of  infant  and  sabbath 
school  children,  about  a quarter  part  of 
j the  population  of  Boston  is  kept  at  school 
throughout  the  year,  at  an  annual  ex- 
; penSe  of  about  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

Their  successors  have  nobly  imitated 
j their  bright  and  patriotic  example.  Such 
men  are  indeed  the  fathers  of  the  nation, 
and  must  ever  live  in  the  affections  of 
the  people.  When  time  has  consigned 
them  to  their  honored  graves,  the  good 
they  have  done  will  live  after  them.  Fu- 
ture generations  will  rise  up  and  call 
them  blessed.  Their  names  will  fill  a 
niche  in  the  temple  erected  in  every  one’s 
memory,  to  commemorate  those  who,  as 
they  passed  along  the  pathway  of  life, 
scattered  the  seeds  of  knowledge  and 
morality,  which  have  taken  root,  sprung 
up,  bearing  the  most  delectable  fruits, 
agreeable  to  the  sight,  and  of  pleasant 
J flavor. 

Williams  College , at  Williamstown, 
Berkshire  county,  in  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  state,  was  a public  school  or 
academy  at  its  commencement,  in  1791, 
and  was  incorporated  as  a college  in 
1793.  It  derives  its  name  from  its  found- 
er, Colonel  Ephraim  Williams.  Besides 
donations  from  the  state  and  several  in- 
dividuals, it  has  received  a bequest  of 

fifty-seven  thousand  dollars  from  Mr. 
Woodbridge  Little.  It  is  under  the 
charge  of  seventeen  trustees. 

The  Newton  Theological  Seminary, 
under  the  patronage  of  the  baptist  de- 
nomination, was  founded  in  Newton  in 
1825,  and  was  incorporated  by  the  legis- 
lature the  next  year.  In  1828,  a brick 
building,  three  stories  in  height,  besides 
a basement  story,  eighty-five  feet  long 
and  forty-nine  wide,  was  erected,  at  an 
expense  of  about  ten  thousand  dollars. 
Three  convenient  houses  have  been  since 
erected  for  the  professors.  In  the  man- 
sion-house are  accommodations  for  the 
steward’s  family,  a dining-hall,  a chapel, 
and  recitation-rooms.  The  regular  course 
of  study  occupies  three  years.  There 
are  two  vacations  of  six  weeks  each — 
one  from  the  last  Wednesday  but  one  in 
August,  the  other  from  the  last  Wednes- 
day in  March.  The  seminary  is  about 
seven  miles  from  Boston,  in  a very  salu- 
brious locality,  being  beautifully  situated 
on  an  elevated  hill,  which  commands  an 
extensive  prospect  of  Boston  and  of  the 
rich  country  around. 

Cambridge  University. — This  insti- 
tution, which  is  the  oldest  in  the  Union, 
and  the  most  liberally  endowed,  was 
commenced  in  1636  by  the  general  court 
of  Massachusetts,  who  then  appropriated 
four  hundred  pounds  sterling  toward  the 
establishment  of  a college,  which  was 
incorporated  in  1638,  under  the  title  of 
“ Harvard  College,”  in  consequence  of  a 
legacy  left  it  that  year,  by  Rev.  John 
Harvard,  of  £119  lls.  2d.  The  state 
and  different  liberal  donors  have  since 
increased  its  funds  to  a large  amount. 

l't  is  situated  in  the  city  of  Cambridge, 
three  miles  west  from  Boston,  and  com- 
prises an  academical  department,  as  well 
as  those  of  law,  theology,  science,  and 

1 medicine.  Each  of  these  five  depart- 
j ments  is  distinct  in  itself,  with  its  own 
particular  government  and  body  of  in- 
structors, each  having  its  separate  funds, 
its  own  pupils,  and  its  peculiar  objects, 
but  all  subject  to  one  supreme  head. 

The  buildings  of  the  university  are 
fourteen  in  Cambridge  and  one  in  Bos- 
ton. Four  of  the  principal  buildings  are 
of  four  stories,  for  the  accommodation 
of  students  ; two  others  contain  the  min- 

70 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


eralogical  cabinet,  the  library,  the  chap-  by  weather-proof  shutters,  and  worked 


els,  &c.  Besides  these  are  the  halls  of 
law,  divinity,  medicine,  &c.  It  has  an 
excellent  anatomical  museum,  and  a bo- 
tanical garden  of  eight  acres,  richly  stored 
with  an  extensive  collection  of  trees, 
shrubs,  and  plants,  both  native  and  for- 
eign. The  libraries  contain  above  forty 
thousand  volumes,  including  those  of  the 
several  departments.  Those  belonging 
to  the  studies  contain  about  five  thou- 
sand volumes.  The  cabinets  and  appa- 
ratus are  very  valuable.  The  annual 
commencement  is  on  the  third  Wednes- 
day in  July. 

Cambridge  Observatory. — This  obser- 
vatory is  situated  on  a commanding  emi- 
nence called  Summer-house  hill,  the  sum- 
mit of  which  is  about  fifty  feet  above  the 
plain  on  which  are  erected  the  buildings 
of  the  university.  This  height  is  found 
to  give  from  the  dome  an  horizon  almost 
uninterrupted  to  within  two  or  three  de- 
grees of  altitude.  The  grounds  appro- 
priated to  the  use  of  the  observatory  com- 
prise about  six  and  a half  acres.  It  is 
distant  nearly  three  fourths  of  a mile 
northwest  from  University  hall,  and  three 
and  a half  miles  in  the  same  direction 
from  the  statehouse  in  Boston. 

This  observatory  may  be  said  to  owe 
its  existence  to  the  liberality  of  the  Hon. 
David  Sears,  who  contributed  five  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  erection  of  an  obser- 
vatory tower,  five  hundred  dollars  tow- 
ard the  purchase  of  a telescope,  and  five 
thousand  dollars  more  to  create  a fund, 
the  income  of  which  to  be  appropriated 
to  the  support  of  the  observers,  and  for 
other  purposes  of  science. 

Sears  Tower,  so  called  in  honor  of 
its  founder,  whose  generous  donation  is 
mentioned  above,  is  built  of  brick,  on  a 
foundation  of  granite,  laid  with  cement. 
It  is  thirty-two  feet  square  on  the  out- 
side, while  on  the  inside  the  corners  are 
gradually  brought  to  a circular  form  for 
the  better  support  of  the  dome,  forming 
a massive  arch.  This  dome,  covering 
the  grand  equatorial,  is  a hemisphere  of 
thirty-two  feet  interior  diameter,  formed 
with  stout  ribs  of  plank,  and  covered  ex- 
ternally with  copper.  There  is  an  open- 
in  o-  five  .feet  wide,  and  extending  a few 


by  means  of  an  endless  chain  and  toothed 
wheel. 

On  the  lower  side  of  this  dome  is  af- 
fixed a grooved  iron  rail,  and  on  the  gran- 
ite cap  of  the  wall  is  placed  a similar 
rail  : between  these  grooves  are  placed 
eight  iron  spheres,  accurately  turned,  on 
which  the  dome  is  revolved.  . The  appa- 
ratus for  moving  the  dome  consists  of 
toothed  wheels,  geared  to  a series  of 
toothed  iron  plates,  fastened  to  its  lower 
section.  By  means  of  this,  the  whole 
dome,  weighing  about  fourteen  tons,  can 
be  turned  through  a whole  revolution, 
by  a single  person,  in  thirty-five  seconds. 
In  this  dome  are  placed  the  “Grand  Re- 
fractor,’’  and  one  or  two  smaller  instru- 
ments. The  comet-seeker,  a small  in- 
strument of  four  inches’  aperture,  by 
Merz,  is  used  from  the  balconies  of  the 
dome.  This  is  the  instrument  with  which 
the  younger  Bond  has  discovered  no  less 
than  eleven  telescopic  comets  before  in- 
telligence had  reached  him  of  their  hav- 
ing been  seen  by  any  other  observer. 
From  these  balconies  a most  extensive 
and  beautiful  view  of  the  neighboring 
towns  meets  the  eye — their  numerous 
hills,  spires,  &c. 

On  either  side  of  the  tower  is  a large 
wing.  Of  these,  the  eastern  is  used  as 
a dwelling  for  the  observer  ; the  west- 
ern, on  which  is  placed  the  smaller  dome, 
is  used  for  magnetic  and  meteorological 
observations.  This  wing  was  erected  in 
the  years  1850-’51,  and  adds  greatly  to 
the  architectural  beauty  of  the  observa- 
tory. In  this  dome  is  placed  the  smaller 
equatorial,  of  five-feet  focal  length,  and 
an  object-glass  of  four  and  one  eighth 
inches,  made  by  Merz,  which  is  a re- 
markably fine  instrument. 

The  “Grand  Refractor,”  justly  con- 
sidered second  to  none  in  the  world,  lias 
already  become  celebrated  in  the  hands 
of  the  skilful  and  scientific  director  and 
his  assistant,  from  the  many  brilliant  dis- 
coveries which  have  been  made  with  it. 
Among  these  we  may  particularly  men- 
tion the  new  ring  and  satellite  of  the 
planet  Saturn.  It  has  also  enabled  the 
observers  to  resolve  the  principal  nebulae, 
particularly  those  in  the  constellations 


degrees  beyond  the  zenith, which  is  closed  | Orion  and  Andromeda.  The  object-glass 


72  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Grand  Refractor,  Cambridge  Observatory. 


was  made  at  the  celebrated  manufactory 
of  Merz  and  Mahler,  in  Munich,  Bavaria. 
Its  extreme  diameter  is  fifteen  and  a half 
inches,  its  focal  length  is  twenty-two  feet 
six  inches,  and  its  total  weight  is  nearly 
three  tons  ; yet  the  friction  is  so  success- 
fully relieved  by  the  judicious  arrange- 
ment of  wheels  and  counterpoises,  that  it 
could  be  pointed  to  any  quarter  of  the 
heavens  by  the  finger  of  a child. 

A sidereal  motion  is  communicated  to 
the  telescope  by  clock-work,  by  means  of 
which  an  object  may  be  constantly  kept 
in  the  field  of  view,  which  essentially 
aids  the  observer  in  delicate  examina- 
tions of  celestial  objects. 

Besides  the  grand  refractor,  the  object- 
glass,  &c.,  the  observatory  is  furnished 
with  many  smaller  instruments,  and  a 
complete  set  of  meteorological  instru- 
ments, an  astronomical  clock,  and  side- 
real chronometers. 


One  of  the  most  ingenious  contrivan- 
ces connected  with  the  observatory  is  the 
“ observer’s  chair,”  invented  by  the  di- 
rector. By  means  of  this  chair,  the  ob- 
server can  transport  himself  to  any  part 
of  the  dome  without  moving  from  his 
seat. 

The  new  method  of  finding  the  motion 
of  the  earth,  by  means  of  a pendulum, 
has  been  tried  at  the  observatory,  and 
also  by  Professor  Horsford,  at  the  Law- 
rence Scientific  School. 

Latvrence  Scientific  School. — Practical 
instruction  in  the  mathematical,  physical, 
and  natural  sciences,  upon  a more  ex- 
tended plan  than  that  pursued  in  the  un- 
dergraduate department  of  Harvard,  had 
been  a subject  of  discussion  previous  to 
the  time  of  President  Everett.  In  his 
inaugural  address,  however,  the  project 
of  a separate  scientific  school  received 
its  first  distinct  announcement.  About 


v 

i 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  73 


Lawrence  Scientific  School,  at  Cambridge. 


this  time  a vacancy  occurred  in  the  Rum- 
ford  professorship  by  the  resignal  ion  of 
Professor  Treadwell.  The  situation  was 
filled  by  the  election  of  Professor  Hors- 
ford,  of  New  York,  who  soon  after  his 
arrival  in  Cambridge  submitted  to  the 
corporation  a plan  for  the  erection  and 
furnishing  of  a laboratory  for  instruction 
in  chymisfry  and  its  applications  to  the 
arts,  contemplating  an  expense  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  This  plan,  in  an  able 
letter  from  the  treasurer,  Hon.  Samuel 
A.  Eliot,  was  laid  before  Hon.  Abbott 
Lawrence. 

To  this  appeal  Mr.  Lawrence  respond- 
ed in  a spirit  of  munificence  altogether 
unexampled.  The  gift  (of  fifty  thousand 
dollars)  was  accompanied  by  a letter, 
proposing,  in  addition  to  the  erection  of 
suitable  buildings,  including  a laborato- 
ry, to  found  two  new  professorships,  one 
of  zoology  and  geology,  and  another  of 
engineering,  which,  with  the  Rumford 
professorships,  were  to  constitute  the  nu- 
cleus, of  a school  for  the  “acquisition, 
illustration,  and  dissemination  of  the  prac- 
tical sciences.” 

Soon  after  the  receipt  of  the  donation 
of  Mr.  Lawrence,  Professor  Agassiz,  of 
Switzerland,  w%s  invited  to  the  chair  of 
zoology  and  geology,  and  at  a later  pe- 
riod Lieutenant  Eustis  (of  the  army)  to 


that  of  engineering.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  1848,  the* corporation  conferred 
upon  the  institution  the  name  of  “ Law- 
rence Scientific  School.” 

In  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1849, 
a laboratory,  unsurpassed  even  in  Eu- 
rope, in  its  conveniences  for  practical 
instruction,  was  erected  and  furnished  ; 
and  in  the  year  following  a building  was 
constructed  for  the  temporary  accommo- 
dation of  the  departments  of  zoology, 
geology,  and  engineering. 

The  Andover  Theological  Academy 
was  the  first  institution  of  the  kind  in 
the  country.  It  was  commenced  in  1S08, 
having  been  founded  the  year  before.  It 
is  situated  in  Andover,  a pleasant  village, 
in  a fine,  elevated  tract  of  country,  nine- 
teen miles  northwest  of  Boston.  The 
value  of  the  property  belonging  to  it  has 
been  stated  at  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  for  which  it  has  been  largely  in- 
debted to  the  liberality  of  its  principal 
donors,  namely,  John  Norris,  of  Salem  ; 
Samuel  Abbott,  of  Andover  ; and  Moses 
Brown  and  William  Bartlett,  of  Newbu- 
ryport. 

The  buildings  of  the  institution  con- 
sist of  a dwelling-house  for  each  of  the 
1 professors;  ‘Phillips  hall,  of  brick,  nine- 
I tv  feet  by  forty,  four  stories,  containing 
1 thirty-two  rooms  for  students,  built  in 


74  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


1808 ; Bartlet  chapel,  an  elegant  brick 
building,  ninety-four  feet  by  forty,  con- 
taining a chapel,  library,  and  three  lec- 
ture-rooms, built  in  1818  ; and  Bartlet 
hall,  a handsome  brick  edifice,  one  hun- 
dred and  four  feet  by  forty,  containing 
thirty-two  suites  of  rooms  furnished,  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Bartlet  in  1821.  The  build- 
ings stand  on  elevated  ground,  having  a 
commanding,  variegated,  and  beautiful 
prospect. 

The  library  of  the  seminary  contains 
about  fifteen  thousand  volumes.  Besides 
this,  there  are  two  olher  libraries  : one, 
of  the  Porter  Rhetorical  Society,  con- 
taining from  two  to  three  thousand  vol- 
umes; the  other,  belonging  to  the  Soci- 
ety of  Inquiry  respecting  Missions,  con- 
taining from  one  to  two  thousand  vol- 
umes. There  is  an  athenaeum  and  news- 
room, supported  by  the  students.  An- 
nexed to  the  institution  is  a commodious 
mechanic’s  shop,  where  the  students  can 
exercise  themselves  in  carpentering  or 
cabinet-work.  The  term  is  three  years. 
The  principal  study  for  the  first  year  is 
the  Bible  in  its  original  tongues.  The 
second  year  is  occupied  in  the  study  of 
systematic  theology.  The  third  year  is 
devoted  to  the  sfrudy  of  ecclesiastical 
history,  and  the  composition  of  sermons. 
There  is  also  a Teachers ’ Seminary  near 
the  institution,  which  will  accommodate 
two  hundred  students.  It  is  under  the 
trustees  of  Phillips  Academy  and  four 
visiters. 

Learned  Societies. — The  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  in- 
corporated in  1780,  and  has  published 
several  quarto  volumes. 

The  Massachusetts  Medical  Society 
was  incorporated  in  1781. 

The  Massachusetts  Historical  Society 
was  established  in  1791  and  incorpora- 
ted in  1794,  and  has  published  many  vol- 
umes of  collections. 

The  American  Antiquarian  Society  was 
incorporated  in  1812. 

The  American  Institute  of  Instruction 
was  founded  in  1831. 

Newspapers,  &c. — The  number  of 
newspapers  published  in  this  state  before 
the  Revolution  (in  1775)  we(s  seven,  viz., 
in  Boston,  the  Boston  News-Letter,  the 
Evening  Post,  the  Gazette,  the  Massa- 


chusetts Gazette  and  Postboy  ; in  Salem,  i 
the  Essex  Gazette  ; in  Newburyport,  the 
Essex  Journal;  and  in  Worcester  (first  I 
published  at  Boston),  the  Massachusetts 
Spy.  The  first  daily  paper  in  Massa-  j 
chusetts,  was  the  Boston  Daily  Adver- 
tiser, begun  in  1813. 

The  earliest  periodical  pamphlets  or 
magazines  printed  in  the  state  were  the  ; 
following:  from  1789  to  1796,  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Magazine,  or  Monthly  Muse- 
um, which  extended  to  eight  volumes  ; 
in  1800,  the  Columbian  Phoenix  and  Bos- 
ton Review,  which  ceased  after  the  eighth 
number;  in  1802, the  NewEngland  Mag- 
azine ; from  1S03  to  1811,  the  Monthly 
Anthology,  or  Boston  Review,  in  ten  vol- 
umes, edited  at  first  by  Phineas  Adams,  1 
and  afterward  by  Rev.  William  Emer- 
son, W.  S.  Shaw,  A.  M.  Walter,  James 
Savage,  and  others  ; in  1803,  the  Ameii-  ! 
can  Baptist  Magazine  was  begun,  which 
continued  under  several  editors ; in  1805, 
the  Missionary  Magazine,  by  congrega-  j 
tiona.1  clergymen  ; in  1806,  the  Panoplist,  j 
by  Rev.  J.  Morse  and  others  : these  two  j! 
were  united  in  1808,  and  edited  by  Rev. 
Jeremiah  Evarts  from  1810  till  1820,  J 
when  the  Missionary  Herald  took  its 
place,  which  is  still  continued,  under  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions.  Literary,  religious,  ;j 
and  scientific  publications  of  this  class  li 
have  since  multiplied  to  such  a degree,  | 
that  we  have  not  room  for  any  further  ;jj 
notice  under  this  head.  The  Noith  ,1 
American  Review,  however,  must  be  J 
mentioned,  as  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  ! 
influential  publications  of  the  kind  in  the  J 
United  States.  It  was  'commenced  in  j 
1815,  forrrts  two  volumes  annually,  and 
has  been  edited  successively  by  William 
Tudor,  Jared  Sparks,  Edward  T.  Chan- 
ninff,  Edward  Everett,  Alexander  H.  Ev- 
erett,  &c. 

Boston,  the  capital  of  this  state,  is  sit- 
uated on  a small  peninsula  at  the  head 
of  Massachusetts  bay,  at  the  mouth  of 
Charles  river,  and  is  the  principal  city 
and  seaport  of  New  England.  The  har-  I 
bor  is  accessible,  large,  and  well  protect- 
ed by  both  nature  and  art.  This  city 
contains  an  uncommonfy  large  propor- 
tion of  fine  buildings,  particularly  private 
residences.  The  finest  buildings  are  of 


76 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


whitish  granite,  brought  from  the  shores 
of  the  Merrimack  river  and  Quincy.. 

Boston,  like  many  other  large  cities, 
has  been,  by  common  consent,  divided 
into  districts,  with  names  indicating  the 
location  of  each.  Thus  there  are  North 
Boston,  West  Boston,  East  Boston,  South 
End,  and  South  Boston.  The  first  sec- 
tion embraces  the  north  end  of  the  city, 
or  all  that  part  lying  north  of  Faneuil 
hall,  and  what  was  the  canal,  or  Mill- 
creek.  This  is  the  oldest  part,  and  for- 
merly had  the  advantage  of  the  principal 
trade.  The  streets  here  are  generally 
narrow  and  crooked,  and  some  of  them 
remain  much  as  they  were  when  first  con- 
structed, on  the  model  of  the  old  towns 
in  England.  The  buildings  are  mostly 
old,  and  many  are  built  of  wood,  and  ex- 
hibit the  different  styles  of  architecture 
used  for  a period  of  more  than  a century 
and  a half.  Except  a portion  of  what 
was  formerly  the  Millpond,  the  only  spot 
of  land  not  covered  by  buildings  at  pres- 
ent is  on  Coppshill,  and  the  greater’  part 
of  this  is  occupied  for  a burial-ground. 
From  this  hill  the  British  cannonaded 
the  town  of  Charlestown  in  1775,  during 
the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker  hill. 
They  left  a small  fort  standing  on  this 
hill,  which  remained  a favorite  resort  for 
the  recreation  of  schoolboys  until  1807. 
The  natural  situation  of  this  section  of 
the  city  gives  it  an  advantage  over  any 
other  parr,  whether  considered  as  a place 
for  comfortable  and  healthy  residence, 
or  its  convenience  for  trade.  The  chan- 
nel of  Charles  river  runs  close  to  the 
shore,  and  has  depth  and  width  sufficient 
to  accommodate  ships  of  the  greatest  bur- 
den. The  spirit  of  improvement  recently 
awakened  in  North  Boston  shows  that 
the  citizens  begin  to  appreciate  its  ad- 
vantages. 

West  Boston  lies  between  the  com- 
mon and  Canal  street,  west  of  Hanover 
and  Tremont  streets,  and  has  been  re- 
cently built.  The  buildings  are  princi- 
pally of  brick,  erected  in  a handsome 
style,  and  are  mostly  used  as  dwellings. 
The  statehouse,  hospital,  national  thea- 
tre, courthouse,  and  jail,  are  located  in 
this  section. 

The  South  End  comprises  all  the 
peninsula  south  of  Summer  and  Wintei 


streets,  and  extends  to  Roxbury.  About 
one  fourth  of  the  buildings  in  this  section 
are  of  wood.  Those  that  have  been  most 
recently  erected  are  of  brick  and  gran- 
ite, exhibiting  an  improved  style  of  ar- 
chitecture. The  buildings  here,  also,  are 
generally  occupied  for  dwellings,  except 
the  lower  stories  of  those  on  Washington 
street. 

South  Boston  is  that  section  of  the 
city  which  is  separated  from  the  penin- 
sula, or  the  ancient  town,  by  an  arm  of 
the  harbor  reaching  to  Roxbury.  It  con- 
tains about  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
and,  except  East  Boston,  is  the  newest 
and  most  unsettled  part  of  the  city.  The 
population  has  increased  rapidly  within 
a few  years,  and  a considerable  number 
of  buildings  has  been  erected,  chiefly  of 
brick.  This  once  was  a part  of  Dorches- 
ter, and  embraces  the  hills  known  for- 
merly as  Dorchester  heights,  so  famed 
in  the  annals  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. There  are  two  free  bridges  that 
connect  this  with  the  older  part  of  the  . 
city  : one  is  at  the  South  End,  near  the 
Neck  ; the  other  leads  from  Windmill 
point,  and  was  built  in  1828. 

East  Boston  is  an  island,  formerly 
known  as  Maverick’s,  Noddle’s,  and  Wil- 
liams’ island.  In  1814,  the  citizens  of 
Boston  erected  a fort  on  its  eastern  ex- 
tremity, which  was  called  Fort  Strong. 
In  1830,  some  eight  or  ten  of  the  most 
enterprising  capitalists  of  Boston  pur- 
chased this  island,  and  commenced  lay- 
ing it  out  into  streets  and  lots,  with  a 
view  of  making  it  an  important  part  of 
the  city.  Among  the  important  improve- 
ments in  East  Boston,  we  enumerate — 
first,  the  introduction  of  the  Cochituate 
water  by  the  city  of  Boston  ; second,  the 
construction  of  the  Grand  Junction  rail- 
road ; third,  the  construction  of  the  sea- 
wall across  the  basin,  thus  reclaiming  a 
large  quantity  of  low  lands  which  were 
hitherto  partially  covered  by  the  tide- 
waters. These  lands  consist  of  marsh 
and  flats  to  the  extent  of  about  ninety- 
five  acres,  lying  between  Westwood  is- 
land and  the  Eastern  railroad.  The  pop- 
ulation of  East  Boston  is  about  twelve  or 
fifteen  thousand.  It  has  a deep-watei 
frontage  of  seventeen  thousand  feet,  and 
the  Cunard  steamers  have  here  a wharf. 


Old  City  Hall,  State  Street,  Boston. 


— .) 

78  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


The  Boston  Common.  — This  is  a 
large  and  beautiful  public  square,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city,  lighted  by  gas, 
encircled  by  an  iron  fence,  and  extend- 
ing down  the  long  and  gentle  slope  of 
Beacon  hill  It  contains  about  forty- 
three  acres,  exclusive  of  the  malls  which 
surround  it,  and  the  botanic  garden  west 
of  it,  the  whole  comprehending  at  least 
seventy-five  acres  of  open  land  dedicated 
to  the  public.  In  spring  and  summer, 
when  covered  with  a coat  of  verdant 
grass,  and  while  the  numerous  fine  trees 
which  shade  it  are  in  full  foliage,  the 
sight  is  remarkably  striking,  and  can  not 
be  contemplated  without  admiration,  as 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful 
public  grounds  in  America.  Beingslighl- 
ly  relieved  by  several  swells  and  depres- 
sions, it  is  remarkably  well  adapted  to  the 
manoeuvring  and  encampment  of  troops, 
to  which  it  is  devoted  on  days  of  military 
display.  In  the  centre  of  this  park  there 
is  a beautiful  piece  of  water,  known  by 
the  name  of  “Frog-pond,”  of  about  half 
an  acre  in  extent,  and  enclosed  by  edge- 
stones  of  hammered  granite.  It  is  now 
ornamented  with  a beautiful  fountain. 

Near  this  pond,  and  south  of  it,  stands 
the  celebrated  old  elm,  which  for  nearly 
two  centuries  has  triumphed  over  the 
heats  of  summer  and  the  blasts  of  win- 
ter, and  under  whose  shade  were  for- 
merly held  the  drumhead  courts-martial 
and  the  parades  of  military  executions. 

Before  1733,  rows'  of  trees  had  been 
planted  on  some  parts  of  the  common, 
as,  in  that  year,  it  was  resolved  that  more 
should  be  planted.  Since  that  time  the 
trees  have  been  greatly  multiplied,  so  that 
thCcommon  is  at  present  surrounded  with 
broad  and  shady  avenues,  where,  on  the 
smooth  gravel-walks,  thousands  of  citi- 
zens find  a favorite  retreat  from  heat,  and 
the  enjoyment  of  a cool  breeze,  on  the 
summer  evenings.  The  number  of  elms 
now  exceeds  seven  hundred  ; and  these 
are,  in  some  parts,  tastefully  intermin- 
gled with  other  kinds  of  trees,  lining  the 
numerous  shady  paths  which  lead  across* 
the  grounds  around  their  circuit,  or  by 
winding  courses  up  and  down  the  gentle 
declivities. 

On  three  sides  the  common  is  bordered 
1 by  long  ranges  of  stately  mansions,  being 


a favorite  part  of  the  city  on  account  of 
its  fine  scenery,  free  air,  and  retirement. 

On  the  west  it  looks  down  on  Charles 
river,  there  spreading  out  into  a wide 
bay. 

The  Statehouse. — Overlooking  the 
common  from  the  summit  of  Beacon  hill, 
on  its  northern  side,  stands  the  statehouse. 
This  elegant  and  spacious  edifice  was 
erected  in  1795.  The  building  is  seen 
at  a great  distance  in  all  directions,  and 
is  the  principal  object  visible  when  the 
city  is  first  seen  by  those  who  visit  it. 
The  form  is  oblong,  being  one  hundred 
and  seventy-three  feet  in  front,  and  sixty- 
one  feet  deep.  The  height  of  the  build- 
ing, including  the  dome,  is  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet ; and  the  foundation  is  about 
that  height  above  the  level  of  the  water 
of  the  bay.  It  consists  externally  of  a 
basement  story  twenty  feet  high,  and  a 
principal  story  thirty  feet  high.  This,  in 
the  centre  of  the  front,  is  covered  with 
an  attic  sixty  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet 
high,  which  is  covered  with  a pediment. 
Immediately  above  rises  the  dome,  fifty 
feet  in  diameter,  and  thirty  in  height — 
the  whole  terminating  with  an  elegant 
circular  lantern,  which  supports  a pine 
cone.  The  basement  story  is  finished  in 
a plain  style  on  the  wings,  with  square 
windows.  The  centre  is  ninety-four  feet 
in  length,  and  formed  of  arches  which 
project  fourteen  feet,  and  make  a cov- 
ered walk  below,  and  support  a colon-  j 
nade  of  Corinthian  columns  of  the  same 
extent  above. 

A beautiful  statue  of  Washington,  by 
Chantrey,  was  procured  by  private  sub- 
scription, and  placed  in  the  statehouse  in 
the  year  182S.  The  costume  is  a mili- 
tary cloak,  which  displays  the  figure  to 
advantage.  The  effect  is  imposing  and 
good;  but,  instead  of  confining  himself 
to  a close  delineation  of  features,  the 
sculptor,  like  Canova,  has  allowed  some 
latitude  to  his  genius  in  expressing  his 
idea  of  the  character  of  the  subject. 

The  view  from  the  1,op  of  the  state- 
house  is  very  extensive  and  variegated; 
perhaps  nothing  in  the  country  is  supe- 
rior to  it.  To  the  east  appears  the  bay 
and  harbor  of  Boston,  interspersed  with 
beautiful  islands  ; and  the  distance  be- 
yond, the  wide-extended  ocean.  To  the 


The  Boston  Common,  with  the  Statehouse  in  the  distance. 


SO  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


north  ihe  eye  is  met  by  Charlestown, 
with  its  interesting  and  memorable  heights 
and  the  navv-yard  of  the  United  Slates; 
the  towns  of  Chelsea,  Malden,  and  Med- 
ford, and  other  villages,  and  the  natural 
forests  mingling  in  the  distant  horizon. 
To  the  west,  is  a fine  view  of  the  Charles 
river  and  bay;  the  ancient,  town  of  Cam- 
bridge, rendered  venerable  for  the  uni- 
versity, now  above  two  hundred  years 
old;  of  the  flourishing  villages  of  Cam- 
bridgeport  and  East  Cambridge,  in  the 
latter  of  which  is  a large  glass  manufac- 
turing establishment;  of  the  highly  culti- 
vated towns  of  Brighton,  Brookline,  and 
Newton  : and  to  the  south  is  Roxbury, 
which  seems  to  be  only  a continuation 
of  Boston,  and  which  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing ; Dorchester,  a fine,  rich,  agricultural 
town,  with  Milton  and  Quincy  beyond; 
and  still  farther  south,  the  Blue  h ills,  at 
the  distance  of  eight  or  nine  miles,  which 
seem  to  bound  the  prospect. 

Near  the  capitol,  on  the  west,  is  the 
mansion-house  of  the  eminent  patriot  the 
late  John  Hancock, now  exhibiting  quite 
an  ancient  appeura'nce.  On  the  same 
side,  and  farther  west,  rising  from  the 
rich  foliage  which  surrounds  the  specta- 
tor in  the  common,  conspicuous  among 
many  fine  edifices,  stands  the  mansion 
of  the  Hon.  David  Sears — a gentleman 
of  large  landed  property,  distinguished 
a mono-  those  remarkable  men  of  Boston 
to  whom  the  literature  and  charities  of 
the  country  owe  so  much. 

The  plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Sears  for 
the  enlargement  and  improvement  of  Bos- 
ton, by  reclaiming  the  waste  spot^of  ter- 
ritory back  of  the  public  garden,  is  one 
so  intimately  connected  with  the  welfare 
and  growth 'of  that  city,  that  our  descrip- 
tion of  the  metropolis  of  New  England 
would  be  imperfect  Without  a brief  no- 
tice of  it.  We  have,  when  visiting  Bos- 
ton, and  realizing  its  rapid  growth  and 
crowded  streets,  looked  upon  this  im- 
mense basin,  which,  save  as  a daily  re- 
cipient of  the  offal  and  impurities  of 
streets  and  dwelling-houses,  has  long 
been  lying  idle  (the  water-power  created 
by  it  being  a failure,  and  now  disused, 
and  the  Water-power  Company  turning 
their  power  info  a land-speculation),  with 
a feeling  of  regret  that  it  could  not  be 


handsomely  improved,  and  made  to  min- 
ister to  the  health,  the  pleasure,  and  the 
comfort  of  the  residents  of  that  beautiful 
city. 

During  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Sears  ad- 
dressed a letter  to  the  mayor  and  aider- 
men  of  Bost  on,  suggesting  a plan  of  im- 
provement of  this  waste  spot,  to  be  effect- 
ed through  an  amicable  adjustment  of 
the  several  proprietary  interests  therein. 
This  proposition  of  Mr.  Sears  led  to  the 
appointment  of  a commission,  on  the 
part  of  the  state,  to  examine 'into  “the 
tenure  of  the  property,  and  the  rights  of 
individuals,  of  towns,  and  of  the  state 
therein  and  which  may  be  looked  upon 
as  an  initiatory  or  preparatory  step  to  its 
future  improvement.  The  plan  of  Mr. 
Sears  for  rendering  available  and  beau- 
tifying this  basin,  can  be  seen  in  the 
diagram  on  page  83  ; and  its  details  will 
be  found  in  the  following  letter  to  the 
state  commissioners, which  we  publish  en-  _ 
tire,  as  it  embraces  extracts  from  the  let- 
ter to  the  mayor  and  aldermen  referred  ; 
to  above,  and  will  give  a clearer  idea  of 
the  proposed  improvement  than  any  ex- 
planations  from  us  could  possibly  do  : — 

“ Boston,  December  16,  1850. 

“ To  the  Honorable  the  Commissioners , SfC. 


“ Gentlemen  : Among  the  questions 
which  may  fairly  come  within  your  ex- 
amination, under  warrant  from  the  legis- 
lature, is  the  following,  viz.:  the  best 
plan,  having  reference  to  the  public,  for 
filling  up  the  Back  bay,  and  making  that 
waste  of  waters  available  for  useful  pur- 


poses. 

“ This  subject  is  distinct  from  the  rights 
of  property,  and  does  not  implicate  any 
of  those  questions  which  have  been  so 
ably  argued  before  you.  Y et  it  is  of 
importance  to  us  all,  since  it  may  serve 
as  a starting-point  from  which  the  par 
ties  interested  may  hereafter  more  easily 
advance  to  an  amicable  adjustment ; and 
it  is  of  especial  value  at  this  stage  of  the 
matter,  because  the  rights  of  all  to  the 
area  of  land  lying  between  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  riparian  proprietors  of  the 
city  of  Roxbury  and  the  boundary  of  the 
city  of  Boston  being  as  yet  unsettled,  a 
common  plan  of  improvement  can  be 
more  readily  adopted  than  if  said  area 


The  Stat^-House,  Boston. 


6 


82  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


was  definitively  adjudged  to  be  the  prop- 
erty of  either. 

“ In  addition  to  the  above,  it  seems  to 
me  that  the  peculiar  tenure  of  this  land 

if  i he  original  interest  of  the  state  is 

doubtfully  merged  by  specific  grants  and 
easements  to  various  parties — renders  it 
proper  that  the  commonwealth,  as  sov- 
ereign, should  still  extend  over  it  a pro- 
tecting arm,  and  so  regulate  its  future  oc- 
cupation as  to  make  it,  as  far  as  is  prac- 
ticable, an  ornament  to  the  metropolis,  a 
pride  to  the  city  of  Roxbury,  and  a scheme 
worthy  the  name  and  reputation  of  the 
state  which  grants  it. 

“ Under  this  view  of  the  subject,  I have 
the  honor  to  present  to  your  board,  and 
to  make  pait  of  your  report,  a plan  simi- 
lar to  that  I lately  offered  for  the  exami- 
nation of  the  mayor  and  aldermen  of  the 
city  of  Boston,  and  which  I beg  you  to 
regard  as  suggestive  only,  and  as  the 
basis,  of  a more  detailed  draught,  to  be 
worked  out  by  others,  for  this  valuable 
improvement. 

“ The  principal  features  of  the  reser- 
vations proposed,  and  to  be  ordered  by 
the  state  whenever  the  parties  in  interest 
— the  Boston  Water-power  Company  or 
others — shall  apply  for  the  right  to  fill  up 
and  use  for  building  purposes  the  above- 
named  area  of  land,  are  the  following, 
namely  : That  a pond  or  lake  of  water, 
of  not  less  than  twenty-five  acres  of  sur- 
face, be  for  ever  kept  open  for  public 
use  and  ornament,  beginning  at  a point 
in  the  city  of  Boston  where  Boylston 
street,  continued,  terminates  at  the  boun- 
dary line  of  the  city  in  the  receiving- 
basin  of  the  Boston  Water-power  Com- 
pany, and  extending  in  a westerly  direc- 
tion until  it  reaches  the  western  boundary 
of  the  flats  claimed  by  the  city  of  Roxbu- 
ry : that  not. less  than  four  public'squares, 
lying  within  the  receiving-basin,  and  east- 
erly of  the  boundaries  of  the  above-named 
riparian  proprietors,  and  southerly  and 
westerly  of  the  Neck-lots  and  other  lands 
near  the  boundaries  of  the  city  of  Boston, 
of  at  least  six  hundred  feet  by  four  hun- 
dred, be  laid  out  and  for  ever  kept  open 
for  ornament  and  air  : that  all  the  prin- 
cipal streets  shall  be  fifty  feet  wide  : that 
no  street  shall  be  less  than  thirty  feet 
wide  : and  that  the  whole  shall  be  drained 


in  a manner  to  be  approved  of  by  the 
cities  of  Roxbury  and  Boston. 

“ In  my  letter  on  the  above  subject,  I j 
addressed  to  the  mayor  and  aldermen  I 
of  the  city  of  Boston,  and  dated  J une  | 
11,  1849,  the  following  suggestions  were  j 
made,  viz. : ‘ That  the  Botanic  (or  pub-  j 
lie)  Garden  should  be  extended  some  | 
hundreds  of  feet  until  it  reaches  a broad 
and  circular  avenue,  enclosing  within  its 
area-  from  fifiy  to  seventy-five  acres  of 
water : the  avenue  to  be  at  least  one 
hundred  feet  wide  on  the  top,  and  bor- 
dered on  both  sides  by  elms  and  other 
ornamental  trees  : the  water  of  the  lake 
to  be  supplied  by  an  aqueduct  from  the 
flour  and  other  mills  on  the  cross-dam, 
and  emptied  into  Charles  river  by  a suf- 
ficient raceway:  the  depth  of  the  lake 
to  be  three  feet  below  low-water  mark, 
and  with  a gravelled  bottom  : the  flats 
to  be  filled  up  to  a level  with  Charles  1 
street,  and  laid  out  with  public  squares 
and  other  ornamental  places,  as  shown 
on  the  plan. 

“ ‘ This  project,  if  ever  carried  into 
effect,  will  give  to  the  city,  at  a small 
comparative  cost,  a large  amount  of  tax-  t 
able  property;  an  extensive  and  beauti-  ; 
ful  Botanic  Garden,  terminated  by  a lake 
of  pure  water,  equal  in  size,  or  larger, 
than  the  present  Common;  and  a broad 
and  splendid  promenade,  not  to  be  sur- 
passed by  any  in  the  world. 

“ ‘ The  lake  will  be  in  itself  an  end-  j 
less  source  of  amusement  to  the  public 
a fit  place* for  evening  music,  for  boat- 
races  and  aquatic  sports  in  the  summer,  • 
for  skating  exhibitions  in  the  winter,  and  j 
for  fireworks  and  other  public  displays  I 
on  the  4th  of  July  and  holydays. 

“‘In  the  hope  that  these  suggestions 
may  be  of  service,  and  if  of  no  other  use, 
perhaps  the  means  of  eliciting  a more 
advisable  mode  of  relieving  the  cij,y  of  a 
nuisance,  and  preparing  the  way  for  a 
more  desirable  embellishment  of  her  pub- 
lic grounds,  I have  the  honor  of  laying 
the  plan  before  you.’ 

“ The  same  purpose  which  called  forth  | 
this  letter  still  exists,  and  the  same  wish 
remains  to  see  this  improvement  carried 
out. 

“ Should  the  state,  as  is  believed,  not 
contemplate  a beneficiary  interest  in  the 


84 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


matter,  but  regard  its  right — be  it  more 
or  iess — only  as  a means  of  se‘eing  jus- 
tice done  to  the  public,  then  I can  not 
doubt  that  it  will  readily  approve  the 
principles  I have  laid  down  in  reference 
to  a general  jfl^^  > 3-ud  even  if  it  should 
determine  otherwise,  still  the  advantages 
of  a preliminary  movement  of  the  kind 
herein  suggested  must  be  obvious  to  ev- 
ery thinking  person  who  examines  it. 

“ With  great  respect,  l have  the  honor 
to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

“ David  Sears. 

“Hon  Simon  Greenleaf,  Chairman  of  Commissioners 
concerning  Boston  Harbor  and  Back  Bay.  ’ 

The  advantages  which  will  result  from 
this  improvement  are  incalculable.  One 
benefit  to  the  city  will  be,  the  creation 
of  a large  amount  of  taxable  property  at 
little  or  no  expense  to  it,  except  drains 
and  streets,  while  it  will  also  benefit  indi- 
vidually every  real-estate  owner,  trader, 
and  resident,  in  Boston.  Whatever  tends 
to  beautify  the  city  and  render  it  more 
healthy,  has  the  additional  tendency  to 
an  increase  of  population  and  of  busi- 
ness, thereby  enabling  all  to  share,  in  the 
advantages  of  such  a scheme  as.  is  now 
proposed.  The  water-works  which  have 
recently  been  completed  at  an  immense 
cost,  to  furnish  an  unfailing  supply  of  that 
important  article  to  the  whole  popula- 
tion, present  a strong  inducement  to  fam- 
ilies to  move  into  the  city,  and  will  be 
the  means  of  keeping  multitudes  from 
seeking  residences  in  the  suburban  towns 
and  villages,  in  preference  to  the  city,  as 
was  formerly  the  case  on  account  of  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  wholesome  water 
in  the  latter. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  Bostonian  to 
feel  a just  pride  in  the  success  of  any 
measure  which  is  designed  to  adorn  his 
city,  and  make  it  more  and  moie  truly 
“ the  pride  of  New  England.  And  this 
project  is  one  that  meets  with  so  much 
favor,  that  it  will  undoubtedly  at  no  dis- 
tant day  be  adopted,  and  thus  place  Bos- 
ton in  the  front  rank  of  her  sister-cities 
in  point  of  health  and  beauty. 

The  mansion  of  Mr.  Sears,  before  re- 
ferred to,  a view  of  which  is  on  the  oppo- 
site page,  is  in  a plain,  massive  style  of 
architecture,  but  has  a light  and  pleasing 
effect,  being  constructed  of  white  gran- 


ite, and  having  the  front  broken  by  two 
semi-circular  projections,  like  round  tow- 
ers, extending  from  the  ground  to  the 
roof,  and  affording  to  the  three  stories 
abundant  light,  and  commanding  views 
of  the  beautiful  and  extensive  scenery 
spread  out  around. 

In  this  vicinity  are  numerous  fine  and 
costly  dwellings,  the  residences  of  dis- 
tinguished gentlemen — of  the  princely 
merchants,  the  Lawrences  and  Apple- 
tons — of  the  eminent  lawyers,  Choate, 
Otis,  and  Mason — of  the  historian  Pres- 
cott ; and  many  others.  Costly  build- 
ings may  likewise  be  seen  on  the  several 
streets  which  have,  chiefly  within  the  last 
twenty  years,  been  built  up  parallel  and 
at  right  angles  with  the  north  line  of  the 
common,  on  the  upper  slope  of  Beacon 
hill ; but  none  surpass,  in  size  or  effect, 
the  fine  mansion  depicted  and  described. 

There  are  several  other  edifices  on  dif- 
ferent sides  of  the  common  which  merit 
more  particular  notice  than  we  have  room 
to  give  them.  Park-street  church  stands 
on  the  eastern  side,  and  is  one  of  the  old- 
est churches  in  the  city.  The  Gothic  ma- 
sonic temple  and  St.  Paul’s  church,  on 
the  south,  and  other  places  of  worship 
of  different  denominations,  are  seen  in 
the  neighborhood,  adding  variety  by  their 
different  forms  and  styles  of  architect  ure. 

The  Massachusetts  General  Hospital , 
with  its  two  departments — its  hospital 
for  the  sick  and  its  asylum  for  the  insane 
— is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  impel-* 
tant  of  the  charitable  institutions  of  the 
state.  It  was  incorporated  in  1811.  It 
was  designed  to  afford  relief  to  invalids, 
to  reach  the  necessities  of  every  class  of 
persons,  and  to  yield  its  benefits  at  the 
lowest  possible  rate.  The  act. of  incor- 
poration granted  to  the  hospital  a fee 
simple  in  the  old  Province-house  estate, 
on  the  condition  that  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  was  raised  within  ten  years. 
Special  donations  for  this  object,  amount- 
ing to  over  one  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand dollars,  were  made  in  1816,  and  the 
estates  were  purchased  where  the  two 
departments  of  the  institution  have  been 
located.  Its  endowments  now  amount  to 
about  one  million  of  dollars.  The  hospi- 
tal for  the  sick,  erected  in  a spacious  en- 
closure of  four  acres  in  Allen  street,  is 


Residence  of  the  Hon.  David  Sears,  Boston  Common. 


ll  • 

86  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


one  of  the  most  imposing  edifices  in  Bos- 
ton. The  asylum  for  the  insane  is  beau- 
tifully situated  on  a rising  ground  within 
the  quiet  precincts  of  the  adjoining  town 
of  Somerville.  Nearly  fourteen  thousand 
patients  have  received  the  benefits  of  the 
former  department  of  the  institution,  and 
more  than  thirty-three  hundred  have  been 
inmates  of  the  latter.  The  greatest  dis- 
covery of  the  age— the  power  of  produ- 
cing insensibility  to  pain — has  gone  forth 
from  the  one ; while  the  humane  treat- 
ment, and  the  high  professional  skill, 
evinced  in  the  other,  have  extended  its 
reputation  throughout  the  length  and  the 
breadth  of  the  land,  and  gathered  within 
its  walls  sufferers  alike  Irom  the  frozen 
north  and  the  sunny  south.  One  of  its 
earliest  and  most  active  advocates  was 
Dr.  John  C.  Warren.  He  was  appoint- 
ed acting  surgeon  on  its  first  oiganiza- 
tion  in  1817  ; and  down  to  the  present 
time,  a period  of  thirty-four  years,  he  has 
continued  assiduously  at  his  arduous  post 
of  duty  and  of  honor. 

The  New  England  Institution  for  the 
Education  of  the  Blind  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  prosperous  establish- 
ments of  the  kind  in  the  Union,  and  very 
liberally  endowed  by  public  and  private 
donations.  It  was  incorporated  in  1829, 
and  in  1833  was  presented,  by  Thomas 
H.  Perkins,  with  his  valuable  mansion- 
house  in  Pearl  street,  worth  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  by  individuals  with  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  The  Perkins  mansion 

was  subsequently  exchanged  forthe  pres- 
ent edifice  on  Mount  Washington,  South 
Boston.  Later  donations  have  increased 
the  funds  of  the  institution. 

The  Customhouse. — This  building  is 
located  at  the  foot  of  State  street,  be- 
tween the  heads  of  Long  and  Central 
wharves,  fronting  east  on  the  dock  be- 
tween them,  and  on  the  west  fronting 
India  street,  which  is  its  principal  front. 
The  building  is  in  the  form  of  a cross  ; 
the  extreme  length  is  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  extreme  breadth  ninety-five  ; 
the  longest  arms  of  the  cross  are  seven- 
ty-five feet  wide,  and  the  shortest  sixty- 
seven  feet.  The  base  of  the  building 
is  nine  feet  high,  the  columns  thirty-two 
feet,  ent  ablature  ten  and  two  thirds  feet, 
pediment  eight  and  one  third  feet,  and 


dome  at  the  intersection  of  the  cross 
twenty-nine  feet  above  that  ; — making 
the  whole  height,  from  the  sidewalk  to 
the  top  of  the  dome,  ninety  feet.  The 
style  of  architecture  is  the  pure  Gre-  i 
cian  Doric.  Each  front  has  a portico 
of  six  fluted  Doric  columns,  thirty-two  j 
feet  high  and  five  feet  four  inches  in  di-  I 
a.meter,  approached  by  a flight  of  four-  , 
teen  steps,  which  are  equal  in  height  to  j 
the  base  of  the  building.  The  walls  of  j 
the  building  are  composed  of  sixteen  j 
three-quarter  columns,  four  nearly  full  j 
columns  at  ihe  corner,  all  of  the  same  J 
height  and  diameter  as  those  of  the  por- 
ticoes ; and  four  antae,  thirty-two  feet  in 
height,  five  feet  one  inch  by  three  feet 
eight  inches  at  the  intersection  of  the 
cross.  The  columns  are  each  in  one 
piece,. of  highly-wrought  granite,  costing 
about  five  thousand  dollars. 

The  building  is  founded  on  about  three 
thousand  piles,  driven  in  the  most  thor- 
ough manner;  immediately  on  the  heads 
of  "these  is  laid  a platform  of  granite,  in  ' 

the  best  hydraulic-cement  mortar.  The 

large  central  business-room  is  sixty-five 
by  sixty-eight  feet,  and  sixty  feet  high  to 
the  skylight  of  the  dome,  and  is  finished 
in  a very  elaborate  manner  in  the  Cor- 
inthian  order.  There  are  twelve  fluted 
marble  columns,  three  feet  in  diameter 
by  twenty-nine  feet  high,  highly  wrought  ; 
out  of  Egremont  marble,  having  capitals 
of  Italian  marble,  designed  and  wrought  (j 
here,  of  the  most  chaste  and  classic  chai-  ! 
acter.  The  rest  of  ihe  interior  is  finished  ( 
in  a plain  and  simple  style,  and  fireproof 
throughout,  having  mostly  stone  floors, 
iron  doors,  &c. 

The  building  is  warmed  and  ventilated 
by  an  apparatus,  the  heating  being  com-  | 
bined  with  the  ventilation,  and  effected 
in  part  by  mechanical  means. 

Faneuil-Hall  Market.— This  market 
is  of  granite,  and  has  a centre  building,  , 
seventy-four  and  a half  by  fifty-five  feet, 
with  wings,  extending  in  all  five  liundie 
and  thirty-six  feet,  with  a fine  facade  at  j 
each  end,  with  granite  columns  of  single 
pieces,  twenty-one  feet  highland  weigh- 
ing each  fourteen  or  fifteen  tons.  A row 
of  granite  buildings  on  each  side,  four 
stories  high,  for  stores,  is  more  than  five 
hundred  feet  in  length. 


The  Custom  House  Boston. 


88 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Sons  of  Liberty  1766. 

Independence  of  their  Country,  1776. 


Faneuil  Hall. — This  old  building, 
so  intimately  associated  with  our  revolu- 
tionary history,  was  erected  in  1742,  by 
Peter  Faneuil,  Esq.,  who  presented  it 
to  the  town  of  Boston.  It  was  consider- 
ably enlarged  in  1805,  and  the  following 
are"  its  present  dimensions  : length,  one 
hundred  feet  ; breadth, eighty  feet;  height, 
three  stories;  great  hall  in  the  second 
story,  used  for  public  meetings,  seventy- 
six  feet  square,  and  twenty-eight  high  ; 
hall  for  military  trainings,  in  the  third 
story,  seventy-eight  feet  by  thirty.  4 he 
basement  story  is  devoted  to  stoies.  A 
broad  staircase,  entered  from  the  east 
front,  leads  to  the  second  and  third  sto- 
ries. The  great  hall  has  galleries  on 
three  sides,  supported  by  Doric  columns  ; 
two  rows  of  Ionic  columns  support  the 
ceiling.  Stuart’s  portrait  ol  Washing- 
ton, and  a portrait  of  its  founder,  orna- 
ment this  fine  hall. 

The  Liberty-Tree. — The  above  en- 
graving of  the  Liberty-Tree,  so  famous 
in  the  revolutionary  annals  of  Boston,  as 
it  appeared  just  previous  to  its  destruc- 


tion by  the  British  troops  and  toiies  duj 
ring  the  siege  of  that  town,  in  August, 
1775,  is  copied  from  a bas-relief  repre- 
sentation, placed,  by  the  Hon.  David 
Sears,  in  a niche  of  a block  of  fine  build-  , 
ings  which  he  has  recently  erected  up-  | 
on  the  site  of  an  old  grove  of  elms,  of  ! 
which  this  tree  was  one.  This  sculptured  j 
representation  is  placed  exactly  over  the  j 
spot  where  the  Liberty-Tree  stood.  Why  j 
can  not  the  patriotic  feeling  and  the  prov-  j 
ident  care,  which  prompted  this  act  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Sears,  be  followed  in 
rescuing  from  oblivion  others  of  the  ma- 
ny localities  so  interesting  and  so  worthy 
of  being  held  in  perpetual  remembrance, 
from  their  association  with  events  during 
the  most  trying  period  of  our  country  s 
history  ? The  silent  though  no  less  cer- 
tainly destructive  hand  of  decay,  and  the 
improvements  required  by  the  rapid  in- 
crease of  population  and  settlement,  m 
both  country  and  city,  are  fast  sweeping 
away  every  vesiige  by  which  the  locah-  - 
ties  so  reverenced  are  recognised  ; and 
he  who  sets  up  any  landmarks  by  which 


Faiieail  Hall. 


90  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


they  may  be  known,  as  Mr.  Sears  has 
done  on  the  site  of  the  Liberty-Tree, 
deserves  and  will  receive  the  grateful 
thanks  of  posterity. 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Sears 
to  the  mayor  and  city  council  of  Boston, 
is  so  replete  with  interesting  incidents 
connected  with  the  history  of  this  tree, 
that  we  can  not  repress  the  inclination 
to  place  it  on  record  in  the  pages  of  this 
volume.  We  take  it  from  a copy  print- 
ed by  order  of  the  city  council  of  Bos- 
ton, for  the  use  of  the  members  of  the 
city  government : — 

“Beacon  Street,  Boston,  ? 

Sept.  29.  1849.  $ 

“ To  the  Honorable  the  Mayor 

and  Aldermen  of  the  City  of  Boston  : — 

“Gentlemen:  I have  the  honor  to 
inform  you  that  the  old  buildings  at  the 
corner  of  Essex  and  Washington  streets 
have  been  removed,  and  that  an  exten- 
sive block  of  warehouses  is  being  erected 
in  their  places,  to  cover  the  whole  front 
of  my  estate  on  these  two  streets. 

“ As  this  site  is  somewhat  remarkable 
in  the  history  of  Boston — it  having  sus- 
tained, and  for  more  than  a century  nour- 
ished, a splendid  American  elm,  known- 
and  venerated  as  ‘Liberty-Tree’-—  the 
present  seems  a fit  occasion  to  bring  it 
to  your  notice. 

“ The  tree  was  supposed  to  have  been 
planted  in  1646,  and  was  cut  down  by 
the  British  in  1775.  La  Fayette,  in  his 
visit  to  Boston,  said,  * The  world  should 
never  forget  the  spot  where  once  stood 
Liberty-Tree,  so  famous  in  your  annals.’ 

“ In  accordance  with  this  sentiment, 
I have  ventured  to  address  this  letter  to 
you — to  make  record  of  certain  facts, 
and  to  note  the  changed  connected  with 
this  historic  corner.  And,  believing  that 
I shall  respond  to  the  general  feeling  of 
my  fellow-citizens  on  this  subject,  I have 
caused  to  be  sculptured,  in  bas-relief,  a 
representation  of  this  celebrated  tree, 
with  appropriate  inscriptions,  and  have 
inserted  it  in  that  part  of  the  building 
which  fronts  on  Washington  street,  and 
directly  over  the  spot  where  the  tree  it- 
self formerly  stood. 

“ The  following  facts  and  reminiscen- 
ces 1 have  gleaned  from  various  auihori- 
ties — principally  from  Snow’s  ‘ History 


of  Boston,’  and  from  the  public  records 
of  1775. 

“ On  the  22d  of  March,  in  1765,  the 
king  of  Great  Britain  gave  his  assent  to 
the  stamp-act.  This  act  was  extremely 
odious  to  the  people,  and  the  colonies  ! 
regarding  it  as  ‘taxation  without  repre- 
sentation,’ and  therefore  ‘ tyranny,’  were 
determined  to  oppose  it.  The  citizens 
of  Boston  had  some  time  before  (in  1761) 
resisted,  upon  the  same  principle,  anoth- 
er tyrannous  act,  called  ‘ writs  of  assist- 
ance ;’  and  the  feeling,  though  somewhat 
allayed,  was  still  warm  in  their  bosoms, 
and  ready  to  be  brought  into  action. 

“ The  colonies  had  earnestly  and  sep- 
arately remonstrated  against  the  stamp- 
act.  They  looked  upon  it  as  the  brass 
collar  of  servitude  to  be  riveted  on  their 
necks,  to  mark  them  for  the  born  serfs 
of  George  III. ; and  this  they  would  not 
submit  to.  Boston,  in  particular,  showed 
a strong  opposition  to  the  act,  and  re- 
solved at  all  hazards  to  maintain  her  lib- 
erties and  the  privileges  of  the  charter 
of  Massachusetts  ; though  she  well  knew 
that,  being  no  favorite  in  England,  the 
vengeance  of  that  mighty  power  would 
be  chiefly  turned  against  her  in  any  con- 
test that  might  ensue.  Her  citizens,  how- 
ever, undismayed  in  their  purpose,  while 
they  felt  that  in  the  coming  struggle  were 
staked  their  property  and  their  lives,  did  , 
not  hesitate  to  venture  both  against  un-  jj 
lawful  oppression.  In  this  sentiment  the  ;> 
whole  population  were  united;  and  the 
talents,  the  property,  and  the  religion 
of  Boston  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  in 
the  subsequent  terrific  struggle  between 
might  and  right.  No  boastful  threaten- 
ings  marked  their  course,  but  on  they 
went  as  men — cool,  determined,  and  in- 
flexible, straightforward  to  their  end — 
the  independence  of  their  country. 

“ In  the  early  history  of  Boston,  it  ap- 
pears that  ‘ near  the  head  of  Essex  street 
formerly  stood  a gfove  of  those  majestic 
elms,  of  the  American  species,  which 
form  one  of  the  greatest  ornaments  in 
the  landscapes  of  our  country.  This 
giove  had  obtained  the  name  of  Hano- 
ver square,  or  neighborhood  of  the  elms.’ 

“ Under  one  of  these  trees,  and  nearly 
opposite  to  the  present  Boylston  market, 
the  people  of  Boston  assembled  on  the 


J 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  91 


14th  day  of  August,  1765,  and  exhibited 
the  first  plain  evidence  of  resistance  to 
the  oppressive  course  of  their  misguided 
fatherland.  A single  act  of  riot — the 
pulling  down  of  a shed,  supposed  to 
have  been  erected  for  a stamp-office — 
marked  this  meeting,  and  for  a time  over- 
shadowed the  holiness  of  their  purpose. 
It  proved,  however,  to  be  but  the  intoxi- 
cation of  a moment,  and  was  never  re- 
peated.* The  building  was  afterward, 
with  an  apology,  paid  for.  The  name 
of  ‘ Liberiy-Tree’  was  then  given  to  this 
noble  elm,  and  from  that  time  it  became 
‘ a sort  of  idol  to  the  people.’  Law  and 
order,  charter  rights  and  property,  were 
nourished  at  its  roots,  and  liberty  ripened 
under  its  spreading  branches.  On  the 
14th  of  February,  1766,  it  was  pruned 
in  the  best  manner,  agreeably  to  a vote 
passed  by  the  ‘ Sons  of  Liberty,’  an  as- 
sociation long  before  known  as  a club 
of  genilemen,  united  for  mutual  protec- 
tion, and  to  resist  oppression,  and  which 
first  assumed  that  name,  and  called  upon 
the  patriotic  citizens  of  Boston  to  join 
them,  in  the  early  part  of  the  preceding 
December. 

“The  20th  of  February  of  this  1766 
had  been  agreed  upon  for  burning  one 
of  the  stamped  papers  in  the  principal 
towns  in  each  of  the  colonies  ; and  in  Bos- 
ton the  ceremony  was  conducted  with 
great  decency  and  order.  It  also  is  re- 
corded that,  on  the  24th,  a vessel  having 
arrived  from  Jamaica  with  stamped  clear- 
ances, the  ‘ Sons  of  Liberty’  immediately 
sent  an  order  to  one  of  their  members  to 
go  and  demand  in  their  names  those  marks 
of  creole  slavery.  The  person  to  whom 
it  was  directed  went  to  the  vessel,  and, 
being  told  that  the  master  had  gone  to 
the  customhouse,  followed  him  there — 
* when,  upon  the  above  order  being 
shown,  the  stamped  clearance  was  given 
up.  It  was  then  carried  to  King  (now 
State)  street,  and  publicly  burned,  a Son 
of  Liberty  standing  by  the  paper  while 

* The  Sons  of  Liberty  had  no  part  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  property  at  Lieutenant-Governor  Hutchinson’s 
house.  Their  rallying  cries  were  “ Liberty  and  Prop- 
erty”— “ Law  and  Order” — but  in  this  case  they  were 
overpowered  by  a mob  of  misguided  men,  led  on  by 
a rabble  of  boys  and  thieves.  They  always  lamented 
the  act  as  a disgrace  cast  upon  the  cause  of  freedom. 
— Ed. 


it  was  burning,  and  shouting  to  the  crowd 
these  words  : “Behold  the  smoke  ascends 
to  heaven  to  witness  between  the  isle  of 
Britain  and  an  injured  people!”  Three 
cheers  were  then  given,  and  in  a few 
minules  every  man,  woman,  and  child, 
retired  from  the  street  without  the  least 
disorder  and  in  silence.’ 

“ On  the  15th  of  the  following  May, 
news  was  received  of  the  repeal  of  the 
stamp-act.  The  joy  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Boston  was  great.  The  bells  were 
rung  from  every  church,  and  a cannon 
was  fired  under  ‘ Liberty-Tree.’  The 
19th  was  appointed  a day  of  general  re- 
joicing; ‘Liberty-Tree’  was  decorated 
wiih  flags  and  colors,  and  at  the  windows 
of  the  houses  near  it  were  clustered  the 
daughters  of  our  distinguished  citizens, 
dressed  in  gay  attire,  and  adorned  with 
garlands  of  flowers.  In  the  evening  ‘ fire- 
works were  everywhere  played  off — the 
air  was  filled  with  rockets,  the  ground 
with  beehives  and  serpents.  The  gentry 
gave  elegant  entertainments,  and  Mr. 
Hancock  treated  the  people  with  a pipe 
of  Madeira.’  On  the  common,  the  Sons 
of  Liberty  erected  a magnificent  pyra- 
mid, illuminated  with  variegated  lamps, 
and  all  was  bright  and  joyous.  At  about 
midnight,  at  a signal  given,  and  by  beat 
of  drum,  the  inhabitants  quietly  retired 
to  their  respective  dwellings,  the  lights 
were  put  out,  and  the  town  was  hushed 
in  its  usual  silence. 

“ These  rejoicings  had  been  ushered 
in  by  a subscription  for  liberating  all  the 
poor  persons  confined  in  jail  for  debt, 
and  thus  enable  them  freely  to  partake 
of  the  general  joy. 

“ The  ministers  of  religion  also  bore 
their  part  in  these  scenes  ; and  the  ser- 
mons of  Drs.  Mayhew,  Chauncey,  and 
others,  were  printed. 

“ In  the  month  of  August,  1776,  this 
celebrated  tree  was  cut  dV>wn  ‘ by  the 
enemies  of  liberty  and  America,  headed 
by  General  Gage.’  A parly,  ai  med  with 
axes,  made  an  attack  upon  it,  and,  after 
much  labor,  levelled  it  with  the  ground. 
A Son  of  Liberty,  at  Cambridge,  gave 
public  notice  of  its  fall,  and  added  these 
prophetic  words  : ‘ But,  be  it  known  to 
this  infamous  band  of  traitors,  that  the 
grand  American  tree  of  liberty,  planted 


92 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


.in  the  centre  of  the  united  colonies  of 
North  America,  now  flourishes  with  un- 
rivalled beauty,  and  bids  fair,  in  a short 
time,  to  afford  under  its  wide-spreading 
branches  a safe  and  happy  retreat  for  all 
the  sons,  of  liberty,  however  numerous 
and  dispersed.’ 

“ What  was  then  prophecy,  has  now 
become  history. 

‘‘Very  respectfully, 

“Your  obedient,  humble  servant, 
“ David  Sears.” 

The  AtJienceum,  in  Beacon  street,  is 
open  daily  to  strangers  introduced  by 
members,  and  contains  a valuable  libra- 
ry of  about  forty  thousand  volumes,  and 
about  fourteen  thousand  coins  and  med- 
als. In  the  rear  is  the  gallery  of  fine 
arts,  with  a collection  of  statues,  paint- 
ings, &c.  The  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society’s  library  is  in  Tremont  street. 

Theatres. — The  theatres  of  Boston 
are  limited  in  number,  and  rather  ordi- 
nary in  appearance.  They  are  as  fol- 
lows : 1.  The  National  theatre,  corner 
of  Portland  and  Travers  streets.  2.  The 
Boston  theatre,  formerly  known  as  the 
Odeon,  in  Federal  street.  3.  The  How- 
ard Athenaeum,  in  Howard  street.  Kim- 
ball’s museum,  in  Tremont  street,  is  also 
open  for  theatrical  performances. 

Boston  Water- Works.  — The  Co- 
chituate  aqueduct  for  the  introduction 
of  pure  and  wholesome  water  into  the 
city  was  completed  in  1848.  The  cost 
of  construction  was  over  three  millions 
of  dollars.  The  water  is  brought  in  an 
oval  brick  aqueduct,  above  six  feet  in 
height,  about  fourteen  and  a half  miles 
from  the  Cochituate  lake  to  Brookline, 
where  it  discharges  itself  into  a reservoir 
of  more  than  twenty  acres  in  extent. 
From  Brookline  the  water  is  forced  by 
its  own  pressure  through  pipes  of  thirty 
and  thirty-five  inches  in  diameter,  to  the 
two  reservoirs  in  the  city.  The  one  on 
Mount  Washington,  at  South  Boston,  has 
a superfices  of  seventy  thousand,  and  the 
other  on  Beacon  hill  of  thirty-eight  thou- 
sand feet.  The  latter  contains,  when  full, 
three  millions  of  gallons.  This  reservoir 
enables  them  to  have  a fountain  on  the 
common,  which  throws  a jet  to  a great 
height.  The  two  reservoirs  will  deliver 


to  the  city  of  Boston  ten  millions  of  gal- 
lons a day,  of  the  purest  and  best  water, 
decided  by  chymists  to  be  equal  to  that 
of  the  Croton  of  New  York. 

Public  Schools.  — The  educational 
system  of  Massachusetts  has  been  no- 
ticed on  a previous  page.  The  sums 
spent  in  the  city  of  Boston  alone  for  pub- 
lic instruction — larger  than  in  all  Great 
Britain — are  almost  entirely  a voluntary 
offering.  The  laws  of  the  commonwealth, 
even  as  early  as  4647,  it  is  true,  require 
the  support  of  public  schools  in  all  the 
towns  within  its  jurisdiction  ; but  a sin- 
gle school  will  meet  the  demands  of  the 
law  in  most  towns  ; and  in  Boston  itself, 
three  schools  and  three  teachers  only 
would  meet  the  intent  of  the  statute  : two 
of  these  must  be  teachers  “ competent  to 
instruct  child  ren  in  orthography,  reading, 
writing, English  grammar,  arithmetic,  and 
good  behavior;”  and  the  other  must  be 
“ a master  of  competent  ability  and  good 
morals,  who  shall,  in  addition  to  the 
branches  of  learning  before  mentioned, 
give  instruction  in  the  history  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  book-keeping,  surveying,  ge- 
ometry, and  algebra ; the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages,  general  history,  rhetoric,  and 
logic.”  These  three  teachers  might  cost 
the  city,  at  the  present  rate  of  salaries, 
about  four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars, 
with  the  expense  of  interest  for  houses 
added  ; in  all,  perhaps,  seven  thousand 
dollars.  Instead,  however,  of  being  sat- 
isfied to  fulfil  the  letter  of  the  excellent 
law,  the  citizens  of  Boston  take  pride  in 
supporting  a Latin  school, an  English  high 
school,  twenty-two  grammar-schools,  and 
some  two  hundred  primary  schools,  with  a 
corps  of  three  hundred  and  seventy  teach- 
ers, whose  combined  salaries  amount  to 
a hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  dol- 
lars. Add  to  this  a million  dollars  vested 
in  schoolhouses,  besides  apparatus  and 
incidental  expenses  of  superintendence, 
fuel,  &c.,  and  the  sacrifice  of  property  for 
the  good  of  posterity  stands  forth  without 
a parallel  in  the  Union. 

Boston  Asylum  and  Farm-School. — 
In  1813  several  gentlemen  formed  a soci- 
ety for  the  relief  and  education  of  such 
boys  as  might  be  found  destitute  of  pa- 
rental and  friendly  superintendence.  In 
February,  1814,  an  act  of  incorporation 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  93 


was  granted  them,  and  the  society  was 
organized,  with  the  title  of  the  “ Boston 
Asylum  for  Indigent  Boys.”  For  many 
years  it  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Sa- 
lem and  Charter  streets,  in  the  house  for- 
merly occupied  by  Governor  Phips.  On 
the  9th  of  June,  1835,  the  boys,  fifty-two 
in  number,  were  removed  to  Thompson’s 
island,  which  is  within  the  limits  of  the 
city,  about  four  miles  from  the  city-hall. 

A number  ofgentlemen  in  Boston  were 
desirous  that  an  institution  should  be  es- 
tablished there,  to  which  children  either 
already  corrupted,  or  beyond  parental 
control,  might  be  sent  without  the  inter- 
vention of  a legal  conviction  and  sen- 
tence ; and  in  which  such  employments 
might  be  pursued  by  the  children  as 
would  make  the  institution,  in  the  strict- 
est sense,  a school  of  industry.  A plan 
for  this  object  was  submitted  to  a fpw 
gentlemen,  by  whom  it  was  approved 
and  matured  ; and  a meeting  was  held 
in  the  hall  of  the  Tremont  bank  on  the 
27th  of  January,  1832,  when  a board  of 
directors  was  chosen.  Subscription  pa- 
pers were  opened,  and  twenty-three  thou- 
sand dollars  were  soon  obtained.  In  the 
summer  of  1833  following,  Thompson’s 
island,  containing  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  was  purchased  for  the  objects  of 
the  institution ; and  a building  is  now 
completed  there,  which,  besides  ample 
accommodations  for  the  officers  of  the 
establishment,  is  quite  sufficient  for  the 
charge  of  more  than  three  hundred  chil- 
dren. A suggestion  having  been  made 
of  the  expediency  of  connecting  the  pro- 
posed farm-school  with  the  asylum  for 
indigent  boys,  conferences  were  held  be- 
tween the  directors  of  these  ihstitutions  ; 
and  in  March,  1S35,  they  were  united 
under  the  style  of  the  “ Boston  Asylum 
and  Farm-School.” 

The  objects  of  the  present  institution 
are  to  rescue  from  the  ills  and  the  temp- 
tations of  poverty  and  neglect,  those  who 
have  been  left  without  a parent’s  care; 
to  reclaim  from  moral  exposure  those 
who  are  treading  the  paths  of  danger; 
and  to  offer  to  those  whose  only  training 
would  otherwise  have  been  in  the  walks 
of  vice,  if  not  of  crime,  the  greatest  bles- 
sing which  New  England  can  bestow 
upon  her  most  favored  sons.  The  occu- 


pations and  employments  of  the  boys  va- 
ry with  the  season.  In  spring,  summer, 
and  autumn,  the  larger  boys  work  upon 
the  garden  and  farm.  The  younger  boys 
have  small  gardens  of  their  own,  which 
afford  them  recreation  when  released 
from  school.  In  the  winter,  most  of  them 
attend  school.  Their*  library  contains 
about  fire  hundred  volumes. 

Bridges. — Some  of  the  most  striking 
objects  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston 
are  the  bridges  which  lead  from  it  to 
various  points.  There  are  no  less  than 
seven  principal  ones,  besides  several 
branches.  The  expense  at  which  they 
have  been  constructed,  and  are  kept  in 
repair,  is  very  great  ; and  they  furnish 
great  facilities  for  strangers  desirous  of 
making  excursions  to  the  surrounding 
country.  The  Milldam  bridge,  or  West- 
ern avenue,  leading  to  Brookline,  is  one 
and  a half  miles  long,  and  a part  of  the 
way  one  hundred  feet  wide. 

Charlestown  was  settled  in  the  year 
1628.  It  is  the  oldest  town  in  Middlesex 
bounty,  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state. 
It  derives  its  name  from  King  Charles  I., 
the  reigning  sovereign  of  England  at  that 
time.  The  Indian  name  of  the  settlement 
was  Miskawam. 

Charlestown  is  situated  on  a peninsula, 
with  the  harbor  on  the  east;  the  Mystic 
river  and  Chelsea  on  the  north  ; Charles 
river  on  the  south  ; and  on  the  west  Som- 
erville, with  which  it  is  connected  by  a 
narrow  strip  of  land  called  “ The  Neck.” 
With  Malden  on  the  northwest,  Charles- 
town is  connected  by  a bridge  2,420  feet 
in  length,  opened  for  travel  on  the  23d 
of  September,  1788.  A bridge  one  mile 
in  length  leads  from  the  navy-yard  due 
north  to  Chelsea  This  was  formerly  the 
great  thoroughfare  from  Boston  to  Sa- 
lem, via  Chelsea  and  Lynn.  Now  the 
bridge  is  used  for  local  travel  only,  the 
Eastern  railroad  being  the  usual  means 
of  conveyance  to  Lynn,  Salem,  Newbu- 
ryport,  Nahant,  thence  to  Portsmouth, 
Portland,  &c. 

At  Charlestown  are  the  stateprison, 
conducted  on  the  improved  plan  ; Bun- 
k’er-hill  monument ; the  United  States 
navy-yard,  with  dry-dock,  ship-houses, 
&c. ; and  the  M‘Lean  insane  asylum. 

Bunker-Hill  Monument. — On  the  17th 


of  June,  1825,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker’s  hill, 
the  corner-stone  of  this  monument  was 
laid  in  an  angle  of  the  old  redoubt  on 
Breed’s  hill,  an  inferior  eminence  behind 
Charlestown.  The  base,  a mass  of  four- 
teen thousand  tons’  weight,  is  laid  thir- 
teen feet  deep,  and  has  six  courses  of 
stone  to  the  surface,  the  first  of  which  is 
fifty  feet  on  each  side.  Above  this  a pyr- 
amidal obelisk,  thirty  feet  square,  rises 
tapering,  two  hundred  and  thirteen  feet 
four  inches  on  the  ground,  and  fifteen 
feet  at  the  top.  It  is  composed  of  eighty 
courses  of  stone,  each  two  feet  eight  inch- 
es thick.  A winding  stone  staircase  in  the 
inside  leads  to  the  summit,  whence  the 
view  is  fine  and  highly  interesting.  The 
whole  is  built  of  Quincy  granite.  The 
largest  block  in  it  is  said  to  be  eleven 
feet  long,  two  broad,' and  two  feet  eight 
inches  high,  with  a weight  of  ten  tons. 

After  the  battle  of  Bunker’s  hill,  the 
continental  troops  were  drawn  in  a more 
complete  line  around  the  town  of  Boston, 
which  was  still  in  possession  of  the  Brit- 
ish, and  numerous  intrenchmenls  may 
yet  be  traced  out  on  most  of  the  hills  iti 
the  vicinity;  but  it  was  not  till  General 
Washington  had  succeeded  in  occupy- 
ing Dorchester  heights,  which  command 
the  harbor  and  town  from  the  southeast, 
that  the  British  forces  embarked  in  their 
ships  and  evacuated  the  place.  . . j 

Dorchester  heights  were  occupied  on 
the  night  of  March  4,  1776.  Eight  hun- 
dred men  formed  the  van  ; then  followed 
carriages,  and  twelve  hundred  pioneers 
under  General  Thomas,  three  bundled 
carts  of  fascines  and  gabions,  and  guns 
in  the  rear.  Two  forts  were  formed  by , 
ten  o’clock  at  night  — one  toward  the 
city,  and  the  other  toward  Castle  island. 
Preparations  were  made  for  an  attack 
by  the  British,  and  for  defence  by  the 
Americans  ; but  the  weather  prevented 
the  designs  of  the  former,  consisting  of 
ten  thousand  men,  who,  after  pillaging 
the  town,  and  providing  for  the  removal 
of  fifteen  hundred  resident  loyalists,  em- 
barked for  New  York,  March  17,  leaving 
behind  a.  quantity  of  ammunition,  &c.  # 
Villages. — The  vicinity  of  Boston 
presents  a succession  of  villages,  prob- 
ably not  to  be  paralleled  for  beauty  in 


the  United  States.  They  are  generally 
the  residences  of  a number  of  the  most 
opulent  citizens  during  the  pleasant  sea- 
sons, and  many  of  the  buildings  are  fine 
and  expensive.  The  grounds  are  also 
frequently  laid  out  with  great  taste  and 
highly  cultivated;  so  that  no  stranger 
who  has  leisure  should  fail  to  take  a 
circuit  through  them  for  a few  miles. 
There  are  several  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments in  this  vicinity,  among  which 
Waltham  is  conspicuous. 

Nahant,  fourteen  miles  northeast  from 
Boston,  is  a very  pleasant  and  favorite 
resort  during  the  warm  months,  being 
a fine  situation,  open  to  the  sea,  of  easy 
access  by  land  and  water,  and  furnished 
with  several  houses  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  visiters,  particularly  a large  ho- 
tel. A steamboat  runs  thither  in  the 
summer,  and  there  is  a fine  road  which 
passes  round  the  bay,  through  the  town 
of  Lynn  (celebrated  for  the  manufacture 
of  shoes),  along  Lynn  heach,  and  then 
1 turns  off  to  the  promontory  of  Nahant, 
which  is  a point  of  rough  rocks  of  con- 
siderable elevation. 

The  passage  in  the  steamboat  affords 
a fine  view  of  Boston  bay,  with  the  city ; 


Dorchester  heights  on  the  south  ; Bun- 
ker’s and  Breed’s  hills  on  the  northwest ; 
and  many  other  very  interesting  objects. 
Among  the  islands  which  form  the  de- 
fence of  the  harbor,  is  that  which  con- 
tains Castle  William,  besides  one  or  two 
other  fortified  ones — Rainsford  island, 
which  has  the  marine  hospital,  part  of 
it  quite  elevated,  but  containing  only  a 
few  acres  ; and  another  on  which  is  the 
farm-school,  an  interesting  institution 
for  boys.  <Salt  is  made  in  Boston  bay, 
and  windmills  are  sometimes  used  to 
pump  the  water. 

The  ground  near  the  hotel  at  Nahant 
has  been  laid  out  and  ornamented  with 
taste.  The  cupola  on  the  top  commands  ; 
a fine  water  scene ; and  during  the  prev- 
alence of  a strong  wind  from  the  sea,  | 
the  waves  are  high  and  magnificent,  j 
breaking  wildly  against  the  rocks. 

The  baths  are  at  a short  distance  from 
the  hotel,  and  are  quite  commodious, 
furnishing  one  of  the  chief  attractions 
of  the  place. 

The  Syren's  Grotto  is  a remarkable 


Bunker  Hill  Monument 


96 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


cavity  in  the  rjcks,  about  a quarter  of 
a mile  from  the  hotel ; it  has  been  cu- 
riously worn  out  by  the  waves.  There 
are  several  other  caverns  of  a similar 
character,  produced  in  the  course  of 
ao-es  by'  the  constant  attrition  of  the 
water.  The  Spouting  Horn  is  a hole  in 
the  rocks,  on  the  opposite  side,  where 
the  water  is  thrown  up  in  the  air  at  par- 
ticular times  of  tide.  The  rocks  are  of 
granite,  porphyry,  epidote,  &c.,  and  fur- 
nish pebbles  of  jasper.  Pulpit  rock , on 
the  south,  is  a singular  object ; its  top 
is  almost  inaccessible.  The  rude  shores 
and  the  smooth  beach  can  be  test  exam- 
ined at  lowtide  ; but  those  who  are  fond 
of  sublime  scenes  should  omit  no  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  them  when  the  wind  is 
high,  particularly  in. a moonlight  night. 

Plymouth. — This  place  is  thirty-six 
miles  south-southeast  from  Boston.  It 
is  highly  interesting  on  account  of  its 
history,  being  the  site  of  the  first  set- 
tlement made  by  the  New  England  pil- 
grims, on  the  22d  December,  1620.  A 
mass  of  granite  rock  is  still  shown,  on 
which  those  who  first  landed  stepped  ; 
it  has  been  divided,  and  a part  of  it  re- 
mains buried  near  the  shore  in  its  nat- 
ural location,  while  the  upper  part  is 
removed  into  the  centre  of  the  village. 

A handsome  building  was  erected  here 
in  1820,  in  which  the  New  England  so- 
ciety hold  their  annual  celebrations  of 
that  interesting  era  in  the  history  of  the 
country.  Burying  hill,  which  rises  near 
at  hand,  is  the  spot  where  a small  fort 
was  erected  by  the  settlers,  and  where 
the  graves  of  several  of  them  are  still  to 
be  found.  The  banks  of  the  brook  south 
of  the  hill  were  the  scene  of  the  first 
conference  with  Massasoit,  a friendly 
and  faithful  Indian  chief,  from  whom 
the  name  of  the  bay,  and  subsequently 
that  of  the  state,  was  derived.  Manumet 
point  is  a promontory  on  the  south  side 
of  the  harbor  ; and  a small  island  on  the 
opposite  side  of  it  was  the  spot  where 
the  pilgrims  first  placed  their  feet  on 
shore  in  this  vicinity,  after  having  pre- 
viously landed  on  Cape  Cod. 

The  young  and  feeble  colony  suffered 
extreme  distresses  here  from  the  severity 
of  the  climate  (against  which  they  were 
unprepared,  as  they  had  sailed  for  a 


more  southern  region)  and  the  want  of 
provisions.  Nothing  but  the  assistance 
of  Massasoit,  under  the  providence  of 
God,  preserved  them  from  extinction. 

The  Boston  and  Powell  Railroad , 
is  twenty-six  and  a half  miles  in  length. 
The  cars  start  from  North  Boston, 
and  pass  in  view  of  the  ruins  of  the 
Charlestown  nunnery,  on  Mount  Ben- 
edict, which  was  burned  by  a mob  some 
years  ago  on  a charge  of  the  ill  treat- 
ment of  some  of  the  nuns.  Summit  of 
the  road,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet ; maxi  mum  grade,  ten  feet  per  mile ; 
least  radius,  three  thousand  feet.  More 
than  one  half  is  straight.  It  was  opened 
in  June,  1835. 

This  road  extends  to  Concord,  from 
which  place,  also,  several  roads,  now  in 
process  of  construction,  are  to  extend  to 
Portsmouth  and  north  into  Canada. 

Lowell. — Like  many  other  towns  in 
this  vicinity,  this  place  lias  grown  from 
a very  small  beginning.  Thousands  of 
persons  now  living  in  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding country,  well  remember  when 
there  were  not  ten  men  in  it.  The  main 
canal,  which  supplies  water  for  turning 
the  machinery  of  numerous  mills  on  the 
banks  of  the  Merrimack,  was  constructed 
in  1793,  simply  as  a boat  and  raft  chan- 
nel around  the  falls.  The  finest  timber 
in  New  England  was  then  brought  down 
the  Concord  and  Merrirftack,  the  junc- 
tion of  which  rivers  takes  place  at  Low- 
ell ; and  thence,  to  the  ocean,  they  go 
by  the  name  of  the  Merrimack.  The 
construction  of  this  canal  soon  attracted 
the  attention  of  capitalists,  the  result  of 
which  was,  that  one  mill  after  another 
was  erected ; and  from  a little,  meager 
| village,  Lowell  has  grown  into  a pow- 
erful city,  with  vast  ranges  of  magnifi- 
cent granite  and  brick,  factories  stretch- 
ing from  river  to  river,  and  from  street 
to  street,  resembling  huge  towers,  and 
striking  the  stranger  with  wonder,  sur- 
prise, and  admiration.  The  population 
| is  about  forty  thousand, 
i The  value  of  raw  cotton  used  up 
here  annually  is  about  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars  ; wool,  about  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  The  value  of 
the  articles  manufactured  in  all  the  fac- 
tories, large  and  small,  is  about  thirteen 


View  of  Plymouth. 


7 


98  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


millions  of  dollars  per  annum.  The 
amount  of  money  annually  paid  out  to 
the  operatives  is  one  million,  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  The  operatives, 
both  male  and  female,  get  higher  wages 
than  any  other  persons  of  their  class  in 
the  United  States,  or  perhaps  in  the 
world.  Their  intelligence  is  also  great- 
er, and  their  morals  are  better.  They 
have  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  , 
dollars’  worth  of  stock  in  the  various  | 
companies,  which  they  have  purchased  ; 
with  their  earnings  in  the  mills  : thirty 
thousand  dollars  in  railroad  stock,  a 
pretty  large  amount  in  bank  stock,  and 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  deposited 
in  the  savings  bank.  This  money  they 
have  made  by  their  industry.  Many  of 
them  have  fine  houses.  A large  num- 
ber of  families  are  dependent  on  the 
earnings  of  their  daughters  in  these  fac- 
tories. Two  nieces  of  Daniel  Webster, 
and  two  of  Edward  Everett,  are  grad- 
uates of  these  palaces  of  the  poor.  . The 
girls  publish  a periodical  of  original 
matter,  written  entirely  by  the  opera- 
tives. Over  two  hundred  young  ladies, 
who  labored  in  these  factories  and  thus 
earned  the  money  with  which  they  ed- 
ucated themselves,  are  now  instructors 
of  youth,  and  some  of  them  in  the  high- 
est female  seminaries. 

The  Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad, 
forty-four  and  a half  miles,  extends  from 
the  shore  of  Boston  harbor,  under  Wash- 
ington street,  across  the  city  by  a via- 
duct ; over  Charles  river,  on  an  embank- 
ment, six  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long, 
and  through  a cut  in  granite  five  hun- 
dred feet  long  and  thirty  feet  deep  ; 
along  Charles  river;  through  Brighton 
to  Needham  ; and  through  Natick,  Fra- 
mingham, Westborough,  and  Grafton, 
to  Worcester,  five  miles  east  of  which 
' is  the  summit,  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  tide.  There  is  a cut  through  slate 
thirty-seven  feet  deep.  Less  than  one 
third  of  a mile  on  this  route  is  level ; 
i maximum  grade,  thirty  feet ; least  rad- 
ius, nine  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet. 

The  Great  Western  Railroad  (a  con- 
tinuation of  the  above  j’oad)  leads  from 

Worcesterto  Springfield,  fifty-four  miles,  j 

through  Charlton,  South  Brookfield,  Pal- 
mer, and  Wilbraham,  and  on  to  West 


Stockb ridge,  on  the  New  York  line,  six- 
ty-two miles  further;  and  thence  on  to 
Albany. 

The  Boston  and  Portsmouth  or  East- 
ern Railroad  extends  from  East  Boston 
through  Lynn,  Salem  (where  is  a tunnel 
under  part  of  the  town),  Ipswich,  and 
Newburyport ' (forty  miles),  to  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  fifteen  and  a half  miles. 

It  is  continued  to  Portland,  Me.,  through 
Wells,  Kennebunkport,  and  Saco  ; and 
thence  to  Bangor,  one  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-two miles  further. 

Mount  Auburn  Cemetery. — This  is 
the  first  of  the  large  rural  burying- 
grounds  which  have  since  become  so 
common  in  this  country.  It  occupies  a 
large  extent  of  uneven  land,  well  adapt- 
ed in  form,  as  well  as  in  the  nature  of 
its  soil  and  the  abundant  and  varied 
growth  of  forest-trees  which  it  bears,  to 
the  solemn  and  interesting  object  to 
which  it  is  devoted.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a strong  and  high  fence,  and  the  front  , 
presents  a high  wall,  with  a fine  gateway  . 
of  granite.  At  the  entrance,  avenues 
lead  off,  on  either  side,  through  shady 
groves;  and  here  several  of  the  prim  ! 
cipal  monuments  are  first  presented  to 
view,  particularly  that  of  the  distin-  . 
guislied  phrenologist,  Spurzheim,  who 
died  at  Boston  on  his  visit  to  the  United 
States.  The  first  interment  made  at  : 
Mount  Auburn  was  that  of  Hannah  j 
Adams,  the  celebrated  writer  of  the  his-  j 
tory  of  the  Jews. 

The  grounds  are  laid  out  with  great  ‘ 
taste,  and  are  gradually  filling  up  with  | 
tombs  and  graves.  Many  private  tombs 
are  seen  on  every  side,  constructed  in  a 
great  variety  of  styles  ; and  the  avenues, 
roads,  and  paths,  which  branch  out  in 
all  directions,  lead  the  visiter  through 
scenes  of  great  variety,  among  hills  of 
various  elevations,  and  by  the  borders 
of  ponds,  every  step  bringing  to  view 
some  new  and  sad  but  appropriate  object. 
Flowers  are  often  mingled  with  the 
foliage  and  shade  of  funereal  trees  and 
shrubs ; and  many  .touching  emblems  and 
inscriptions  are  interspersed,  on  which 
the  mind  may  dwell  with  affecting  and 
profitable  reflections. 

Lexington,  Worcester  county,  is  re- 
markable as  the  place  where  the  first 


Cemetery  at  Mount  Auburn. 


100 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


blood  was  shed  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
On  the  lSlh  of  April,  1776,  General 
Gage  sent  a body  of  troops  from  Bos- 
ton to  seize  a powderhouse  at  Concord 
belonging  to  the  colony  ; and  the  inhab- 
itants were  warned  of  his  design  by  an 
express  despatched  by  the  Hon.  Joseph 
Warren.  The  militia  were  called  out, 
but,  the  alarm  subsiding,  they  were  dis- 
missed, with  orders,  however,  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness.  The  enemy 
unexpectedly  made  their  appearance  at 
half-past  4 o’clock,  coming  on  at  a quick 
step,  within  a mile  and  a quarter  of  the 
church.  The  alarm-guns  were  fired, 
drums  beat,  and  fifty  or  sixty  militiamen 
assembled  on  the  parade.  The  British 
brigade  halted  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  yards  from  the  church  to  load, 
and  then  passing  the  east  end  of  the 
building,  discovered  the  Americans,  who 
were  ordered  at  the  moment  by  their 
commander,  Captain  Parker,  to  disperse 
and  take  care  of  themselves,  but  not  to 
fire.  As  some  of  them  loitered,  the 
British  troops  rushed  toward  them,  huz- 
zaing. Major  Pitcairn  fired  a pistol  at 
them  when  about  thirty  yards  distant, 
after  they  had  been  called  “ rebels,”  and 
ordered  them  to  lay  down  their  arms 
and  disperse.  Another  officer,  who  was 
within  a few  yards  of  them,  then  bran- 
dished his  sword  and  ordered  the  troops 
to  “ fire,”  which  was  obeyed  at  the  sec- 
ond order  ; and  the  fire  being  returned, 
it  was  kept  up  on  the  dispersing  men 
until  they  had  all  disappeared.  Eight 
were  killed  and  ten  wounded.  (Gen- 
eral Gage  falsely  stated  that  the  British 
were  first  fired  upon.) 

After  the  regulars  had  fired  a volley 
from  the  green  behind  the  church,  aud 
given  three  cheers,  they  proceeded  to 
Concord.  On  their  return,  being  hard 
pressed  by  sharpshooters,  they  burned 
three  houses,  a shop,  and  a barn,  killed 
three  more  men  and  wounded  one. 

Andover  is  a small  village,  situated 
on  high  ground,  twenty  miles  from  Bos- 
ton. It  i3  remarkable  for  the  Phillips 
academy  and  the  theological  seminary, 
which  are  three  fourths  of  a mile  east 
from  it,  on  the  summit  of  the  ascent. 
The  buildings  belonging  to  the  semin- 
| ary  (which  we  have  before  described) 


make  a conspicuous  figure  from  different 
parts  of  the  surrounding  country,  and 
command  a view  of  great  extent,  bound- 
ed on  the  west  by  the  Temple  hills  in 
New  Hampshire,  backed  by  ibe  Mo- 
nadnoc  about  sixty  miles  off,  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Blue  hills.  A small  el- 
evation near  by  affords  a view  of  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  from  about  Newbury- 
port  to  Cape  Ann,  with  part  of  Salem; 
and  in  the  northwest  is  a distant  peak, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  Ascutney,  in 
V ermont. 

The  academical  buildings  are  distin- 
guished by  the  names  of  Phillips  hall, 
Bartlett  hall,  and  the  chapel.  In  the 
upper  part  of  the  latter  is  a library. 
The  professors’  houses  are  opposite, 
with  a spacious  green  intervening  be- 
tween the  seminary  and  the  street ; and 
there  is  also  a large  inn.  The  academy 
is  not  connected  with  the  seminary. 

Brookfielp. — This  was  one  of  the 
most  early  settled  towns  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  dating  as  far  back  as  No- 
vember 10,  1665  ; and  for  several  years 
the  only  towns  in  the  west  were  Hadley, 
Northampton,  &c.,  while  there  was  no 
white  settlement  between  it  and  Can- 
ada. The  stagecoach  passes  over  a long 
hill  in  West  Brookfield,  which  commands 
an  extensive  prospect,  and  this  is  the 
place  where  the  settlement  began.  A 
few  yards  west  of  a white  house  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road  was  a house  built 
for  defence,  which,  though  of  but  little 
strength,  was’ called  the  fort.  In  August, 
1675,  this  place  was  suddenly  beset  by 
several  hundred  savages.  The  inhab- 
itants had  been  imposed  upon  by  the 
appearance  of  friendliness  shown  by 
the  Hassenemesit  Indians,  and  while 
on  their  way  to  their  fort,  a few  miles 
distant,  were  ambushed  and  pursued,  so 
that  they  barely  escaped.  The  house 
in  which  they  all  assembled  was  besieged 
and  several  times  in  imminent  danger. 

| On  one  occasion  a cart  loaded  with  hemp, 

! & c.,  and  set  on  fire,  was  pushed  up  to 
the  house  with  long  poles,  when  a sud- 
i den  shower  of  rain  came  up  in  time  to 
i extinguish  the  flames.  The  fortunate 
| arrival  of  Captain  Mosely  with  a small 
troop  of  horsemen  delivered  the  inhab- 
I itants,  and  drove  away  the  savages.  A 11 


! 


. 


I 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


101 


the  houses  having  been  burned,  and  the 
war  soon  beginning  to  rage  with  vio- 
lence, the  settlement  was  evacuated. 

The  old  well  still  remains  which  be- 
longed to  the  fort  or  blockhouse ; and 
there  is  a rock  in  a wall,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  road,  from  behind  which 
an  Indian  shot  one  of  the  men  who  had 
come  out  to  draw  water  during  the 
siege. 

The  present  village  is  at  the  bottom 
of  the  hill,  and  is  pleasantly  situated, 
with  several  ponds  in  the  neighborhood, 
which,  with  the  fish  and  fowl  they  fur- 
nished, were  the  principal  attraction  of 
the  savages,  who  were  very  numerous 
in  this  tract  of  country.  These  ponds 
give  rise  to  the  Quabaug  river,  which, 
after  a course  of  some  miles,  takes  the 
name  of  Chicopee,  and  joins  the  Con- 
necticut at  Springfield. 

Worcester  is  one  of  the  pleasantest 
cities  in  New  England.  The  country 
around  it  is  rich  and  variegated,  and  the 
dwellings  have  an  air  of  elegance  which 
does  great  credit  to  the  taste  as  well  as 
the  wealth  of  its  inhabitants.  Brick  is 
extensively  used  in  building.  The  court- 
house, bank,  &c.,  stand  on  the  princi- 
pal street,  and  east  of  it  the  county- 
house,  and  the  building  of  the  American 
Historical  society ; this  institution  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  preserving 
everything  relating  to  the  history,  tra- 
ditions, &c.,  of  the  country.  The  state 
lunatic  asylum,  conducted  on  the  hu- 
mane system  of  moral  treatment,  is  very 
successful. 

Watchusett  hills,  sixteen  miles  west- 
north  west  of  Worcester,  and  fifty-two 
west  by  north  of  Boston,  are  estimated 
at  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  ascended  by  an  easy  path.  The 
spectator  looks  down  on  a surrounding 
scene  of  wooded  mountains,  with  ponds 
and  farms  below  them,  and  a view  over 
cultivated  and  inhabited  regions. 

Springfield  is  a flourishing  town, 
standing  at  the  foot  of  a high  hill,  the 
side  of  which  is  ornamented  with  fine 
buildings,  the  residences  of  some  of  the 
wealthier  inhabitants,  and  the  top  occu- 
pied by  the  United  States  armory.  This 
establishment  occupies  a large  space  of 
ground,  and  commands  a fine  view.  The 


buildings  containing  the  workshops  for 
manufactuiing  small  arms,  the  arsenal, 
the  barracks,  &:c.,  are  surrounded  by  a 
high  wall.  The  number  of  workmen 
required,  which  is  about  two  hundred 
and  sixty,  has  a favorable  effect  on  the 
business  and  prosperity  of  the  place. 
About  eighteen  thousand  muskets  are 
made  here  annually,  or  sixty  a day. 
The  manufactories  on  Mill  river,  a little 
south  of  the  armory,  are  various,  and 
well  worthy  of  observation. 

The  town  is  ornamented  with  many 
fine  elms  and  other  trees  ; and  there  are 
two  very  handsome  churches.  It  was 
originally  considered  within  the  limits 
of  Connecticut  colony,  but  at  length  in- 
corporated with  Massachusetts.  A tribe 
of  Indians  lived  for  some  years  on  Fort 
hill ; but,  being  won  over  to  King  Phil- 
ip’s party,  in  1675,  they  assumed  a hos- 
tile air,  fired  upon  some  of  the  inhabit- 
ants who  were  going  to  their  fort,  and 
burned  a part  of  the  town. 

In  1786,  during  the  rebellion  of  Shays, 
he  attacked  the  armory,  at  the  head  of 
a strong  party  of  undisciplined  men. 
General  Shepard,  who  had  command  at 
the  place,  attempted  to  dissuade  them 
from  the  attempt,  and  finally  drove  them 
off’  by  firing  twice.  The  first  shot  over 
their  heads  dispersed  the  raw  troops, 
and  the  second  drove  off  the  remainder 
(about  two  hundred  revolutionary  sol- 
diers), who  did  not  desist  until  they  had 
lost  a few  of  their  men.  This  was  the 
first  check  the  insurrection  received, 
which  was  put  down  without  much  sub- 
sequent trouble. 

Wilbraham,  seven  or  eight  miles  west 
from  Springfield,  contains  a Wesleyan 
academy. 

West  Springfield  has  a fine  street, 
shaded  with  large  elms,  and  containing 
some  handsome  houses.  It  is  twenty- 
j six  miles  from  Hartford,  and  about  sev- 
enteen from  Northampton.  There,  is 
a fine  view  from  the  road  on  the  brow 
J of  a hill  a little  north  of  the  town,  near 
I a church,  which  overlooks  the  river  and 
! an  extent  of  country  on  each  side,  with 
| Mount  Tom  and  Mount  Holyoke  in 
l front. 

South  Hadley  Falls. — The  village  and 
i locks  are  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 


View  of  Mount  Tom  and  Mount  Holyoke. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


103 


The  whole  fall  of  the  river  at  South 
Hadley  is  fifry-two  feet,  hut  at  the  lower 
falls  only  thirty-two.  There  is  a canal 
two  and  a half  miles  long  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  cut  through  a slate- 
rock  for  a considerable  distance,  and  in 
some  places  very  deep.  Therfe  is  a fer- 
ry here,  which  is  safe,  but  the  water 
runs  very  swiftly. 

, The  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Semina- 
ry, at  South  Hadley,  combines  a p radi- 
cal domestic  education  with  intellectual 
instruction. 

For  several  miles  before  reaching 
Mount  Tom  from  the  south,  the  road 
runs  along  the  banks  of  the  river  ; the 
river  makes  an  abrupt  turn  some  miles 
above,  running  between  Mount  Tom  on 
the  south  arid  Mount  Holyoke  on  the 
north  ; and  when  the  scene  opens  again, 
it  discloses  a charming  and  extensive 
plain,  formed  of  the  meadows  on  the 
river’s  bank,  and  evidently  once  the  site 
of  a large  lake,  when  the  water  was 
restrained  by  the  barrier  between  the 
mountains.  This  plain  is  one  of  the 
richest,  and  by  far  the  most  extensive 
and  beautiful,  on  the  river. 

Northampton  is  situated  at  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  plain,  a mile  from  the 
riv.er,  and  is  a favorite  place  of  resort 
for  travellers.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  New  England  villages, 
and  is  surrounded  by  a charming  coun- 
try, and  lies  near  to  Mount  Holyoke, 
which  commands  a view  of  the  whole. 
The  streets  are  irregular,  but  some  of 
them  shady  and  delightful  in  summer, 
being  also  ornamented  with  many  neat 
houses.  It  is  a place  of  much  business, 
and  the  soil  makes  valuable  farms. 

Round  Hill  is  a beautiful  eminence 
just  west  of  the  town.  On  the  eastern 
declivity  of  the  hill  stands  the  house  of 
the  Stoddard  family,  an  ancestor  of  which 
was  a man  of  talent  and  influence.  In 
King  street,  toward,  the  northeast  from 
that  spot,  stood  the  house  in  which  Pres- 
ident Edwards,  senior,  lived — President 
Edwards,  junior,  and  Dr.  Dwight  were 
born — and  David  Brainerd  died  : his 
grave  is  in  the  burying-ground. 

Mount  Holyoke  i's  about  eight  hundred 
feet  high,  and  there  is  a good  carriage- 
road  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way  up. 


The  country  southeast,  seen  from  its  sum- 
mit, is  undulating,  and  the  soil  generally 
poor  ; yet  several  villages  are  discovered 
at  a distance,  particularly  South  Hadley, 
which  lies  immediately  below.  South- 
wardly is  seen  Connecticut  river, retiring 
under  the  shade  of  Mount  Tom,  whi- 
tened below  by  the  South  Hadley  falls, 
beyond  which  is  the  hill  at  Springfield  , 
the  river  makes  several  turns,  and  on 
the  horizon  are  two  very  distant  peaks, 
which  are  supposed  to  be  East  and  West 
rocks  at  New  Haven,  about  seventy  miles 
distant.  Northeast  is  seen  Monadnock 
mountain,  in  New  Hampshire.  North, 
the  view  is  up  the  charming  valley  of  the 
Connecticut,  bordered  by  distant  ranges 
of  hills  and  mountains,  varied  by  a few 
isolated  peaks,  covered  with  the  richest 
coat  of  vegetation,  and  scattered  with  vil- 
lages and  innumerable  farmhouses.  The 
river  makes  a beautiful  serpentine  course 
from  where  it  first  appears  at  the  foot  of 
Sugarloaf  mountain  and  Mount  Toby,  un- 
til it  reaches  the  village  of  Hadley,  which 
lies  in  full  view  ; and  then  taking  a bold 
sweep  to  the  west,  and  flowing  four  and 
a half  miles,  it  returns  to  the  end  of  that 
village,  only  a mile  distant  from  where 
it  first  meets  it ! The*  whole  peninsula 
is  rich  and  fertile,  and  covered  with  cul- 
tivated fields  of  wheat,  corn,  grass,  &c., 
without  being  disfigured  by  fences — and 
is  the  richest  sight  upon  the  river,  par- 
ticularly when  viewed  in  connexion  with 
the  scene  immediately  below,  where  the 
river  flows  on  almost  under  our  feet,  and 
the  western  shore  presents  the  extensive 
Northampton  meadows,  a mile  wide;  fol- 
lowing the  current  with  the  eye  in  the 
west-southwest,  it  forms  a still  more  re- 
markable peninsula,  although  one  of  in- 
ferior size — the  Hockanum  bend,  being' 
a turn  measuring  three  miles  in  circuit, 
while  the  isthmus  was  only  forty-six  rods 
across.  This  has  been  cut  through  by  a 
flood.  In  the  compass  of  this  view,  nu- 
merous village  spires  are  seen,  with  level 
fields,  orchards,  and  gardens,  almost  num- 
berless, and  the  whole  scene  is  bounded 
with  mountainous  ridges. 

Northampton  is  seen  about  west-north- 
west, with  Round  hill;  and,  toward  the 
right,  the  top  of  Saddle  mountain,  in  the 
distance.  There  are  also*  others,  still. 


farther  north,  particularly  Haystack  and 
Bare  mountains.  More  than  thii  ty  church 
steeples  may  be  counted  here  at  one  view 
by  taking  advantage  of  different  kinds  of 
weather. 

In  point  of  history,  that  part  of  the 
Connecticut  valley  immediately  under 
the  eye  belongs  to  the  third  division  of 
settlements,  calling  Plymouth  and  Mas- 
sachusetts bay  the  first,  and  Windsor, 
Hartford,  Wethersfield,  &c.,  the  second. 

Northampton,  Hadley,  and  Hatfield, 
were  settled  in  1653,  and  remained  the 
frontier  posts  in  this  direction  till  after 
Philip’s  war,  during  which  lime  they 
suffered  severely  from  constant  alarms 
and  the  loss  of  inhabitants.  The  Indians 
who  had  sold  the  lands  on  which  the 
towns  were  built,  had  each  a spot  as- 
signed them  within  a short  distance  of 
the  palisades  with  which  the  new  settle- 
ments were  surrounded,  and  lived  in 
peace  and  good  faith  until  excited  by 
Philip  ; after  which  all  the  towns  were 
at  different  limes  attacked  by  them,  and 
some  of  them  repeatedly.  During  the 
French  wars,  on  May  13,  1704,  the  In- 
dians fell  upon  a li  tie  settlement  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Tom,  and  killed  twenty 
persons,  more  than  half  of  whom  were 
children;  and  a tradition  states,  though 
without  designadug  the  precise  time,  that 
a captive  woman  was  once  taken  to  the 
top  of  this  mountain  and  there  scalped. 

Hadley  was  attacked  by  the  Indians 
while  the  inhabitants  were  at  church, 
and  was  near  falling  into  their  hands, 
when  a stranger — a venerable  old  man — 
made  his  appearance,  and  by  his  active 
resistance  encouraged  them  to  repel  the 
enemy.  It  was  not  known  at  the  time 
who  he  was,  or  whither  lie  went;  but 
there  is  now  little  doubt  that  he  was 
Groffe,  one  of  Charles  the  First’s  judges, 
who  was  secreted  for  a length  of  time 
in  this  town.  The  remains  of  his  coffin, 
it  is  believed,  were  discovered  a few 
years  since  in  the  cellar-wall  of  a house 
(near  the  present  academy)  which  was 
formerly  inhabited  by  one  of  his  friends. 

Hvtfield,  one  mile  from  Hadley,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  is  much  de- 
voted to  the  wintering  of  cattle  raised 
on  the  neighboring  hilly  country.  The 
grass  is  very  fine,  and  the  barns  are 


large  ; which,  with  the  appearance  of  the 
houses,  gives  the  place  an  air  of  substan- 
tial agricultural  wealth.  The  cattle  are 
bought,  stabled,  and  fatted,  whence  they 
are  chiefly  sent  by  railroad  to  Brighton. 

Amherst,  situated  on  elevated  ground, 
is  five  miles  from  Hadley,  and  off  the  riv- 
er toward  the  northeast. 

Amherst  College,  in  this  town,  ranks 
among  the  most  respectable  in  New  Eng- 
land. The  situation  occupied  by  the 
buildings  is  pleasant,  commanding  a rich, 
extensive,  and  varied  view,  partly  over 
the  meadows  of  Connecticut  river,  with 
mountains  seen  in  different  directions. 
The  retired  situation  is  highly  favorable 
to  study  and  good  order,  as  its  elevation 
and  pure  air  are  conducive  to  health. 

The  three  college  buildings,  one  of 
which  is  seen,  in  all  its  length,  on  the 
l ight  side  of  our  print,  are  fine,  substan- 
tial edifices.  That  which  is  most  dis- 
tinctly visible  is  four  stories  high,  with  a 
Doric  portico  projecting  from  the  mid- 
dle, and  a dome  rising  from  the  centre 
of  the  roof.  Toward  the  left  are  the 
new  buildings,  lately  erected  for  the 
cabinet  of  natural  history  and  the  astro- 
nomical observatory  ; while  a cluster  of 
dwellings,  with  a church  in  the  midst, 
and  a number  of  scattering  houses,  show 
the  elevated  and  agreeable  situation  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  village. 

Amherst  college  was  founded  in  1821, 
and  incorporated  in  1825,  by  act  of  the 
legislature  of  Massachusetts.  The  Rev. 
Edward  Hitchcock,  long  distinguished 
as  the  professor  of  geology,  &c.,  was 
elected  in  1843  as  the  successor  of  the 
president,  Dr.  Humphrey,  and  ably  oc- 
cupies his  station. 

There  are  professors  of  rhetoric  and 
English  literature  ; mathematics  and  nat- 
ural philosophy ; chymistry  and  natural 
history ; Greek  and  Hebrew ; zoology 
and  astronomy ; intellectual  and  moral 
philosophy;  and  Latin  and  French. 
There  are  also  three  tutors,  a preceptor 
in  German  and  French,  and  a lecturer 
on  political  economy. 

The  libraries  of  the  college  and  liter- 
ary societies  contain  about  15,000  vol- 
umes. The  college  library  is  accessible 
to  all  the  students.  The  north,  middle, 
and  south  college  buildings  are  capa- 


View  of  Amherst  College,  with  the  New  Cabinet  and  Observatory,  from  the  Southwest. 


\ 

106  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


cious,  convenient,  and  situated  in  a man- 
ner highly  favorable  to  appearance. 

At  the  dedication  of  the  new  cabinet 
and  observatory,  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1848,  a large  number  of  distinguished 
men  attended,  on  which  occasion  due 
acknowledgments  were  made  to  the  lib- 
eral patrons  of  the  institution,  who  at 
different  periods  had  rendered  it  essen- 
tial aid  from  their  estates  ; and  gratify- 
ing evidence  was  afforded  by  a recapit- 
ulation of  contributions  and  donations 
received  within  a few  months,  that  its 
character  and  usefulness  are  more  highly 
appreciated  than  ever.  The  president 
paid  a most  appropriate  and  well-merited 
compliment  to  one  of  the  principal  bene- 
factors, in  the  following  words  : “ In 

the*  astronomical  observatory  at  Cam- 
bridge is  a massive  tower,  called  the 
‘Sears  Tower/  which  susiains  one  of 
the  most  splendid  telescopes  in  the  world. 
But  in  the  ‘ Sears  Foundation  of  Liter- 
ature and  Benevolence ’*  in  Amherst  col- 
lege, we  have  a more  endurin  g structure.” 
A letter  from  the  Hon.  David  Sears 
was  read,  containing  the  following  para- 
graphs:—  . . 

“ It  is  the  peculiar  characteristic  of 
Massachusetts  to  give  encouragement  to 
learning,  and  to  cherish  her  literary  in- 
stitutions. It  is  a sentiment  which  has 
grown  with  her  growth  and  strength- 
ened with  her  strength,  and  almost  marks 
her  as  a distinct  people.  From  the  land- 
ing of  their  forefathers,  in  1620,  to  the 
present  day,  her  sons — while  differing  on 
other  subjects — have  thought  alike  on 
this,  and  they  have  reason  to  be  proud 
of  the  result. 

“ The  colleges  of  Massachusetts  are 
aptly  called  seminaries  of  learning,  for 
by  them  the  seeds  of  knowledge,  of  vir- 
tue, of  morality,  and  religion,  are  sown 
broadcast  through  our  land.  Go  where 
you  will,  from  Maine  to  Mexico,  from 
Ohio  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  much  of 

* It  appears  that  a most  liberal  individual  donation 
to  Amherst  college  has  been  made  by  the  Hon.  David 
Sears,  of  Boston,  consisting  of  real  estate  in  that  city, 
which  is  estimated  by  the  donor  to  be  of  the  value 
of  $12,000.  This,  with  $10,000  formerly  bestowed 
by  him,  is  to  constitute  the  “ Sears  Foundation  of 
Literature  and  Benevolence which,  although  for  the 
present  it  does  not  yield  a large  income,  yet  such  are 
the  terms  on  which  it  is  bestowed,  that  it  must  ulti- 
mately become  of  great  value  to  the  college. 


what  you  find  among  the  people  that  is 
good  and  honest,  intelligent  and  success- 
ful, owes  its  origin  to  the  loins  or  educa- 
tion of  New  England — and  principally 
of  Massachusetts.  In  my  humble  opin- 
ion, our  colleges  are  the  great  conserva- 
tives of  ihe  Union,  and  we  are  deeply 
indebted  to  them  for  whatever  of  honest 
principle  and  integrity  of  character  exists 
among  ns. 

“ Especially  permit  me  to  notice  the 
observatory,  and  the  liberal  and  enlight- 
ened gentleman  whose  name  stands  the 
first  on  the  list  of  patrons.*  I trust  that 
the  foundatiomthus  laid  by  him  will  here- 
after sustain  the  instrumejits  of  modern 
science  to  draw  from  the  skies  a knowl- 
edge of  the  stars — to  demonstrate  to  men 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  magnificence 
of  his  works — and  show  to*  their  won- 
dering minds  that  ‘ the  thousand  brilliant 
worlds  which  circle  round  Him  are  gov- 
erned by  one  law/  and  that  ‘ in  wisdom 
he  has  made  them  all.’ 

“I venture  to  conclude  my  answer  to  j 
you,  reverend  sir,  with  the  following  sen-  | 
timent : Literary  talent  and  pecuniary  \ 
ability — may  their  zeal  be  ever  found  I 
united  in  building  up  the  halls  of  learn-  j 
ing,  and  extending  the  altars  of  religion.”  ; 

The  Wood  Cabinet  is  of  brick,  of  an  : 
octagonal  form,  and  forty-five  feet  in  di- 
ameter, with  two  lofty  stories.  It  is  slue-  ; 
coed  without  as  well  as  within,  and  the  ] 
two  halls  which  it  contains  are  orna-  j 
mented  with  fresco  painting.  Great  care  f 
has  been  taken  to  render  this  building 
secure  from  fire.  The  floors  are  fire-  1 
pi*oof ; the  upper  one  is  supported  by  j 
four  strong  it  on  pillars;  and  the  doors  j 
are  of  iron,  weighing  nearly  half  a ton 
each. 

The  Lawrence  Observatory  is  an  oc-  ! 
tagonal  tower,  forty-four  feet  high  and  ; 
eighteen  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  sur-  | 
mounted  by  a dome  ten  feet  high,  which 
is  so  made  as  to  be  easily#moved  round  j 
to  the  right  or  the  left,  for  the  conveni-  ■ 
ence  of  observers  using  the  telescope.  | 
As  in  the  observatory  at  West  Point, 
&c.,  the  dome  rests  upon  several  can-  t 
lion-balls,  placed  . between  large  iron 
hoops,  or  circular  track-ways,  which  per- 
form the  part  of  wheels. 

* Hou.  Abbott  Lawrence. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


107 


The  Sugarloaf  is  an  isolated  hill,  of 
a conical  form,  about  three  miles  south 
of  Deerfield.  The  way  by  which  we 
approach  it  lies  nearly  along  the  old 
road  which  led  thilher  through  the  wil- 
derness, in  1675,  when  it  was  deserted 
by  the  settlers,  and  Captain  Lothrop 
was  despatched,  with  a body  of  eighty 
soldiers  and  wagoners,  to  bring  off  the 
grain.  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain  is 
the  small  village  of  Bloody  Brook  ; and, 
near  ihe  spot  where  a bridge  crosses 
the  stream,  Captain  Lothrop  was  am- 
bushed by  about  eight  hundred  Indians. 
The  place  was  a marshy  piece  of  ground ; 
and  some  traces  of  the  road,  which  was 
formed  of  logs,  are  sti^l  to  be  seen,  run- 
ning through  the  fields  without  crossing 
at  ihe  bridge.  The  convoy  halted  at 
this  place,  and  ihe  soldiers  were  gener- 
ally engaged  in  gathering  grapes  from 
the  vines  which  ran  on  the  trees,  having 
left  their  muskets  on  the  ground,  when 
the  Indians  fired  upon  them.  Captain 
Lothrop  gave  orders  that  the  men  should 
disperse,  and  fire  from  behind  the  trees  ; 
but  they  were  all  cut  off  except  eight  or 
ten.  This  massacre  was  one  of  the  most 
calamitous  which  ever  occurred  in  New 
England,  taken  into  view  with  the  small 
number  of  inhabitants  at  the  time  ; as 
the  company  consisted  of  young  men, 
from  the  principal  families  in  the  eastern 
towns. 

Deerfield. — The  meadow  near  Deer- 
field was  the  scene  of  several  skirmishes 
with  the  Indians  at  different  times,  as  the 
place  was  a frontier  for  many  years,  al- 
though it  was  twice  burnt  and  deserted. 
In  1704,  the  period  of  its  last  destruc- 
tion, a large  body  of  Indians,  led  on  by 
a few  Frenchmen  from  Canada,  came 
upon  the  town  before  daylight,  and  after 
massacring  many  of  its  inhabitants  and 
burning  their  dwellings,  retreated,  taking 
Mrs.  Williams  a captive  to  Canada. 

The  Landing  of  the  Tiigrima  at  Plym- 
outh, which  is  represented  in  the  vignette 
at  the  head  of  this  description  of  Massa- 
chusetts, is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  important  events  which  ever  hap- 
pened on  the  western  continent. 

New  England  was  settled  by  puritans, 
and  still  retains  much  of  the  spirit  and 
principles  of  its  founders.  The  puritans 


were  the  same  men  to  whom  England 
owed  her  first  emancipation  from  the 
tyranny  of  the  Stuart  family — the  same 
men  whose  political  principles,  sternly 
asserted,  led  to  the  Revolution  of  16S8, 
and  ihus  gave  to  our  transatlantic  pro- 
genitors whatever  civil  freedom  th^y 
now  enjoy — the  same  men  whose  de 
scendants  led  in  the  American  Revolu- 
tion of  1776,  and  thus  set  an  example 
whose  influence,  after  overturning  many 
ancient  dynasties  and  changing  the  whole 
political  aspect  of  Europe,  is  still  felt  in 
the  more  silent  but  certain  progress  of 
liberal  principles,  and  the  wider  diffusion 
of  equal  rights.  John  Robinson  may  be 
justly  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the 
sect  o t independents  or  (as  called  in  New 
England)  congregational  ists.  The  most 
important  feature  of  their  ecclesiastical 
system  is  the  independence  of  each  church 
or  congregation,  of  all  bishops,  synods,  or 
councils,  and  its  direct  dependence  on 
the  Head  of  the  Christian  church  himself. 
The  preaching  of  such  a doctrine  could 
not  but  offend  the  government  of  Eng- 
land. It  drew  upon  the  devoted  heads 
of  its  disciples  the  determined  persecu- 
tion of  Elizabeth  and  James,  and  exas- 
perated the  civil  war,  which,  terminating 
in  the  dethronement  of  Charles  I.,  finally 
gave  the  ascendency  to  the  puritans. 

It  was  to  avoid  the  persecution  of 
James  that  the  English  exiles  composing 
Mr.  Robinson’s  congregation  remained 
for  ten  years  at  Leyden.  But  the  same 
pious  views  incited  them  to  undertake 
a more  distant  migration.  They  at  first 
cast  their  eyes  upon  Guiana,  of  which 
Raleigh  had  given  a glowing  description, 
but  subsequently  decided  to  seek  an  es- 
tablishment in  Virginia.  Agents  were 
despatched  to  England,  to  obtain  per- 
mission from  the  king.  James,  although 
desirous  to  promote  the  increase  of  the 
colony  which  had  been  planted  under 
his  auspices,  was  unwilling  to  sanction 
their  religious  opinions  by  taking  them 
under  his  protection.  The  utmost  he 
would  promise  was,  to  connive  at  their 
practices,  and  refrain  from  molesting 
them.  After  accepting  this  precarious 
security,  they  procured  from  the  Plym- 
outh company  a grant  of  a tract  of  land , 
lying,  as  was  supposed,  within  the  limits 


108  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


ofits  patent ; a partnership  or  joint-stock 
company  was  formed,  on  disadvantageous 
terms,  with  certain  merchants  in  London, 
in  order  to  raise  the  funds  necessary  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  emigration  and 
settlement.  Two  vessels  were  obtained 
— the  Speedwell,  of  sixty,  and  the  May- 
Flower,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons 
burden — in  which  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty of  their  number  were  appointed  to 
embark  from  an  English  port  for  Amer- 
ica. These  were  to  act  as  the  pioneers 
of  the  whole  congregation.  They  were 
destined  to  figure  in  the  world’s  history 
as  the  celebrated  pilgrims  of  New  Eng- 
land. 

They  sought  retirement,  isolation,  and 
an  opportunity  of  founding  a small  com- 
munity of  puritans,  where,  apart  from  all 
the  world,  their  peculiar  doctrines  could 
be  transmitted  from  father  to  son,  with- 
out attracting  the  notice  of  king  or  bish- 
op. But  they  had  a higher  destiny  : they 
were,  in  fact,  to  become  the  most  efficient 
among  the  founders  of  a great  empire,  in 
which  their  own  principles  should  flour- 
ish for  ages  after,  and  a more  liberal 
system  of  religious  freedom  should  be 
learned  and  taught  by  their  descendants. 

Robinson  and  his  people  devoted  their 
last  meeting  in  Europe  to  an  act  of  sol- 
emn and  social  worship,  intended  to  im- 
plore a blessing  from  Heaven  upon  the 
enterprise  in  which  they  were  about  to 
engage;  and  on  July  22,  1620,  sailed 
from  Delft  haven  for  Southampton — 
whence,  after  remaining  a fortnight,  they 
sailed  for  America  : but  they  were  com- 
pelled by  the  bad  condition  of  the  Speed- 
well, and  the  treachery  ofits  captain,  to 
put  back  twice  before  their  final  depart- 
ure. The  Speedwell  was  abandoned  ; 
a portion  of  the  company,  who  were  dis- 
mayed at  the  evident  dangers  of  the  voy- 
age, were  dismissed,  reducing  their  num- 
ber to  one  hundred  and  one,  including 
women  and  children.  This  company 
were  ail  crowded  into  the  May-Flower, 
which  set  sail  from  Plymouth,  Septem- 
ber 6,  16204  bearing  the  founders  of 
New  England  across  the  Atlantic. 

December  22d,  after  imploring  the 
Divine  guidance  and  protection,  the  peo- 
ple lauded  and  commenced  a settlement. 
This  day  is  s' ill  celebrated  by  the  de- 


scendants of  the  pilgrims  as  the  anniver- 
sary of  New  England’s  birth.  They 
gave  the  town  the  name  of  Plymouth,  in 
remembrance  of  the  hospitalities  they 
had  receivediat  the  last  port  in  England 
from  which  they  had  sailed.  Their  first 
operations  consisted  in  measuring  out  the 
land  to  the  different  families,  laying  a 
platform  for  their  ordnance,  and  erect- 
ing habitations.  It  was  not  till  Decem- 
ber 31st  that  they  were  able  to  celebrate 
the  sabbath,  with  its  appropriate  exer- 
cises, in  a house  on  shore. 

The  hardships  undergone  by  the  peo- 
ple, in  exploring  the  bay  and  effecting 
a landing,  sowed  the  seeds  of  fatal  dis- 
ease ; their  provisions  were  scanty  ; the 
winter  was  extremely  severe  ; and  the  In- 
dians, remembering  the  kidnapping  ex- 
ploits of  Hunt  and  others,  were  hostile. 
More  than  half  the  colonists  died  before 
spring ; and  those  who  retained  their 
strength  were  hardly  sufficient  to  admin- 
ister to  the  urgent  wants  of  the  sick  and  } 
dying.  In  this  employment,  no  one  dis- 
tinguished himself  more  than  John  Car- 
ver, the  governor.  He  was  a man  of 
fortune,  who  had  spent  all  in  the  service  ( 
of  the  colony,  and  readily  sacri(iced  his 
life  ip  discharging  the  humblest  offices 
of  kindness  to  the  sick.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  William  Bradford,  who  was 
reelected  for  many  successive  years. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  pilgrims  j 
ill  New  England,  a sweeping  pestilence  [ 
had  carried  off  whole  tribes  of  natives*  J , 
in  the  region  where  they  had  now  set-  < j 
tied.  The  traces  of  former  habitations  I 
were  apparent,  but  no  Indians  were 
found  residing  in  their  immediate  vicin- 
ity. The  spring,  which  restored  health 
to  the  colonists,  brought  them  also  an 
agreeable  surprise,  in  the  visit  of  some 
friendly  Indians.  The  visit  of  Samoset, 
whose  previous  intercourse  with  the  Eng- 
lish fishermen  enabled  him  to  salute  them 
with  “ Welcome,  welcome  Englishmen  !” 
was  followed  by  that  of  Massasoit,  the 
principal  sachem  of  the  country,  with  | 
whom  the  celebrated  treaiy  was  con- 
cluded, which  was  inviolably  observed  j 
for  more  than  fifty  years,  and  contrib- 
uted during  that  period,  more  than  any 
other  circumstance,  to  secure  New  Eng- 
land from  the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare.. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  109 


We  can  not  close  our  description  of 
Massachusetts  more  appropriately,  than 
by  giving  biographical  sketches  of  two 
of  her  most  eminent  statesmen.  Occupy- 
ing as  they  did  exalted  stations  at  the  ex- 
treme points  in  her  history,  the  impress 
of  their  characters  has  been  so  strongly 
marked  on  the  institutions  of  the  state 
that  it  will  never  be  effaced.  We  refer 
to  John  Winthrop,  the  father  of  the 
Massachusetts  colony,  and  John  Quincy 
Adams,  whose  life,  from  early  youth 
to  a ripe  old  age,  was  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  country,  in  its  most  im- 
portant offices. 

John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of 
Massachusetts. — We  know  of  nothing 
in  the  history  of  colonies  marked  with  so 
many  peculiarities,  as  the  first  settlement 
of  New  England.  No  others  were  ever 
founded  for  purposes  strictly  religious. 
Christian  faith  gave  a tone  to  society  that 
is  still  felt  throughout  the  community. 
The  belief  of  a special  Providence  di- 
recting all  matters  of  government,  and 
ordering  its  changes,  visiting  vice  with 
temporal  calamities,  and  giving  peculiar 
aid' to  right  motives,  seemed  to  bring 
man  into  more  immediate  communica- 
tion with  his  Maker,  and  to  inspire  him 
with  high  resolves.*  It  was  in  this  way 
that  the  colonists  sustained  themselves 
through  the  difficulties  and  dangers  which 
met  them  at  every  step,  and  which  it  was 
the  daily,  constant  occupation  of  their 
lives  to  surmount.  But  for  this  princi- 
ple, it  would  not  be  easy  to  understand 
fully  the  prevailing  character  of  the  early 
period  of  their  history,  and  to  judge 
aright  of  the  principles  which  supported 

* Our  Pilgrim  Fathers. — When  our  fathers  fled 
from  persecution  in  England,  and  sought  an  asylum 
in  this  country,  they  at  first  depended  much  upon  the 
supplies  of  food  from  the  mother-country.  A com- 
pany of  them  having  at  one  time  gone  to  the  sea- 
shore, after  looking  anxiously  for  a vessel  which  was 
to  bring  them  corn,  and  being  disappointed,  hunger 
ipduced  them  to  search  among  the  pebbles  for  some- 
thing to  satisfy  the  craving  demands  of  nature. — And 
sincere  was  their  gratitude  to  Him  who  openeth  his 
hand  and  satislieth  the  desire  of  every  living  thing,” 
when  they  found  in  the  sand  a kind  of  mussel,  of 
which  they  partook,  and  found  to  be  wholesome  and 
nutricious.  One  day.  after  they  had  finished  a hearty 
meal  cf  this  kind,  a venerable  old  man  stood  up  and 
returned  thanks,  by  blessing  God  that  he  had  ful- 
filled to  them  the  promise  made  to  Zebulon,  Dkut. 
xxxiii , 19  : “ They  shall  offer  sacrifices  of  righteous- 
ness, for  they  shall  suck  of  the  abundance  of  the  seas, 
and  of  treasures  hid  in  the  sand.” 


the  fathers  of  New  England  in  their  strug- 
gles, situated  as  we  are  in  the  midst  of 
ease  and  prosperity.  Indeed  the  whole 
character  of  those  who  influenced  and 
directed  their  councils,  has  never  been 
correctly  estimated.  By  some  it  has 
been  viewed  as  a model  for  the  present 
generation,  possessed  of  every  virtue, 
without  blemish  or  reproach.  Others 
have  seen  nothing  but  bigotry,  hypocri- 
sy, a spirit  of  persecution,  gloomy  super- 
stition, and  an  absence  of  the  social  graces 
and  virtues.  Both  of  these  views  do  vio- 
lence to  human  nature,  history,  and  truth. 
There  is  a manifest  want  of  justice  in 
deciding  upon  any  portion  of  history  in 
the  abstract,  or  by  views  which  are  ob- 
tained in  a more  refined  and  cultivated 
state  of  society,  where  questions  of  nat- 
ural right  are  better  understood.  A more 
correct  judgment  may  be  formed  by  ta- 
king into  the  estimate  the  general  state 
of  society  at  the  time,  and  afiy  peculiar- 
ities in  the  combination  of  circumstances 
that  go  to  form  the  aggregate.  If  we 
apply  this  rule  to  the  early  settlers  of 
New  England,  we  may  lament  the  se- 
verities with  which  they  visited  differing 
shades  of  opinion  and  disrespect  of  au- 
thority, the  readiness  which  they  mani- 
fested to  believe  that  the  calamities  which 
befell  the  earing,  and  their  enemies,  were 
instances  of  the  Divine  indignation.  We 
could  wish  that  some  things  had  been 
otherwise,  some  we  would  blot  out ; but 
we  can  not  join  with  those  who  tread  with 
contempt  upon  their  ashes,  and  condemn 
the  principal  features  of  their  character. 
They  were  no  common  men  who  guided 
the  sufferers  from  the  vengeance  of  pow- 
er to  these  shores.  Virtue  was  strong  ; 
religion  found  her  votaries,  who  were 
willing  to  quit  the  hearths  and  altars,  the 
refinement  and  luxuries  of  the  old  world, 
to  erect  temples  to  the  Most  High  in  the 
deep  silence  of  our  forests.  We.  can 
not  join  in  a general  condemnation  of 
those  who  fostered  the  good  institutions 
that  have  descended  to  us;  strengthened 
them  against  the  violence  of  opposition; 
planted  the  seeds  of  liberty,  now  in  full 
fruit;  and  cherished  religion,  till  it  be- 
came an  essential  element  in  the  consti- 
tution of  society.  Surely  it  is  some  praise 
I that  they  planted  churches  in  every  vil- 


ffflDMH  Wni!f  BIE©Fs 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  CITY  OF  BOSTON, 


iivn  PIIJ^T  OOVF.R1MOR  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Ill 


lage;  that,  by  the  system  of  free  schools, 
established  in  many  towns  so  early  as 
1645,  and  by  law  in  1648,  they  sent  the 
kiildly  influences  of  learning  to  the  fire- 
side of  the  humblest  citizen;  and,  to 
crown  all,  founded  that  venerable  uni- 
versity, which  for  two  centuries  has  been 
the  direct  source  of  incalculable  good  to 
the  people,  and  may  bo  regarded  as,  in 
an  important  sense,  the  parent  of  many 
of  the  similar  institutions  in  our  land; 
and  all.  this  at  a time  when  the  people 
were  few,  and,  by  reason  of  their  pover- 
ty, were  obliged,  for  one  year,  to  forbear 
laying  the  usual  tax. 

From  a general  view  of  our*early  his- 
tory, we  are  satisfied,  that  the  fathers  of 
New  England  were  upright,  intelligent, 
and  pious  men,  whose  main  endeavor 
was  to  strengthen  the  colonies  they  had 
planted,  according  to  their  ability  ; and 
that  even  their  errors,  in  most  instances, 
were  the  result  of  good  motives,  and  an 
ardent  desire  to  promote  religion,  learn- 
ing, purity,  and  all  the  best  interests  of 
the  community. 

Governor  Winthrop,  the  subject  of 
this  biography,  was  born  at  Groton,  in 
Suffolk,  England,  June  12,  1587;  and 
was  descended  from  an  ancient  and  hon- 
orable family.  His  grandfather  was  an 
eminent  lawyer,  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII.,  and  attached  to  the  reformation. 
His  father  was  of  the  same  profession, 
and  the  governor  himself  was  bred  a 
lawyer,  in  which  character  he  was  em- 
inent for  both  integrity  and  abilities.  In- 
deed, he  must  have  had  the  fairest  rep- 
utation, for  he  was  appointed  a justice 
of  the  peace  at  eighteen  years  of  age. 

When  the  design  of  settling  a colony 
in  New  England  was  undertaken,  Mr. 
Winthrop  was  chosen,  with  general  con- 
sent, to  conduct  the  enterprise.  His 
estate,  amounting  to  the  value  of  six  or 
seven  hundred  pounds  sterling  a year, 
he  converted  into  money,  and  embarked 
his  all  to  promote  the  settlement  of  New 
England.  When  he  left  Groton  he  was 
m the  forty-third  year  of  his  age.  He 
arrived  at  Salem  with  the  Massachusetts 
charter,  June  12,  1630. 

To  no  one  are  we  more  indebted  than 
ito  Winthrop,  not  only  for  the  manifold 
good  which  he  did  in  his  own  day,  but 


also  for  the  history  he  has  left  us  of  the 
early  transactions  in  church  and  state  in 
New  England,  and  especially  in  Massa- 
chusetts. His  work,  which,  as  we  gath- 
er from  him,  was  intended  for  publication 
and  for  posterity,  was  left  by  him  in 
manuscript,  in  three  parts.  These  had 
all  been  in  the  hands  of  Hubbard,  Mather, 
and  Prince,  who  it  seems  had  derived 
more  assistance  from  them  than  they 
would  acknowledge.  The  first  two  parts, 
bringing  the  history  down  to  1644,  were 
published  at  Hartford  in  Connecticut,  in 
1790.  The  third  part  was  discovered  in 
the  tower  of  the  old  South  church  in 
Boston,  in  1816.  On  collating  the  man- 
uscript of  the  first  two  parts  with  the 
printed  volume,  the  latter  was  found  to 
contain  many  errors;  and  the  whole 
work  has  been  published  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  the  legislature  of  that  state; 
the  third  part  had  never  before  been 
published.  It  continues  the  history  down 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  Much  inter- 
esting matter,  and  many  important  facts, 
are  contained  in  this  part.  Of  these,  are 
relations  of  the  various  discussions  be- 
tween the  magistrates  and  deputies  rela- 
tive to  their  respective  powers  ; an  ac- 
count of  the  synod  that  met  at  Cambridge 
to  establish  the  platform  of  church  dis- 
ciple and  government;  a defence  against 
the  charges  which  were  raised  to  the 
prejudice  of  the  colonists,  by  their  ene- 
mies, and  preferred  before  the  com  mis-  i 
sioners  in  England.  These  all  serve  to 
fill  up  the  delineation  of  the  character  of 
the  fathers  of  New  England  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  contents  of  Winthrop’s  “ History 
of  New  England,”  are  so  various,  that 
it  is  difficult  to  make  an  extract  that  will 
do  justice  if)  the  author.  But  we  select 
at  a venture  his  “ little  speech,”  as  he 
terms  it.  In  1645,  when  he  was  deputy 
governor,  he  was  singled  out  from  the 
rest  of  the  magistrates,  who  had  acted 
with  him,  to  defend  the  legality  of  his 
proceedings,  in  committing  to  prison 
certain  persons  in  Hingham,  who  had 
been  concerned  in  some  disturbance  of 
the  peace,  and  who  refused  to  find  sure- 
ties for  their  appearance  at  court.  The 
day  of  Winthrop’s  trial  came,  and  he 


112 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


declined  taking  his  seat  upon  the  bench. 
Speaking  of  himself,  as  he  does  through- 
out, in  the  third  person,  he  says  : “ The 
day  appointed  being  come,  the  court  as- 
sembled in  the  meetinghouse  at  Boston. 
Divers  of  the  elders  were  present,  and 
a great  assembly  of  the  people.  The 
deputy  governor,  coming  in  with  the 
rest  of  the  magistrates,  placed  himself 
beneath,  within  the  bar,  and  so  sate  un- 
covered. Some  question  was  in  court 
about  his  being  in  that  place  (for  many 
of  both  the  court  and  assembly  were 
grieved  at  it).  But  the  deputy  telling 
them,  that,  being  criminally  accused,  he 
might  not  sit  as  a judge  in  that  cause, 
and  if  he  were  upon  the  bench,  it  would 
be  a great  disadvantage  to  him,  for  he 
could  not  take  that  liberty  to  plead  the 
cause,  which  he  ought  to  be  allowed  at 
the  bar  ; upon  this  the  court  was  satis- 
fied.” 

Winthrop  was  fully  and  honorably  ac- 
quitted of  all  the  charges  brought  against, 
him.  The  governor  (Dudley)  read  the 
sentence  of  the  court.  “ Then  was  the 
deputy  governor  desired  by  the  court  to 
go  up  and  take  his  place  again  upon  the 
bench,  which  he  did  accordingly,  and 
the  court  being  about  to  arise,  he  desired 
leave  for  a little  speech,  which  was  to 
this  effect : — 

“ 1 suppose  something  may  be  expect- 
ed from  me,  upon  this  charge  that  is  be- 
fallen me,  which  moves  me  to  speak  now 
to  you;  yet  I intend  not  to  intermeddle 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  court,  or  with 
j any  of  the  persons  concerned  therein. 
Only  I bless  God,  that  I see  an  issue  of 
this  troublesome  business.  I also  ac- 
knowledge the  justice  of  the  court,  and, 

I for  mine  own  part,  I am  well  satisfied. 

I I was  publicly  charged,  and  I am  pub- 
i licly  and  legally  acquitted,  r-uich  is  all 
j I did  expect  or  desire.  And  though  this 
be  sufficient  for  my  justification  before 
men,  yet  not  so  before  the  God,  who 
hath  seen  so  much  amiss  in  my  dispen- 
sations (and  even  in  this  affair)  as  calls 
me  to  be  humble.  For  to  be  publicly 
and  criminally  charged  in  this  court,  is 
matter  of  humiliation  (and  I desire  to 
make  a right  use  of  it),  notwithstanding 
I be  thus  acquitted.  If  her  father  had 
spit  in  her  face  (saith  thu  Lord  concern- 

1 . — 


ing  Miriam),  should  she  not  have  been 
ashamed  seven  days  ? Shame  had  lien 
upon  her,  whatever  the  occasion  had  \ 
been.  1 am  unwilling  to  stay  you  fr&m 
your  urgent  affairs,  yet  give  me  leave 
(upon  this  special  occasion)  to  speak  a 
little  mor6  to  this  assembly.  It  may  be 
of  some  good  use,  to  inform  and  rectify 
the  judgment  of  some  of  the  people,  and 
may  prevent  such  distempers  as  have 
arisen  amongst  us.  The  great  questions 
that  have  troubled  the  country,  are  about 
the  authority  of  the  magistrates  and  the 
liberty  of  the  people.  It  is  yourselves 
who  have  called  us  to  this  office,  and  be- 
ing called*  by  you,  we  have  our  authority 
from  God,  in  way  of  an  ordinance,  such 
as  hath  the  image  of  God  eminently 
stamped  upon  it,  the  contempt  and  vio-  j 
lation  whereof  hath  been  vindicated  with 
examples  of  divine  vengeance.  I en-  i 
treat  you  to  consider,  that,  when  you 
choose  magistrates,  you  take  them  from 
among  yourselves,  men  subject  to  like  j 
passions  as  you  are.  Therefore  when 
you  see  infirmities  in  us,  you  should  re-  ; 
fleet  upon  your  own,  and  that  would 
make  you  bear  the  more  with  us,  and 
not  be  severe  censurers  of  the  failings  of 
your  magistrates,  when  you  have  contin- 
ual experience  of  the  like  infirmities  in 
yourselves  and  others.  We  account  him 
a good  servant,  who  breaks  not  his  cov-  , 
enant.  The  covenant  between  you  and 
us  is  the  oath  you  have  taken  of  us,  which 
is  to  this  purpose,  that  we  shall  govern 
you,  and  judge  your  causes  by  the  rules 
of  God’s  laws  and  our  own,  according  to 
our  best  skill.  When  you  agree  with  a 
workman  to  build  you  a ship  or  house, 
&c.,  he  undertakes  as  well  for  his  skill 
as  for  his  faithfulness,  for  it  is  his  pro- 
fession, and  you  pay  him  for  both.  But 
when  you  call  one  to  be  a magistrate, , 
he  doth  not  profess  nor  undertake  to  have 
sufficient  skill  for  that  office,  nor  can  you 
furnish  him  with  gifts,  &c.,  therefore 
you  must  run  the  hazard  of  his  skill  and 
ability.  But  if  he  fail  in  faithfulness, 
which  by  his  oath  he  is  bound  unto,  that 
he  must  answer  for.  If  it  fall  out  that 
i the  case  be  clear  to  common  apprehen- 
; sion,  and  the  rule  clear  also,  if  he  trans- 
i j gress  here,  the  error  is  not  in  the  skill, 

■ ; but  in  the  evil  of  the  will ; it  must  be  re-j 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


quired  of  him.  But  if  the  cause  be 
doubtful,  or  the  rule  doubtful,  to  men 
of  such  understanding  and  parts  as  your 
magistrates  are,  if  your  magistrates 
should  err  here,  yourself  must  bear  it. 

“ For  the  other  point  concerning  lib- 
erty, I observe  a great  mistake  in  the, 
country  about  that.  There  is  a twofold 
liberty,  natural  (I  mean  as  our  nature  is 
now  corrupt)  and  civil  or  federal.  The 
first  is  common  to  man  with  beasts  and 
other  creatures.  By  this,  man,  as  he 
stands  in  relation  to  man  simply,  hath  j 
liberty  to  do  what  he  lists ; it  is  a liberty  j 
to  evil  as  well  as  to  good.  This  liberty  ! 
is  incompatible  and  inconsistent  with  j 
authority,  and  can  not  endure  the  least 
restraint  of  the  most  just  authority.  The 
exercise  and  maintaining  of  this  liberty 
make  men  grow  more  evil,  and  in  time 
to  be  worse  than  brute  beasts  : omnes 
sumus  licentia  deteriores.  This  is  that 
great  enemy  of  truth  and  peace,  that  wild 
beast,  which  all  the  ordinances  of  God  j 
are  bent  against,  to  restrain  and  subdue 
it.  The  other  kind  of  liberty  I call  civil 
or  federal,  it  may  also  be  termed  mtfral, 
in  reference  to  the  covenant  between  God 
and  man,  in  the  moral  law,  and  the  pol- 
itic covenants  and  constitutions,  amongst  j 
men  themselves.  This  liberty  is  the  | 
proper  end  and  object  of  authority,  and 
can  not  subsist  without  it : and  it  is  lib- 
erty, to  that  only  which  is  good,  just,  and 
honest.  This  liberty  you  are  to  stand 
for,  with  the  hazard  (not  only  of  your 
goods,  but)  of  your  lives,  if  need  be. 
Whatsoever  crosseth  this,  is  not  author- 
ity, but  a distemper  thereof.  This  liber- 
ty is  maintained  and  exercised  in  a way  of 
subjection  to  authority;  it  is  of  the  same 
kind  of  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  t 
made  us  free.  The  woman’s  own  choice  j 
makes  such  a man  her  husband ; yet  being 
so  chosen,  he  is  he^lord,  and  she  is  to  be 
subject  to  him,  yet  in  a way  of  liberty,  | 
not  of  bondage  ; and  a true  wife  accounts 
her  subjection  her  honor  and  freedom,  | 
and  would  not  think  her  condition  safe  | 
and  free,  but  in  her  subjection  to  her 
husband’s  authority.  Such  is  the  liberty 
of  the  church  under  the  authority  of  j 
Christ,  her  king  and  husband  ; his  yoke  } 
is  so  easy  and  sweet  to  her  as  a bride’s  ] 
ornaments  ; and  if,  though  frowardness,  | 


or  wantonness,  &c.,  she  shake  it  off,  at 
any  time,  she  is  at  no  rest  in  her  spirit, 
until  she  take  it  up  again ; and,  whether 
her  lord  smiles  upon  her,  and  embraceth 
her  in  his  arms,  or  whether  he  frowns, 
or  rebukes,  or  smites  her,  she  apprehends 
the  sweetness  of  his  love  in  all,  and  is 
refreshed,  supported,  and  instructed,  by 
every  such  dispensation  of  his  authority 
over  her.  On  the  other  side,  ye  know 
who  they  are  that  complain  of  this  yoke, 
and  say,  ‘ Let  us  break  their  bands,  &c., 
we  will  not  have  this  man  to  rule  over 
us.’  Even  so,  brethren,  it  will  be  be- 
tween you  and  your  magistrates.  If  you 
stand  for  your  natural  corrupt  liberties, 
and  will  do  what  is  good  in  you$  own 
eyes,  you  will  not  endure  the  least  weight 
of  authority,  but  will  murmur,  and  op- 
pose, and  be  always  striving  to  shake 
off  that  yoke  ; but  if  you  will  be  satisfied 
to  enjoy  such  civil  and  lawful  liberties, 
such  as  Christ  allows  you,  then  will  you 
quietly  and  cheerfully  submit  unto  that 
authority  which  is  set  over  you,  in  all 
the  administrations  of  it,  for  your  good. 
Wherein,  if  we  fail  at  any  time,  we  hope 
we  shall  be  willing  (by  God’s  assistance) 
to  hearken  to  good  advice  from  any  of 
you,  or  in  any  other  way  of  God;  so 
shall  your  liberties  be  preserved,  in  up- 
holding the  honor  and  the  power  of  au- 
thority amongst  you.” 

It  is  a very  full  evidence  of  the  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held,  that,  when  many 
gentlemen  of  character,  some  of  them 
of  noble  alliance,  were  concerned  in  the 
same  undertaking  with  him,  he,  by  a 
general  voice,  was  placed  at  their  head. 
He  says  himself,  in  his  excellent  journal, 
which  is  indeed  a treasure  to  all  who 
revere  the  memory  of  their  ancestors  : 
“ I was  first  chosen  to  be  governor  with- 
out my  seeking  or  expectation,  there  be- 
ing then  divers  other  gentlemen,  who, 
for  their  abilities,  every  way  were  far 
more  fit.” 

He  was  eleven  times  chosen  governor, 
and  spent  his  whole  estate  in  the  public 
service.  His  son  John,  and  his  grand- 
son, Fitz-John  (who  was  a captain  in 
Col.  Reed’s  regiment  at  the  Restoration 
in  1660),  were  successively  governors 
of  Connecticut  colony,  and  Wait-Still, 
another  grandson,  was  chief  justice  of 


8 


114 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


The  Death-! 


Massachusetts.  Stephen,  another  son 
of  the  elder  Winthrop,  went  to  England 
in  1645  or  1646,  had  the  command  of  a 
regiment,  and  succeeded  Harrison  in  his 
major-generalship,  was  a member  of 
parliament  for  Scotland  in  1656,  and 
was  much  trusted  by  the  Protector. 
The  family,  in  every  generation,  have 
occupied  high  stations,  and  been  deser- 
vedly held  in  great  respect.  Its  charac- 
ter is  now  most  worthily  sustained  by 
Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  the  late 
distinguished  and  eloquent  speaker  of 
the  house  of  representatives,  in  the  Uni- 
ted States’  Congress  ; and  the  Hon. 
David  Sears,  of  Boston.  This  latter 
gentleman  has  been  repeatedly  a mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts, 
as  both  representative  and  senator,  be- 
tween the  years  1816  and  1851. 

Governor  Winthrop  died  March  26, 
1649,  in  the  62d  year  of  his  age,  and 
was  buried  April  3d,  in  the  northern 
corner  of  the  King’s  chapel  burying- 
ground.  We  may  truly  say  of  him,  as 
he  finely  said  of  the  husband  of  Lady 
Arabella  Johnson,  “He  was  a holy  man 
and  wise,  and  died  in  sweet  peace.”  He 


of  Winthrop. 

conducted  himself  with  such  address  and 
unshaken  rectitude,  as  to  render  his  char- 
acter universally  respected  among  his 
contemporaries,  and  his  memory  dear  to 
posterity.  In  his  magnanimity,  disin- 
terestedness. moderation,  and  harmoni- 
ous character,  the  father  of  Massachu- 
setts reminds  us  of  the  great  “father  of 
his  country,”  and  is  the  only  name  in 
our  history  worthy  to  stand  as  a parallel 
to  Washington. 

“ His  was  the  upright  deed, 

His  the  unswerving  course, 

’Mid  every  thwarting  current’s  force, 

Unchanged  by  venal  aim,  or  flattery’s  hollow  reed  t 
The  holy  truth  walked  ever  by  his  side, 

And  in  his  bosom  dwelt,  companion,  judge,  and 
But  when  disease  revealed  [guide. 

To  his  unclouded  eye,  ^ 

The  stern  destroyer  standing  nigh, 

Where  turned  he  for  a shield  ? 

W rapt  he  the  robe  of  stainless  rectitude 
Around  his  heart,  to  meet  cold  Jordan’s  flood  ? 
Grasped  he  the  staff  of  pride, 

His  steps,  through  death’s  dark  vale  to  guide  ? 

Ah,  no  ! self  righteousness  he  cast  aside, 

Clasping,  with  firm  and  fearless  faith,  the  cross  of 
Him  who  died, 

Serene,  serene, 

He  passed  the  crumbling  verge  of  tln^  terrestrial 
Breathed  soft,  in  childlike  trust,  [scene, 

The  parting  groan, 

Gave  back  to  dust  its  dust — 

To  Heaven  its  own." 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


115 


THE  WINTHROP  FAMILY  TOMB,  IN  KING’S  CHAPEL 'BURYING-GROUND, 

JREMONT  STREET,  BOSTON. 

This  ancient  Monument  originally  had  inscribed  on  it  the  Epitaph  which  is  given 
below  ; but  it  is  said  that  the  letters  having  become  nearly  obliterated  by  time,  or  injured 
by  accident  or  design,  during  the  Revolution,  the  -stone  was  replaced  by  another,  which 
bears  the  names  and  ages  of  the  members  of  the  family  as  follows : — 

JOHN  WINTHROP, 

GOVERNOR  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

Died,  164  9. 

Major-General 

WAIT  STILL  WINTHROP, 

Died  September  1th , 1717.  Aged  76  Years. 

ANN  WINTHROP  SEARS, 

The  Wife  of  David  Sears, 

Died  Oct.  2d , 1789.  Aged  33  Years. 

Here  also  rest  the  remains  of  John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
[eldest  son  of  John,  the  Founder  of  Boston,  and  first  Governor  of  Massachusetts.] 

He  died  at  Boston,  5th  April,  1676. 

Fitz-John  Winthrop,  his  son,  Governor  of  Connecticut,  died  at  Boston,  27th 
November,  1707. 

Thomas  L.  Winthrop,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Massachusetts,  died  22d 
Feb.  1840. 


STAND  TRAVELLER, 

And  admire  ye  Tomb, 

And  to  ye  Public  Tears  add  your  own, 

Bewail  ye  public  Loss, 

If  of  ye  publick  you  are  part 
This  place  is  a Prince’s  Court 
Rather  than  a Tomb. 

This  marble  covers  dust 
Worthy  to  be  enclosed  in  Gold. 

Four  WINTHROPS  lie  buried  in  this  Tomb, 

Who  were  sufficient  to  enrich  ev’n  ye  four  quarters  of 
ye  Earth. 

He  is  unacquainted  with  ye  history  of  New  England 
Who  is  ignorant  of  this  Family, 

And  he  has  no  regard  for.  Universal  Virtue 
That  does  not  highly  value  it 
The  last  of  these 
here  Interr’d 

Was  Wait  Winthrop,  Esqr 
Whose  last  Honour  was  this, 

That  he  was  Governour  of  New  England, 

He  was,  alas ! he  was 
Of  New  England,  ye  glory  & Defence, 

The  Light  and  Stay. 

Major-General  of  Massachusetts  Colony, 

Of  a noble  yet  peaceful  disposition, 

And  who  for  his  Country  and  for  Peace  could  die. 
President  of  ye  Council  for  ye  Province, 

Whose  chiefest  care  it  always  was 
That  ye  Commonwealth  might  receive  no  damage; 
And  in  whom  many  died. 

Chief  Judge, 

Who  paid  an  equal  regard  to  Justice  & Clemency. 
He  went  thro’  ye  most  honourable 
Stations  in  ye  Government, 


And  adorn’d  ye  Honours  w’ch  he  bcre, 
Deserving  those  he  bore  not. 

A person  of  ye  most  undissembled  piety 
And  unspotted  probity, 

Of  an  exalted  yet  a modest  Genius. 

He  placed  all  things  beneath  himself, 
Himself  beneath  all  men. 

Benevolent  tow’rds  all, 

And  most  so  tow’ds  ye  poor  & needy. 
Injurious  to  none  not  even  to  enemies; 

An  enemy  to  none, 

Ev’n  tho’  highly  provok’d. 

No  unhappy  person  was  by  him  rejected, 
Nor  poor  one  refus’d  admittance, 

Nor  did  any  go  away  displeas’d. 

He  was  skillfull  in  physick, 

And  being  possessed  of  Golden  Secrets, 
Indeed  more  valuable  than  Gold  itself, 

And  having  obtained  Universal  Remedies, 
Which  Hippocrates  & Helmont  never  knew, 
All  that  were  sick  where  e’er  he  came 
He  freely  restor’d  to  health, 

And  made  almost  his  whole  study  of  Nature 
Subservient  to  Medicine. 

He  that  under  this  stone  now  sleeps  in  death, 
Still  lives  in  ye  hearts  of  thousands 
Wjjose  lives  he  has  prolonged. 

’fhe  merits  of  Winthrop  with  Him 
Oblivion  shall  not  bury. 

He  was  born  ye  27th  day  of  December  1641, 
Died  ye  7th  day  of  September  1717, 

In  ye  76xth  year  of  his  age. 

They  who  value  Life  & still  enjoy  It, 
Wish’d  him  a Thousand  years  continuance  here, 
An  age  exceeding  that  of  Methusalem. 


115  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


John  Quincy  Adams  was  born  in 
that  part  of  Braintree,  now  Quincy,  near 
Boston,  July  11,  1767  — in  the  midst  of 
that  deep,  wide,  stormy  excitement  which 
preceded  the  separation  of  the  then  col- 
onies from  the  British  empire.  In  the 
agitation  of  that  period,  his  father  John 
Adams,  bore  a leading  part ; and  his 
mother,  a strong-minded  woman,  worthy 
of  that  heroic  age,  had  no  thought  or 
feeling  that  did  not  sympathize  with  her 
husband  and  her  country.  The  lessons 
of  his  infancy  were  lessons  of  patriotism 
and  of  resistance  to  wrong.  The  blood 
that  circled  in  his  veins  was  alive  with 
the  spirit  of  inflexible  opposition  to  ar- 
bitrary power.  He  was  nine  years  old 
at  the  date  of  the  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. 

Early  in  1778,  his  father,  who  had  been 
appointed  commissioner  with  Franklin 
and  Arthur  Lee,  at  the  court  of  Ver- 
sailles, took  him  to  France.  Thus  early 
did  he  become  cognizant  of  public  affairs, 
and  particularly  of  diplomatic  business. 
The  elder  Adams  was  training  his  son  for 
a life  of  patriotic  statesmanship.  A treaty 
having  been  signed  by  which  France  rec- 
ognised the  United  States  as  an  inde- 
pendent power,  Mr.  Adams  returned  with 
his  son  in  the  same  vessel  which  brought 
to  our  shores  the  first  ambassador  from 
France — the  first  that  ever  came  to  us 
from  any  foreign  power. 

Near  the  close  of  1779,  John  Adams 
was  again  sent  abroad  by  Congress,  as 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  negotiate  a 
peace  with  Great  Britain  ; and  again  his 
son  John  Quincy,  then  in  his  thirteenth 
year,  accompanied  him  to  Paris,  and 
thence,  a few  months  afterward,  to  Hol- 
land. The  son  was  placed  in  school  first 
at  Paris,  then  at  Amsterdam.  After- 
ward. while  his  father  continued  in  Hol- 
land, he  pursued  his  studies  at  the  uhi- 
versity  of  Leyden.  In  July,  1781,  Mr. 
Dana,  of  Massachusetts,  who  had  accom- 
panied John  Adams  as  secretary  of  lega- 
tion, went  as  minister  plenipotentiary 
from  Congress  to  the  empress  of  Rus- 
sia ; and  John  Quincy  Adams,  then  just 
fourteen  years  old,  went  with  him  as  his 
private  secretary.  A few  mouths  aftei- 
ward  he  returned  to  his  father  in  Hol- 
land. With  his  father  he  went  to  Paris, 


where  he  was  present  at  the  signing  of 
the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  — 
the  act  by  which  the  independence  of 
his  country  was  consummated. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  his  father  per* 
mitted  him  to  return  to  this  country.  He 
immediately  became  a student  in  Har- 
vard college,  where  he  graduated  with 
distinguished  honor.  He  pursued  the 
study  of  law  for  three  years,  having  the 
celebrated  Theophilus  Parsons  for  his 
instructor;  and  then  having  been  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  he  commenced  the  prac-  j 
tice  of  that  profession  in  Boston. 

In  1794,  when  he  was  just  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  he  received  from 
President  Washington  the  appointment 
of  minister  to  the  Netherlands.  From 
that  time  to  1801,  he  was  in  Europe,  em- 
ployed by  his  country  in  various  dip- 
lomatic services.  Just  as  General  Wash- 
ington was  retiring  from  office,  he  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Adams  minister  plenipoten- 
tiary to  the  court  of  Portugal.  While  on 
his  way  to  Lisbon  he  received  a new 
commission,  changing  his  destination  to 
Berlin.  During  his  residence  of  about 
three  years  and  a half  in  Berlin,  he  con- 
cluded an  important  commercial  treaty 
with  Prussia  — thus  accomplishing  the 
object  of  his  mission.  He  was  recalled 
near  the  close  of  his  father’s  administra- 
tion, and  arrived  in  his  native  country  in 
September,  1801. 

In  1802,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Boston 
district  to  the  senate  of  Massachusetts, 
and  soon  after  was  elected  by  the  legis- 
lature a senator  in  Congress  for  six  years, 
from  March  3,  1803.  He  remained  in 
the  senate  of  the  United  States,  until 
1808,  when  he  resigned.  While  in  the 
senate  he  received  the  appointment  of 
professor  of  rhetoric  in  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, an  office  which  he  filled  with  dis- 
tinguished ability. 

In  1809,  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Madison,  envoy  extraordinary  and 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of 
Russia,  where  he  rendered  the  most  im- 
portant services  to  his  country.  By  his 
influence  with  that  court  he  induced 
Russia  to  offer  her  mediation  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  when  the  proper 
time  had  arrived,  he  was  placed  by 


Residence  of  the  Adams'  Family,  Q.uincy,  Mass. 


J18  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

President  Madison  at  the  head  of  five 
distinguished  commissioners  to  negotiate 
a treaty  of  peace,  which  was  concluded 
at  Ghent,  in  1814.  Mr.  Adams  was  then 
associated  with  Mr.  Clay,  and  Mr.  Gal- 
latin, to  negotiate  a commerical  conven- 
tion with  Great  Britain,  and  was  forth- 
with appointed  minister  plenipotentiary 
to  the.  court- of  St.  James.  While  in 
Europe,  in  1811,  he  was  appointed  as- 
sociate justice  of  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States,  which  he  declined. 

Peace  being  restored,  he  resided  for 
two'1  years  as  the  representative  of  his 
country  at  the  court  of  Great  Britain. 
At  the  commencement  of  Mr.  Monroe’s 
administration,  in  1817,  he  was  called 
home  to  be  secretary  of  state.  F or  eight 
years  in  the  department  of  state,  he  was 
the  guiding  mind  of  that  wise,  peaceful, 
and  prosperous  administration.  That 
memorable  administration  was  perhaps 
as  much  the  administration  of  John 
Quincy  Adams  as  it  was  that  of  James 
Monroe. 

In  1825,  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  pres- 
ident by  the  votes  of  the  states  in  the 
house  of  representatives,  the  voting  in 
the  electoral  colleges  having  resulted  in 
no  choice.  Of  the  measures  and  policy 
of  his  administration,  we  may  not  speak 
particularly.  In  general  they  were  the 
same  with  those  which  had  characterized 
the  administration  of  Monroe. 

Two  years  after  his  retirement  from 
the  presidency,  the  people  of  the  con- 
gressional district  in  which  he  resided, 
elected  him  to  represent  them  in  Con- 
gress. At  the  commencement  of  the 
j session  in  1831,  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
hall  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and 
in  that  place  of  honor  and  of  duty,  the 
representative  of  Plymouth  Rock,  with 
generous  blood  from  the  May-Flower  in 
i his  veins,  was  continued  by  nine  succes- 
j sive  elections.  It  is  believed  to  have 

J been  the  earnest  wish  of  his  heart  to  di ' 
j like  Chatham  in  the  midst  ot  his  labors. 

1 It  was  a sublime  thought  that  where  he 
had  toiled  in  the  house  of  the  nation,  in 
hours  of  the  day  devoted  to  its  service, 
the  stroke  of  death  should  reach  him,  and 
there  sever  the  ties  of  love  and  patriotism 
which  bound  him  to  the  earth.  He  fell 
| in  his  seat,  on  the  21st  of  February,  1848, 

attacked  by  paralysis,  of  which  he  had 
before  been  a victim.  He  was  removed 
to  the  apartment  of  the  speaker,  where 
he  remained  surrounded  by  afflicted 
friends,  till  the  weary  clay  resigned  its 
immortal  spirit  two  days  afterward. 

“ This  is  the  end  of  earth  !”  Brief  but 
emphatic  words.  They  were  the  last 
uttered  by  the  dying  Christian. 

In  this  long  career  of  public  service, 
Mr.  Adams  was  distinguished  by  faith- 
ful attention  not  only  to  all  the  great  du- 
ties of  his  stations,  but  to  all  their  less 
and  minor  duties.  He  was  not  the  Sala- 
mi nian  galley,  to  be  launched  only  on 
extraordinary  occasions,  but  he  was  the 
ready  vessel,  always  launched  when  the 
duties  of  his  station  required  it,  be  the 
occasion  great  or  small.  As  president, 
as  cabinet  minister,  as  minister  abroad, 
he  examined  all  questions  that  came  be- 
fore him,  and  examined  all,  in  all  their 
parts,  in  all  the  minutiae  of  their  detail, 
as  well  as  In  all  the  vastness  of  their  com- 
prehension. As  senator,  and  as  a mem- 
ber of  the  house  of  representatives,  the 
obscure  committee-room  was  as  much 
the  witness  of  his  laborious  application 
to  the  drudgery  of  legislation  as  the  halls 
of  the  two  houses  were  to  the  ever-ready 
speech,  replete  with  knowledge,  which 
instructed  all  hearers,  enlightened  all 
subjects,  and  gave  dignity  and  ornament 
to  debate. 

In  the  observance  of  all  fhe  proprie- 
ties of  life,  Mr.  Adams  was  a most  noble 
and  impressive  example.  He  cultivated 
! the  minor  as  well  as  tlie  greater  virtues. 
Wherever  his  presence  could  give  aid  and 
countenance  to  what  was  useful  and  hon- 
orable to  man,  there  he  was.  In  the 
exercises  of  the  school  and  of  the  college 
! — in  the  meritorious  meetings  of  the 
agricultural,  mechanical,  and  commercial 
! societies — in  attendance  upon  Divine 
worship — he  gave  the  punctual  attend-  ' 
ance  rarely  seen  but  in  those  who  are 
free  from  the  weight  of  public  cares.  He 
has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers,  leaving 
behind  him  the  memory  of  public  ser- 
vices which  are  the  history  of  his  country 
for  half  a century,  and  the  example  of  a 
life,  public,  and  private,  which  should  be 
the  study  and  the  model  of  the  genera- 
tions of  his  countrymen. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


119 


Yale  College,  Courthouse,  &c 

CONNECTICUT. 

This  is  one  of  the  small  states 
of  the  Union,  hut  it  has  performed 
a part  of  much  importance  to  the 
general  interests  of  the  country,  in 
different  ways  and  at  different  pe- 
riods. It  was  not  only  one  of  the 
original  states,  but  contained  two 
of  the  oldest  colonies,  having  been 
settled  in  1636,  sixteen  years  after 
the  landing  at  Plymouth. 

The  boundaries  were  long  un- 
settled, and,  on  all  its  four  sides, 
contesting  claims  caused  agitation 
and  difficulty  for  years  : on  the  east,  with  Rhode  Island  ; on  the  north,  with 
Massachusetts;  and  on  the  west,  with  New  York:  which  three  states  are  now 
separated  from  Connecticut  chiefly  by  artificial  limits.  Having  settled  several 
towns  on  Long  Island,  Connecticut  long  extended  her  jurisdiction  across  the 
sound;  and  the  beautiful  valley  of  Wyoming,  in  Pennsylvania,  was  once  occupied 
by  her,  as  part  of  her  territory,  being  included  in  the  royal  patent  of  the  colony, 
which  extended  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 

The  limits  of  the  state,  as  long  since  finally  settled,  extend  from  latitude 
40°  2'  to  41°  north,  and  between  longitude  71°  20'  and  73°  15'  west.  It  con- 
tains 4,674  square  miles. 

I he  soil  is  generally  poor,  with  some  remarkable  exceptions,  especially  on  the 
fertile  meadows  of  Connecticut  river. 

By  a glance  at  the  map,  the-  reader  wall  see  that  this  state  is  crossed  by  three 
principal  ranges  of  high  land,  from  south  to  north,  which  give  their  general  direc- 
tion to  the  three  chief  streams — the  Connecticut  in  the  middle;  the  Thames,  or 
Shetucket,  in  the  east;  and  the  Housatonic  in  the  west.  Some  parts  of  the  hills 
are  rough  and  of  considerable  elevation,  but  scarcely  deserve  the  name  of  moun-  j 
tains.  Most  of  them  consist  of  granite  and  other  primitive  rocks;  and  to  that  j 
formation  most  of  the  country  belongs,  except  the  meadows,  which  are  a rich 


I 

I 


! 

i 

i 

! 

! 


I 


120 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


alluvial  soil,  annually  increased  by  par- 
ticles left  by  the  floods,  and  washed 
down  from  the  high  land  by  the  rains. 
These  lowlands  are  generally  of  great 
fertility— those  of  the  Connecticut,  es- 
pecially, being  considered  as  the  best 
in  New  England,  and  equal  to  almost 
any  other  in  the  United  States.  The 
uplands,  however,  have  a soil  of  but 
middling  quality;  yet  being  divided  into 
small  farms,  and  cultivated  by  an  indus- 
trious and  intelligent  people,  they  are 
made  more  productive  than  some  better 
lands  in  less  favorable  circumstances. 

In  some  parts  of  the  state  are  small 
tracts,  quite  unfit  for  cultivation  ; but  in 
many  of  the  roughest  and  wildest  regions 
are  found  valuable  quarries  and  mines, 
many  of  which  are  profitably  wrought ; 
and  the  discriminating  eye  of  science 
has  recently  recognised  some  of  the  rare 
minerals  before  discovered  in  only  a few 
localities  in  the  world.*  The  greatest 
treasure  of  the  hilly  regions,  however, 
is  an  immense  amount  of  water-power, 
afforded  by  the  numerous  streams  which 
rush  down  their  declivities,  and  now 
give  motion  to  hundreds  of  mills  and  j 
thousands  of  curious  machines,  which  j 
the  intelligence  of  the  inhabitants  has 
introduced,  or  their  ingenuity  invented. 
These  produce  in  great*  numbers  the 
o-reat  variety  of  articles  annually  man- 
ufactured both  for  home  use  and  for  dis- 
tant markets.  Most  of  these  find  their 
way  first  to  the  steamboats,  or  railroad 
cars,  which  now  keep  up  an  active  inter- 
course with  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
are  thence  despatched  in  different  di- 
rections, repaying,  many  times  over, 
the  cost  of  such  raw  materials  as  are 
brought  from  other  regions.. 

Large  steamboats  run  daily  between 
New  York  and  New  Haven,  Hartford, 
Norwich,  and  Stonington,  each  commu- 
nicating with  a railroad,  and  thus  afford- 
ing frequent,  rapid,  and  commodious 
means  of  trowelling  and  exportation, 
scarcely  to  be  exceeded,  and  highly  ad- 
vantageous to  commerce  as  well  as  to 
numerous  travellers  who  are  attracted 
by  the  beauty  of  the  country.  Steam- 
boats of  smaller  size  ply  daily  between 

* See  the  Geological  Survey  of  Connecticut,  pub- 
lished in  1839. 


I • 


New  York  and  the  towns  lying  along 
the  western  part  of  the  sound ; while 
numerous-  sloops  still  find  employment 
in  the  coasting  trade.  Foreign  com- 
merce is  carried  on  to  a limited  extent ; 
and  several  vessels  from  Stonington  are 
engaged  in  sealing,  and  more  from  New 
London  in  whaling. 

The  aspect  of  Connecticut  is  gener- 
ally pleasing  to  the  eye.  Its  small  terri- 
tory embraces  a great  variety  of  natural 
scenery,  everywhere  embellished  by  art, 
and  displaying  the  evidences  of  a numer- 
ous, intelligent,  industrious,  ingenious, 
and  prosperous  people.  The  surface  is 
marked  by  roads  running  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  subdivided  into  thousands  of 
farms  of  small  size ; while  the  flourish- 
ing towns  and  villages  which  meet  the 
view  in  great  numbers,  consist  of  taste- 
ful and  comfortable  dwellings,  as  far 
removed  from  splendor  on  the  one  hand, 
as  from  meanness  and  poverty  on  the 
other.  These  are  evidences  of  the  gen- 
eral degree  of  comfort  and  equality  which 
prevails  among  the  people  ; while  the 
churches  and  schoolhouses,  distributed 
at  short  intervals  all  over  the  surface, 
indicate  the  attachment  which  the  peo- 
ple have  always  shown  for  learning  and 
religion. 

The  facilities  and  accommodations 
here  offered  to  travellers,  ate  such  as  are 
afforded  by  the  most  advanced  state  of 
the  arts  and  comforts  of  life. 

In  1818,  the  state  adopted  the  present 
constitution,  in  place  of  the  old  charter 
granted  to  the  colony  by  King  Charles  I. 

The  history  of  Connecticut  under  the 
charter  'presents  a remarkable  example- 
of  stability  and  uniformity  in  govern- 
ment, a parallel  to  which  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  in  any  country.  All  the 
legislative  officers,  except  representa- 
tives, were  chosen  every  year  by  the 
whole  body  of  freemen,  as  were  the 
governor,  deputy-governor,  secretary, 
and  treasurer.  The  representatives  were 
chosen  twice  a year  by  the  towns.  Many 
of  these  various  officers,  even  the  higher, 
held  their  places  till  death  or  advanced 
age.  General  Wyllys  was  elected  sec- 
retary sixty-three  years  in.  succession, 
including  the  agitated  periods  of  the 
| stamp-act  and  the  revolution.  All  ju- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


121 


dicial  officers  were  appointed  annually  by 
the  general  assembly,  and  the  members 
of  congress  by  general  ticket.  Within 
a period  of  more  than  twenty  years  pre- 
ceding the  adoption  of  the  constitution 
in  1818,  the  number  of  men  who  lost 
their  places  in  the  assembly  and  coun- 
cil, in  consequence  of  a loss  of  popular- 
ity, was  only  two ; yet  this  was  a time 
marked  by  excitement  and  violent  polit- 
ical parties,  embracing  the  wars  of  Eu- 
rope and  the  last  American  war. 

At  the  time  when  the  constitution  was 
adopted  in  the  place  of  the  charter,  a 
change  took  place  in  the  political  opin- 
ions of  the  majority  of  the  people  ; and 
some  of  the  conflicting  views  which  have 
since  existed  in  the  country,  have  by 
turns  prevailed  in  Connecticut.  In  the 
meantime,  almost  every  kind  of  business 
for  which  the  state  is  adapted  has  been 
carried  on  with  activity,  and  great  ex- 
ertion made  to  improve  the  natural  re- 
sources ; while  commerce,  the  carry  hi  g- 
trade,  and  the  settlement  of  near  and 
distant  regions,  have  drawn  away,  either 
temporarily  or  permanently,  thousands 
of  the  people,  leaving  but  a small  in- 
crease of  population  to  be  shown  by  the 
census  tables. 

Exertions  were  made  in  different  ways 
for  the  good  of  the  Indians.  For  the 
security  of  their  rights  of  property,  a 
law  was  early  passed  by  the  legislature 
in  their  favor,  prohibiting  private  pur- 
chases of  land,  &c.  # 

The  influence  of  this- law  was,  as  may 
be  supposed,  most  favorable  to  the  In- 
dians. N o man  being  permitted  to  hold 
land  purchased  of  them  without  the  au- 
thority of  the  government,  all  inducement 
was  cut  off  from  unprincipled  persons 
to  overreach  them,  to  abuse,  destroy,  or 
to  drive  them  away.  When  land  was 
purchased  of  the  natives,  they  were  gen- 
erally secured  in  the  possession  and 
permanent  enjoyment  of  such  tracts  as 
they  wished  to  reserve ; and  some  of 
these  are  still  held  by  their  descendants, 
unalienable  without  the  express  consent 
of  the  legislature.  Officers,  called  su- 
perintendents, are  intrusted  with  the 
oversight  of  them,  and  reports  are  made 
by  these  at  every  session  of  the  legis- 
lature. 


Attempts  to  introduce  Christianity 
among  several  of  the  principal  tribes 
were  made,  in  early  times,  under  the 
authority  of  the  legislature,  but  with  lit- 
tle effect.  Their  chiefs  and  head  men 
were  generally  attached  to  their  pagan 
systems.  Several  of  the  Indians,  how- 
ever, were  converts,  among  whom  was 
Samson  Occum,  long  a distinguished 
preacher  of  the  gospel.  But  it  appears 
that  no  man  was  found  with  the  zeal  and 
perseverance  of  Eliot,  called  the  Apos- 
tle to  the  Indians,  who  displayed  such 
an  unconquerable  spirit  in  his  prolonged 
exertions  for  the  instruction  and  civil- 
ization of  the  Massachusetts  Indians. 
Eliot  himself  felt  sq  much  the  duly  of 
having  something  done  for  the  Indians 
in  Connecticut,  that  he  applied  to  the 
legislature  and  obtained  a call  for  a 
meeting  of  the  principal  men  of  some  of 
the  tribes  ; but  they  rejected  his-  offers, 
and  never  accepted  Christianity  as  a 
people. 

The  history  of  Connecticut  impresses 
important  reflections  on  the  considerate 
mind. 

We  have  here  an  authentic  account 
of  the  foundation  of  a state  on  principles 
of  the  highest  nature,  and  for  the  most 
valuable  objects  that  ever  were  proposed 
by  any  set  of  men.  In  this  respect  the 
history  of  all  the  kingdoms  and  empires 
of  antiquity  sinks  into  insignificance, 
and  appears  deficient  in  interest,  as  their 
origin  was  owing  only  to  motives  of  ne- 
cessity, or  the  desire  of  profit  or  power. 
The  Spaniards,  it  is  true,  pretended  to 
; have  in  view  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity into  South  America ; but  their 
! real  object  was  conquest,  and  the  history 
j as  weli  as  the  results  of  their  policy  too 
strongly  attests  the  fact. 

The  objects  and  plans  of  the  New 
England  colonies  would  have  been  well 
worthy  of  our  high  estimation,  even  if 
I their  experiment  had  failed  or  had  not 
| been  tried.  But  now,  when  the  proofs 
of  their  success  are  laid  before  us,  and 
it  so  far  exceeds  all  anticipation,  the  mind 
perceives  powerful  reasons  for  attend- 
ing to  this  unexampled  branch  of  human 
history.  And  the  study  is  recommended 
by  higher  considerations  than  those  of 
mere  amusement.  The  characters  de- 


1 

122  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

velopedby  the  good  and  intelligent  men 
who  are  presented,  are  useful  subjects 
of  contemplation  ; the  high  value  which 
they  set  on  religion  and  learning,  on  pri- 
vate virtue  and  public  faith,  lead  us  more 
justly  to  appreciate  and  more  warmly  to 
admire  them  ; while  the  disinterested- 
ness of  their  lives  tends  to  make  us  bet- 
ter, wiser,  more  active,  and  more  useful, 
in  every  sphere  and  in  all  situations  in 
life. 

Considerable  improvement  has  been 
made  in  agriculture  in  this  state  within 
a few  years.  Agricultural  societies  have 
diffused  knowledge,  encouraged  experi- 
ments, and  favored  the  introduction  of 
improved  implements  and  methods. 
Trade,  manufactures,  and  the  learned 
professions  (as  they  are  perhaps  improp- 
erly called),  have  diverted  attention  too 
much  from  that  business  which  is  so 
highly  honorable  and  affords  ample  room 
for  the  application  of  science.  Improve- 
ments might  probably  be  introduced  in 
agriculture,  which  would  furnish  the 
state  with  a larger  supply  of  grain  than 
it  now  raises,  and  prevent  the  necessity 
of  making  the  present  large  annual  im- 
portations. Wheat  has  suffered  greatly 
ever  since  the  year  1777  from  the  Hes- 
sian fly,  which  derives  its  name  from  the 
fact  that  it  first  commenced  its  ravages 
on  that  important  crop  during  the  year 
when  the  Hessian  troops  came  to  the 
country. 

Silk  has  been  made  with  success  in 
Connecticut  for  many  years,  though  on 
a limited  scale.  The  cultivation  of  the 
white  mulberry-tree  was  introduced  into 
Mansfield  in  1760.  In  1783  the  assem- 
bly offered  for  ten  years  a bounty  of  ten 
shillings,  lawful  money,  for  every  hun- 
dred white  mulberry-trees  planted,  and 
threepence  for  every  ounce  of  silk  man- 
ufactured. In  1735  the  American  silk 
cmnpany  was  formed  in  New  Haven,  and 
a large  number  of  mulberry-trees  were 
planted  there  and  elsewhere.  In  Mans- 
field, in  1793,  three  hundred  and  si^ty- 
two  pounds  of  raw  silk  were  made.  In 
1832  a bounty  of  one  dollar  was  offered 
for  every  hundred  trees  three  years  old, 
and  fifty  cents  a pound  for  silk. reeled 
and  fit  for  manufacture.  In  1834  the 
bounty  was  extended  to  the  Chinese  mul- 

berry,  and  a company  was  incorporated 
with  a donation  of  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars, thirteen  and  one  third  per  cent,  of 
which  was  to  be  paid  to  Messrs.  Gray 
and  Bolton,  the  inventors  of  improve- 
ments in  silk-machinery,  for  the  use  of 
them  in  the  state.  The  speculation  in 
mulberry-trees  which  prevailed  in  1839, 
and  the  subsequent  revulsion,  caused 
much  loss  in  this  state. 

In  1832  the  paper  made  in  Connec- 
ticut was  valued  at  $564,000.  This  is 
connected  with  the  manufacture  of  books, 
which  was  lately  carried  on  to  such  an 
extent,  that  the  number  of  volumes  print- 
ed at  Hartford  was  for  several  years 
greater  than  in  any  other  place  in  the 
United  States,  excepting  only  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Philadelphia. 

New  Haven. — This  city  is  celebrated 
for  its  beauty,  being  laid  out  in  squares 
four  hundred  feet  in  size,  divided  by 
fine  broad  and  straight  avenues,  planted 
witft  large  shady  elms  and  other  trees, 
and  well  built  with  edifices  in  good  taste, 
adorned  with  gardens,  and  inhabited  by 
an  intelligent  and  refined  population. 

This  is  the  largest  town  in  the  state, 
and  one  of  its  capitals.  It  is  chiefly  dis- 
tinguished, however,  as  one  of  the  first 
colonies,  and  the  site  of  Yale  College . 
The  oldest  edifice  belonging  to  this  ven- 
erable and  flourishing  institution  was  of 
wood,  and  stood  near  the  corner  of  Col- 
lege and  Chapel  streets.  There  are  four 
buildings  for  students,  each  containing 
thirty-two  rooms,  a chapel,  with  a philo- 
sophical chamber  and  apparatus,  and  a 
lyceum,  with  recitation-rooms  and  the 
library.  In  the  rear  are  the  Trumbull 
picture-gallery,  the  common’s  hall,  in  a 
small  building  with  the  splendid  miner- 
alogical  cabinet  above,  purchased  from 
the  late  Colonel  Gibbs,  of  New  York. 

A new  building  has  lately  been  erected 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  literary  so- 
cieties of  the  college.  In  another  build- 
i ing  is  the  chemical  laboratory,  where 
Professor  Silliman  delivers  his  lectures. 
The  institution  has  above  five  hundred 
scholars. 

Next  north  of  the  college  is  the  house 
of  the  president,  and  the  professors 
have  pleasant  residences  in  the  town. 

1 The  medical  institution  is  at  the  north 

New  Haven  Green. 


124 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


end  of  College  street,  and  the  theolog 
cal  seminary  on  the  green. 

The  burying-ground  is  situated  oppo- 
site the  medical  institution,  and  occu- 
pies a large  extent  of  land,  planted  with 
trees,  and  containing  a great  number  of 
beautiful  monuments  of  different  designs. 

The  old  burying-ground  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  green,  in  the  rear  of  the 
Centre  church  ; and  there  are  to  be  seen 
two  ancient  stone  monuments,  of  a small 
size,  which  are  supposed  to  mark  the 
graves  of  two  of  the  regicide  judges, 
Whalley  and  Dixwell. 

The  Farmington  and  Northampton 
Canal , commencing  near  the  head  of  the 
wharf  in  this  city,  is  crossed  by  the 
traveller,  in  going  up  from  the  steam- 
boat, neat  the  market.  The  basin  is 
large  and  commodious  ; and  the  canal, 
passing  through  a part  of  the  city  and 
bending  round  along  the  outskirts  on  the 
north  side,  intersects  several  streets,  by 
which  it  is  crossed  on  handsome  bridges. 
It  extends  to  Northampton,  Massachu- 
setts. 

There  are  pleasant  rides  in  various 
directions  from  New  Haven,  the  roads 
being  numerous,  and  the  face  of  the 
country  favorable. 

The  Judges'  Cave  is  on  the  summit  of 
West  rock,  about  a mile  north  of  the 
bluff.  It  is  formed  by  the  crevices  be-  | 
tween  seven  large  rocks,  apparently  j 
thrown  together  by  some  convulsion.  . It  j 
is  small,  and  entirely  above  ground,  with  j 
a rude  rock,  like  a column,  on  each  hand,  j 
That  on  the  right  has  this  inscription  : — 

“ Opposition  to  tyrants  is  obedience  to  God  !”  j 


to  remind  the  visiter  that  the  place  once 
afforded  shelter  to  Goffe  and  Whalley,  | 
two  of  the  judges  of  King  Charles  the 
First,  who  escaped  to  the  colonies  and 
secreted  themselves  for  some  time  in  this 
solitary  place.  They  were  supplied  with 
food  by  a family  which  resided  near  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  and  a little  boy  was 
despatched  for  them  every  day,  who  left 
a basket  of  provisions  on  a rock,  with- 
out  knowing  what  cause  he  was  sub- 
serving.  The  place  commands  an  ex- 
tensive view  upon  the  country  below, 
with  a large  tract  of  Long  island  and  the 
sound. 


The  manufactory  of  muskets  is  two 
miles  north  of  New  Haven,  on  the  road 
to  Hartford  by  Meriden,  and  at  the  foot 
of.  East  rock.  It  was  established  by 
Mr.  Whitney,  the  well-known  inventor 
of  the  cotton-jin. 

The  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Rail- 
road, forty  miles  long,  begins  at  the 
steamboat  wharf,  crosses  Quinnepiack 
river,  and  passes  through  the  townships 
of  North  Haven,  Wallingford,  Meriden, 
Berlin,  and«  Wethersfield. . 

It  pursues  the  general  course  of  the 
“ old  colonial  road,”  the  route  taken  in 
early  times  between  New  Haven  and 
Hartford,  which  were  independent  col- 
onies. It  was  originally  an  Indian  trail. 

Beyond  New  Haven,  in  Long  Island 
sound,  lies  a cluster  of  islands  called  the 
Thimbles,  famous  in  the  traditions  of 
the  neighboring  Connecticut  coast,  as 
the  ancient  resort  of  Captain  Kidd,  the 
notable  pirate,  whose  treasures  of  solid 
gold,  it  is  still  believed  by  some,  are 
concealed  somewhere  hereabouts. 

Saybrook. — At  this  place  was  the  first 
settlement  made  by  Europeans  on  Con- 
necticut river.  It  was  undertaken  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  many  of  the  right- 
ful proprietors  of  the  country  on  its 
banks,  who  had  been  despoiled  of  their 
possessions  by  their  formidable  enemies, 
the  Pequods.  The  River  Indians  twice 
made  application  to  the  English  at  Ply- 
mouth  and  at  Boston  to  obtain  settlers 
from  their  native  soil,  offering  to  give 
them  land  enough,  and  to  pay  two  hun- 
dred beaverskins  annually  for  the  bene- 
fit of  their  society.  But  the  undertaking 
was  considered  too  hazardous;  and  it 
was  not  until  the  year  1635,  when  the 
Dutch  at  New  York  showed  a deter- 
nination  to  seize  upon  the  country, 


which  they  .claimed  as  their  own,  that  a 
small  detachment  of  men  was  sent  from 
Boston  to  prepare  for  opening  a trade 
with  the  Indians,  and  to  build  a fort  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  Their  haste  was 
soon  justified  by  events ; for  immediately 
after'  their  landing,  a Dutch  vessel  en- 
tered, and,  proceeding  up  to  Hartford, 
landed  a body  of  men,  who  soon  estab- 
lished themselves  in  a fort  they  called 
Good  Hope,  on  a spot  they  obtained 
from  Pequod  usurpers. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT.  125 


The  settlement  of  Saybrook  was  be- 
gun under  a grant  made  to  Lord  Say 
and  Seal,  Lord  Brook,  and  others,  by 
George  Fenwick*,  esquire,  who  fled  to 
this  country  with  his  family.  The  old 
fort  stood  near  the  present  fort  hill,  upon 
an  eminence  which  has  since  been  de- 
stroyed by  the  waves  ; and  the  ground 
immediately  behind  it  was  afterward  oc- 
cupied by  the  fields  and  habitations  of 
the  colonists.  It  was  expected  from  the 
first  that  the  situation  would  render  the 
place  a great  city  ; and  after  the  fear  of 
the  Indians  had  subsided,  the  whole  pen- 
insula, which  bears  the  name  of  Say- 
brook  point,  was  laid  out  with  the  great- 
est regularity  into  fields  of  an  equal  size, 
except  such  parts  as  were  reserved  for 
the  erection  of  public  buildings. 

Many  emigrants  were  once  collected 
in  England,  and  prepared  for  a voyage 
to  this  place.  Some  persons  of  high 
rank  and  importance  were  among  them; 
and  it  is  a well-authenticated  fact  that 
Oliver  Cromwell  had  determined  to  em- 
bark in  the  enterprise,  and  was  once  on 
the  very  eve  of  quitting  England  for 
ever,  when  some  unforeseen  occurrence 
prevented  him. 

The  want  of  a harbor,  and  the  obsta- 
cles presented  to  a free  navigation  by  a 
large  sandbar  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
have  effectually  prevented  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  settlers  of  Saybrook  from 
being  realized  ; and  no  remains  of  their 
wo^ks  can  now  be  discovered,  except  in 
the  rectangular  forms  of  the  fields,  and  j 
the  cellars  of  some  of  their  dwellings, 
just  beyond  the  burying-ground,  the 
foundation-stones  of  which  have  since 
been  employed  in  building  the  neigh- 
boring fences.  One  of  the  largest  exca- 
vations is  said  to  have  been  the  cellar  of 
the  old  college  building.  The  soldiers 
were  frequently  attacked  within  a short 
distance  of  the  fort  by  the  Pequods,  but 
they  afterward  ran  a palisade  across  the 
isthmus  which  leads  from  the  mainland,  j 
Yale  college  was  placed  here  for  a ; 
time. 

Connecticut  River. — The  shores  of  this 
principal  stream  of  New  England  pre- 
sent a continued  succession  of  hilly  and 
picturesque  country,  with  few  interrup- 
tions of  level  land,  from  a little  above 


Saybrook  as  far  as  Middletown.  The 
roughness  and  rocky  nature  of  the  soil 
prevent  the  cultivation  of  many  moun- 
tainous tracts,  yet  there  are  farms  enough 
to  give  a considerable  degree  of  softness 
to  the  scenery.  The  variety  of  rocky 
and  wooded  banks,  mingling  with  little 
patches  of  cultivated  ground,  and  the 
habitations  scattered  along  the  river,  is 
very  agreeable,  and  often  affords  scenes 
highly  picturesque  and  delightful. 

Essex. — This  is  a small  village,  situ- 
ated on  the  ascent  and  summit  of  a hand- 
some elevation,  seven  miles  from  Say- 
brook. During  the  late  war  with  Great 
Britain,  this  place  was  taken  by  the  en- 
emy, who  came  up  the  river  in  launches, 
and,  taking  the  inhabitants  by  surprise, 
occupied  the  town  for  a few  hours. 

East  Haddam. — The  landing-place 
here  is  rocky,  mountainous,  and  wild, 
and  a good  specimen  of  a large  portion 
of  the  town  to  which  it  belongs.  This 
region  is  famous  for  a kind  of  earth- 
quakes and  subterranean  sounds,  which 
were  formerly  common  for  a short  dis- 
tance round.  They  gave  occasion  to 
many  superstitious  reports,  but  have 
ceased  within  a few  years.  They  were 
called  Moodus  noises,  after  the  Indian 
name  of  the  place.  Large  beryls  and 
many  other  rare  minerals  are  found  in 
the  neighborhood. 

Haddam  is  built  on  an  eminence  fifty 
or  sixty  feet  high,  which  appears  like 
the  remains  of  an  old  bank  of  the  river, 
descending  to  a little  meadow  which  is 
covered  with  orchards,  grazing  ground, 
&c.,  while  a range  of  commanding  hills 
rise  beyond. 

The  Narrows. — Here  the  river  turns 
abruptly  to  the  east,  and  flows  between 
two  lofty  hills,  which  it  has  divided  at 
some  long  past  period,  before  which, 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  the 
country  for  a great  distance  above  was 
covered  by  a lake. 

Fort  Hill  is  the  last  elevated  part  of 
the  southern  bank.  It  was  formerly  a 
little  fortress  belonging  to  Sowheag,  an 
Indian  chief,  whose  dominion  extended 
over  the  present  towns  of  Middletown, 
Chatham,  and  Wethersfield. 

Middletown  is  beautifully  situated 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  Connecticut 


126 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


river,  where  the  water  is  spread  out  to 
a considerable  breadth,  and  disappears 
so  suddenly,  at  the  Narrows,  that,  from 
many  points  of  view,  it  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a small  lake,  with  high,  sloping, 
and  cultivated  shores.  This  is  a most 
agreeable  residence. 

The  Wesleyan  university  has  a build- 
ing one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  fifty 
broad,  and  four  stories  high,  with  rooms 
for  scholars  ; a chapel,  with  recitation- 
rooms  above,  both  of  stone  ; and  an  eat- 
ing-hall of  brick,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  long,  with  a piazza. 

The  quarries  of  freestone  on  the  op- 
posite shore,  in  Chatham,  have  furnished 
a valuable  building  material  for  some 
years,  and  have  been  worked  to  a con- 
siderable extent. 

The  Lead  Mine  is  about  two  miles 
below  the  town,  on  the  south  shore  of 
the  river,  where  are  several  old  shafts, 
which  were  sunk  in  the  revolutionary 
war,  in  a slate  rock.  The  ore  is  sul- 
phuret  of  lead,  in  veins  of  quartz,  partly 
crystallized,  and  affording  a few  speci- 
mens of  fluate  of  iime,  and  other  min- 
erals. 

The  Cobalt  Mine  is  about  five  miles 
east,  in  Chatham,  at  the  foot  of  Rattle- 
snake hill.  It  is  not  worth  working,  at 
the  usual  price  of  the  metal.  J ust  south 
of  it  is  a very  pretty  waterfall,  about 
thirty  feet  high. 

Wethersfield. — This  place  is  three 
miles  from  Hartford,  and  has  a fine  light 
soil,  on  an  extensive  level,  probably  once 
the  bottom  of  a lake  since  drained  by  the 
deepening  of  the  river’s  channel.  It  is 
peculiarly  favorable  to  the  culture  of 
onions,  which  are  exported  in  great 
quantities  to  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, the  West  Indies,  &c. 

Wethersfield  was  the  second  settle- 
ment made  by  white  men  in  Connec- 
ticut. In  1635,  three  or  four  men  came 
to  this  place  and  spent  the  winter. 

The  Connecticut  Stateprison. — The 
situation  of  this  institution  is  healthy, 
retired,  and  convenient  to  the  water  and 
the  great  road.  It  was  completed  in 
1817.  What  have  heretofore  been  re- 
garded as  the  necessary  evils  of  prisons 
will  be  found  in  this  prison  to  be  greatly 
reduced,  and  in  many  respects,  even  with 


regard  to  the  prisoners,  converted  into 
benefits. 

Here  the  Auburn  system  has  been 
established  with  some  few  deviations. 

The  whole  is  under  the  direction  of 
the  superintendent — a man  of  firmness, 
judgment,  and  humanity.  The  men  are 
brought  out  to  their  work  at  signals 
given  by  the  bell.  They  lodge  in  sol- 
itary cells,  and  are  not  permitted  to  con- 
verse together  while  at  work.  They 
take  their  food  in  their  cells,  and  when 
going  to  and  from  work  or  prayers,  are 
obliged  to  march  with  the  lotk  step. 
No  blows  are  allowed  to  be  given  by 
the  officers  except  in  self-defence. 

The  smiths’  fires  are  supplied  with 
Lehigh  (Pennsylvania)  coal  for  fuel,  and 
part  of  the  heat  is  conducted  away  in 
pipes  to  warm'  the  apartments.  The 
cells  are  furnished  with  comfortable  beds 
and  bedclothes,  and  a bible  for  each. 
They  are  ranged  in  rows,  and  the  keep- 
ers can  look  into  them  through  grated 
doors  ; at  the  same  time  the  prisoners  \ 
are  not  able  to  converse  with  each  other.  | 
The  effects  of  evil  communication,  so  ; 
much  and  so  banefully  cherished  in  our 
old  prisons,  are  thus  effectually  pre- 
vented. Neither  officers  nor  convicts 
are  allowed  to  use  ardent  spirits. 

Hartford,  one  of  the  capitals  of  the 
state,  is  on  Connecticut  river,  thirty-four 
miles  north  of  New  Haven.  It  is  a place  [■ 
of  considerable  business.  There  are  . 
the  City  hotel,  coffeehouse  and  other  } 
inns,  several  fine  churches,  &c. 

The  Charter  Oah. — In  the  lower  part 
j of  the  town,  in  the  street  which  runs  east 
from  the  south  church,  is  the  ancient  and 
respectable  seat  of  the  Wyllis  family, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Hartford,  and  have  made  a conspicuous 
figure  in  the  history  of  the  state,  as  well 
as  of  the  town,  by  holding  the  secretary’s  \ 
office  for  a long  course  of  time.  The 
principal  object  of  curiosity  here,  the 
fine  old  oak,  stands  on  the  street  in  front. 

It  is  said  to  have  been  a forest-tree  be- 
fore ihe  land  was  cleared,  yet  it  appears 
as  firrh  and  vigorous  as  ever.  In  a hole 
in  its  trunk  was  hidden  the  charter  of 
the  colony,  when  Sir  Edmund  Andross 
sent  to  demand  it  in  16S7 ; and  there  it 
remained  for  some  years.  This  inter- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


esting  document  is  still  preserved  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  the  state. 

The  Asylum  for  the  Education  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb,  is  about  a mile  west 
of  the  town,  on  Tower  hill.  It  was  the 
earliest  institution  of  the  kind  in  Amer- 
ica. The  principal  building  is  large,  or- 
namented with  pilasters,  and  surrounded 
by  a garden  and  pleasant  grounds.  The 
house  of  the  superintendent  is  near  by, 
and  the  whole  enjoys  a fine  situation, 
with  a very  commanding  prospect  and 
a healthy  neighborhood. 

The  number  of  scholars  is  about  two 
hundred.  Some  of  them  are  supported 
by  a fund  belonging  to  the  institution, 
and  others  by  the  states  of  Massachu- 
setts, New  Hampshire,  &c.  Ten  sim- 
ilar institutions  now  exist  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Kentucky,  &c. 

The  Retreat  for  the  Insane , a little 
south  of  the  city,  makes  a handsome  ap- 
pearance, being  a stone  building  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  fifty  feet 
wide,  the  wings  having  three  stories,  and 
the  main  building  four.  It  is  capable 
of  containing  about  fifty  patients,  and  is 
warmed  by  flues.  The  grounds  con- 
nected with  the  institution  include  about 
seventeen  acres.  A young  lady  who 
had  been  severely  afflicted  with  deep 
melancholy,  but  recovered  at  this  insti- 
tution, wrote  the  following  lines,  which 
were  handed  to  the  excellent  matron  on 
leaving  the  place  : — 

“Farewell,  Retreat;  I will  remember  thee, 

For  thou  hast  been  a biding  place  to  me  : 

When,  on  the  waves  of  sorrow,  liitber  driven, 

I found  this  refuge  to  the  helpless  given. 

Oh,  wliat  an  hour  of  darkness  and  despair, 

When  not  a ray  of  hope  was  shining  there, 

But  one  continued  storm  my  sky  o'erspread, 

And  poured  its  waters  on  my  weary  head  ! 

Then  did  thy  gentle  form,  amid  the  gloom. 

Appear  like  Mercy  smiling  o’er  the  tomb  ; 

With  tender  accents  sooth  my  fears  to  rest, 

And  smooth  the  anxious  billows  in  my  breast; 
With  generous  feeling,  still  each  want  supply — 
Now  seem  to  sympathize  in  every  sigh. 

How  dear  the  hand  that  wipes  the  tear  away, 

And  kindness,  doubly  sweet  in  such  a day ! 

Here  memory,  too,  shall  trace  thy  love  sincere, 
And  oft,  in  fancy,  hear  thy  footsteps  near. 

Deep  in  my  heart  shall  this  remembrance  be  — 
The  sorrows  I have  known,  thy  love  to  me. 

And,  though  divided  by  Time’s  flying  hour, 

Yet  may  we  bow  before  the  Mighty  Power 
Which  bids  us  live  and  strive  to  share  his  love, 
That  we  may  meet  in  brighter  worlds  above.” 

New  London  is  fifty-four  miles  east 
of  New  Haven,  and  one  hundred  and  I 


127 


twenty  east-northeast  of  New  York.  It 
is  situated  irregularly,  principally  at  the 
foot  of  a hill  facing  the  east,  and  wears 
an  appearance  of  decline  ; but  some  of 
the  houses  are  handsome,  and  there  are 
several  fine  situations  near  the  top. 

The  harbor  is  one  of  the  most  ac- 
cessible, safe,  and  commodious,  in  the 
United  States,  lying  near  the  ocean  and 
the  sound,  almost*  surrounded  by  high  ' 
land,  and  having  water  enough  for  ships- 
of-war  quite  up  to  the  wharves,  with  a 
fine  sandy  bottom  near  the  shores. 

Port  Griswold , opposite  New  Lon- 
don, was  garrisoned  by  a few  continen- 
tal troops  in  the  year  1781,  during  the 
revolution,  when  Benedict  Arnold,  after 
his  desertion  of  the  American  .cause, 
appeared  off  the  harbor  with  a British 
force  on  the  6th  of  September ; and  land- 
ing eight  hundred  men  on  each  point  of 
the  harbor,  marched  up  and  took  Fort 
Trumbull,  and  burned  the  town.  Col. 
Eyre,  who  commanded  the  troops  on 
the  eastern  shore,  proceeded  toward 
Fort  Griswold,  and  sending  in  a flag  of 
truce,  demanded  a surrender. 

But,  before  this  time,  Colonel  Led- 
yard  had  entered  the  fort  and  garrisoned 
it  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  men, 
chiefly  militia  volunteers  from  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  British  troops  had  ad- 
vanced under  cover  of  a wood,  and  in- 
vested the  fort;  but  the  Americans,  after 
defending  themselves  for  some  time,  and 
beating  off  their  enemies  once,  finally 
surrendered  when  resistance  would  have 
been  entirely  useless.  The  enemy  had 
lost  forty-one  officers  and  men,  who  were 
buried  near  the  spot ; with  Colonel  Eyre, 
the  commander,  wounded,  and  Major 
Montgomery  killed.  After  the  surren- 
der, however,  a massacre  of  the  prison- 
ers took  place,  which  cast  the  deepest 
disgrace  on  the  expedition  ; seventy  of- 
ficers and  men  being  the  victims,  most 
of  whom  were  heads  of  families. 

Fort  ITill  is  a commanding  eminence 
about  four  miles _ east  from  New  Lon- 
don, and  derives  its  name  from  a Pequod 
fort  which  formerly  occupied  its  summit. 
The  road  crosses  it  near  the  southern 
limit  of  the  fort,  and  a small  church 
stands  a quarter  of  a mile  above,  within 
the  extensive  space  once  enclosed  by 


128  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

that  palisaded  work.  It  was  the  great  t 
fortress  of  the  terrible  Pequod  nation,  c 
which  makes  a very  conspicuous  figure  1 
in  the  early  history  of  the  eastern  col-  > 
onies.  They  had  fought  their  way  from  i 
the  interior,  and  seated  themselves  in  1 
the  present  limits  of  Groton,  where  the  i 
few  poor  remains  of  their  descendants  1 
still  are  found.  On  the  arrival  of  the  ; 
English,  they  had  extended  their  con- 
quests a considerable  distance  up  Con- 
necticut river,  and  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern Nehantics  were  subject  to  them. 

In  consequence  of  the  murders  they 
had  committed,  and  the  attack  with  which 
they  had  threatened  the  infant  settle- 
ments at  Hartford,  Windsor,  and  Weth- 
ersfield, the  inhabitants  formed  an  ex- 
pedition in  the  spring  of  1637,  led  by 
Captain  Mason,  and  attacked  their  other 
fort  on  the  Mystic,  burning  it,  and  kill- 
in  o-  about  six  hundred  persons;  after 
which  the  natives  fled  from  their  coun- 
try, and  having  suffered  another  terrible 
slaughter  in  the  swamp  at  Fairfield,  were 
reduced  to  slavery,  and  ceased  from  that 
time  to  be  an  object  of  terror. 

This  hill  commands  an  extensive  and 
delightful  view,  being  almost  entirely 
clear  of  obstructions,  and  superior  in 
height  to  the  neighboring  hills.  A con- 
siderable extent  of  Long  island  and  the 
sound  are  overlooked  from  the  summit, 
with  various  islands,  bays,  and  points, 
on  the  Connecticut  coast.  At  the  time 
of  the  burning  of  Mystic  fort,  it  was 
occupied  by  the  chief  sachem,  Sassacus, 
who  hastened  to  the  relief  of  his  sub- 
jects, but  arrived  too  late  to  render  them 
any  assistance.  On  his  return  here, 
he  burned  the  wigwams  and  palisades, 
and  immediately  fled  for  refuge  to  the 
Mohawks,  by  whom  he  was  beheaded. 

Stonington. — This  is  a small  but 
busy  town  on  the. coast,  long  engaged  in 
whaling  and  sealing.  Steamboats  lun 
daily  hence  to  New  York. 

The  Providence  and  Stonington  Rail- 
road, forty-seven  miles,  leaves  the  shore 
of  Long  Island  sound,  at  the  steamboat 
wharf  in  Stonington ; passes  through  the 
town  ; crosses  Pawcatuck  river  intc 
Rhode  Island ; up  Charles  River  valley  tc 
Sherman’s  pond,  South  Kingston ; nortl 
to  East  Greenwich  ; and  across  a bridge 

0 Providence,  connecting  with  the  Boston 
md  Providence  railroad.  It  was  finished 
n 1837,  and  cost  two  millions  of  dollars. 
Summit,  three  hundred  and  two  feet ; 
naximum  grade,  thirty-three  feet ; four- 
teen miles  nearly  level ; minimum  rad- 
ius, one  thousand  six  hundred  and  thir- 
tv-seven  feet,  in  one  spot  four  hundred 
and  eighty. 

On  descending  the  hill  which  leads 
into  Stonington,  Porter’s  rock,  thirty  or- 
forty  feet  high,  is  seen  a little  off  the 
road  on  the  right  hand.  Under  the  s^el-  • 
ter  of  it,  it  is  said,  Captain  Mason  en- 
camped with  his  little  army  on  the  night 
of  May  26,  1637  (old  style),  a few  hours 
before  his  successful  attack  on  the  sec- 
ond Pequod  fort,  which  was  on  the  top 
of  a hill  about  two  miles  south  of  this 
place. 

The  Mohegan  Tribe  of  Indians. — 
The  Pequods  lived  near  New  Lon- 
don, and  the  Mohegans  in  and  around 
Norwich. 

Uncas,  the  sachem  of  Mohegan,  was 
believed  to  be  of  Pequod  descent,  but 
in  a state  of  successful  revolt  at  the 
time  the  English  became  acquainted 
with  him.  His  chief  residence  was  near 
Trading  cove,  now  the  centre  of  the 
Indian  reservation ; but  the  burying-  J 
ground  of  the  royal  family  was  near  Nor-  j 
wich  landing.  He  had  conquered  the  , 
country  as  far  north  as  about  the  present 
Massachusetts  line,  but  became  an  early 
friend  of  the  whites,  and  rendered  tnem 
important  services,  particularly  in  war,  . 
as  well  as  his  successors,  the  later  Mo- 
hegan chiefs. 

Before  this  part  of  the  state  was  set- 
tled, Uncas  was  once  so  closely  besieged 
by  his  enemies  the  Pequods,  that  he 
suffered  extremely  from  a scarcity  of 
provisions,  and  was  relieved  only  by  the 
care  of  a man  named  Leffingwell,  who 
was  despatched  from  Connecticut  with 
a boat  loaded  with  provisions.  In  grat- 
itude, Uncas  gave  him  a large  part  of 

> the  present  town  of  Norwich  for  this 
; important  service.  There  is  a rock  still 

> pointed  out  on  the  shore,  called  Uncas’s 

> chair,  where  the  sachem  is  said  to  have 

> sat  watching  the  arrival  of  his  friends. 

1 The  poor  remains  of  this  tribe  reside 

3 on  the  lands  secured  to  them  by  the  state 

Bridge  at  Norwich. 


9 


130 


1 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


government,  and  live  in  all  the  ignor-  j 
Lee,  idleness,  and  thriftlessness,  com- 
mon to  the  Indians  in  this  pait  of  the 
country — melancholy  testimonies  of  the 
degradation  to  which  the  most  active 
human  minds  may  sink  when  every  cus- 
tomary impulse  to  exertion  has  been 
stifled,  and  no  new  incitement  extended. 

Norwich  is  in  New  London  county, 
at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Thames. 

It  is  eighty  miles  southwest  oi  Boston, 
and  has°  two  villages,  of  which  Chelsea 
landing  is  the  principal.  The  city  is 
remarkable  for  its  singular  situation, 
which  is  peculiarly  beautiful  and  roman- 
tic-most of  the  buildings  being  on  the 
declivity  of  a hill,  and  the  streets  rising 
one  above  another,  ornamented  with 
handsome  churches,  a townhall,  an  acad- 
emy, and  many  elegant  dwellmghouses. 

It  is  equally  remarkable  for  its  appear- 
ance of  business,  which  is  much  favored 
by  the  numerous  manufactories  in  the 
neighboring  country.  In  the  rear  of  the 
hill,  about  a mile  north,  is  a beautiful 
plain,  on  which  are  laid  out  several  hand- 
some streets,  shaded  with  ancient  trees, 
which  render  it  a very  pleasant  place. 

On  the  way  thither  is  seen  the  cove, 
at  the  upper  end  of  which  are  the  falls 
of  Yantic,  a stream  which  pours  over  a 
ledge  of  granite  about  forty  feet  high, 
and  supplies  several  manufactories  with 
water.  The  place  is  highly  picturesque. 

A rock,  seventy  or  eighty  feet  m height, 
overhangs  the  stream,  whence  a number 
of  Narraganset  Indians,  pursued  by  the 
Mohegans,  precipitated  themselves. 

The  Burying-Ground  of  the  Uncases. 
This  is  on  the  elevated  bank  north  of 
the  cove.  There  are  stones  marking 
the  graves  of  numerous  members  of  the 
royal  family  of  the  Mohegans,  and  a few 
of  them  bear  English  inscriptions.  1 he 
family  is  now  extinct. 

Uucas,  the  old  friend  of  the  pilgrims, 
is  buried  here.  He  and  his  nation  were 
the  only  steady  allies  they  ever  found 
among  the  Indians,  firm  an  powei  u 
enough  to  render  them  very  essential 
service.  He  was  a man  of  extraordinary 
talent,  and  withal  extremely  politic ; but 
he  refused  to  join  the  Indians  against 
the  English,  and  died  a friend  of  the 
white  men. 


The  Bridge.— The  accompanying  en- 
graving represents  the  high  bridge  across 

the  Thames,  just  below  the  falls.  The 
rocks  are  high  and  precipitous,  and  the 
violence  and  roaring  of  the  stream,  es- 
pecially at  high  floods,  strike  the  trav- 
eller with  awe  and  fear.  The  stream 
here  makes  a rapid  descent  down  a 
rough  and  rocky  channel,  over  which 
the  passenger  seems  hanging  in  the  air, 
and  about  to  be  borne  away  by  the  im- 
petuous and  irresistible  current.  A short 
distance  below,  the  bed  of  the  river  be- 
comes level,  and  soon  the  water  spreads 
over  a wide  surface,  forming  a broad 
and  beautiful  cove,  which  looks  like  a 
small,  resplendent  lake,  with  varied  and 
pleasing  scenery  displayed  along  its 


The  Worcester  and  Norwich  Railroad , 
fifty-eight  and  a half  miles  long,  passes 
up  the  valley  of  the  Quinnehaug,  near 
Jewett’s  city,  and  many  manufactories 
through  Westfield,  Pomfret,  Oxford,  &c. 
to  Worcester,  where  it  meets  the  rail- 
roads to  Boston  and  to  New  York.  It 
was  opened  in  1840;  cost  one  million; 

the  maxium  grade,  twenty  feet. 

Sachem's  Field , one  mile  and  a halt 
from  Norwich,  is  a small  elevated  plain, 
on  which  a battle  was  fought  in  lb4o, 
between  about  fiine  hundred  Narragan- 
sets, 'inhabiting  Rhode  Island,  and  five 
or  six  hundred  Mohegans.  The  sachem 
of  the  former,  Miantonimo,  intending  to 
chastise  Uncas  for  his  adherence  to  the 
English,  secretly  advanced  into  his  coun- 
try °with  an  army.  Uncas,  aware  of  his 
approach,  met  him  on  this  plain,  where 
both  oarties  halted  ; he  then  resorted  to 
this  stratagem : stepping  forward,  he 
challenged  Miantonimo  to  decide  the 
quarrel  single-handed.  This,  as  he  ex 
pected  was  refused  ; and  while  his  ene 
mies  were  unprepared,  he  gave  a signa 
by  falling  down,  when  his  men  set  up  a 
yell,  discharged  their  arrows,  and  rushed 
forward.  The  Narragansets  fled  and 
many  were  killed.  Uncas  himself  cap- 
tured Miantonimo,  who  was  too  bang  ity 
to  ask  for  quarter  or  speak  a word ; he 
was  taken  to  Hartford,  tried,  and  given 
to  Uncas  for  execution  ; he  was  brought 
back,  and,  while  marching  across  the 
field,  tomahawked  near  the  road. 


First  Governor  of  Connecticut. 


John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of 
Connecticut. — This  distinguished  gen- 
tleman, for  many  years  the  governor  of 
Connecticut,  was  the  eldest  son  of  John 
Winthrop,  the  first  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  founder  of  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton that  famous  pattern  of  piety  and 
justice,  as  he  is  called  in  the  early 
chronicles  of  New  England — who  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1630,  and  brought 
with  him  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  government  he  had  left,  and  the 
most  exalted  and  upright  faculty  for  the 
duties  he  came  to  assume.  Graham, 
adopting  the  thought  of  a classic  histo- 
rian, says  of  him  that  he  not  only  per- 
formed actions  worthy  to  be  written, 
but  produced  writings  worthy  to  be 
read.  His  son  John — the  subject  of 


this  brief  memoir — was  scarcely  less 
distinguished.  He  was  the  heir  of  all 
his  father's  talent,  prudence,  and  virtues, 
with  a superior  share  of  human  learn- 
ing— much  addicted  to  philosophical 
study,  and  especially  to  physical  science. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  patrons  of 
the  London  Royal  Society.  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  and  three  other  members  of  that 
society,  some  fifty  years  afterward,  in 
commending  the  grandson  of  this  gen- 
tleman to  the  notice  of  their  associates, 
bear  honorable  testimony  to  the  good 
repute  in  which  the  ancestor  was  held. 
They  speak  of  the  learned  John  Win- 
throp as  “ one  of  the  first  members  of 
this  society,  and  who  in  conjunction 
with  others  did  greatly  contribute  to  the 
obtaining  of  our  charter;  to  whom  the 


T 


132 


DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT 


Royal  Society  in  its  early  days  was  not 
only  indebted  for  various  ingenious  com- 
munications, but  their  museum  still  con- 
tains mauy  testimonies  of  his  generosity, 
especially  of  things  relating  to  the  nat- 
ural history  of  New  England. 

John  Winthrop  was  elected  govern- 
or of  Connecticut  for  several  years,  m 
which  station  his  many  valuable  quali- 
ties as  a gentleman,  a philosopher,  and 
a public  ruler,  procured  him  the  umver 
sal  respect  of  the  people  under  his  gov- 
ernment; and  bis  unwearied  attention 
to  the  public  business  and  great  under- 
standing in  the  art  of  government,  were 
of  unspeakable  advantage  to  them. 

He  was  twice  married,  lus  second 
wife  being  the  daughter  of  the  cele 
brated  Hugh  Peters.  By  this  marriage 
he  had  several  children,  two  of  whom 
were  sons.  The  elder,  Fitz-John,  fol- 
lowed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  iathei 
was  elected  governor  of  Connecticut, 
and  held  that  post  for  nine  years,  com- 
mencing in  1693,  and  continuing  till  the 
day  of  his  death.  Thus  father,  son,  and 
grandson,  died  in  the  highest  office  to 
which  the  affections  of  the  people  could 
exalt  them.  The  younger  son  was  e 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  council 
under  the  new  charter  granted  by  Wil 
liam  and  Mary,  and  afterward  chief  jus 
tice  of  the  superior  court  of  that  state 
His  name  was  Wait  Still,  a compound 
of  two  family  names — the  middle  name 
being  derived  from  the  intermarriage  of 
Adam,  his  great-grandfather,  with  the 

family  of  Still.  . . . 

Wait  Still  Winthrop,  the  chief-justice, 
appears  to  have  left  but  two  children, 
of  whom  John,  the  only  son  resembled 
his  grandfather  in  an  ardent  devotion  to 
science,  and  like  him  became  a dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety ; his  introduction  to  that  body  be- 
in  o-  greatly  facilitated  by  the  respect  in 
which  the  memory  of  his  ancestor  was 
yet  held.  Attracted  by  the  love  of  his 
favorite  studies,  and  his  attachment  to 
the  society  of  learned  men,  he  removed 
to  England,  and  died  in  1747.  He  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  two  were  sons 
John  Still  and  Basil.  On  the  4th  of 
Sept.,  1750,  the  former  married  Jane 
Borland,  of  Boston,  whose  daughter  Ann 


married  the  late  David  Sears,  Esq.,* 
of  that  place. 

The  name  of  Winthrop  shall  be  re- 
membered so  long  as  nations  exist.  It 
will  rank  with  Newton,  Boyle,  and  Locke, 
and  those  philanthropists  of  every  age, 
who  are  an  ornament  to  human  nature, 
and  whose  lives  have  been  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  moral  graces,  and  the 
advancement  of  social  and  religious  hap- 
piness ; enlarging  the  circle  of  the  human 
mind,  and  adorning  the  principles  of  phi- 
losophy with  the  precepts  of  piety,  xheir 
fame  is  identified  with  the  progress  of 
knowledge  and  the  diffusion  of  virtue. 
The  history  of  such  men  sheds  a bright 
andundyinglustre  upon  their  country,  and 
will  call  forth  the  grateful  recollections  of 
unborn  generations,  so  long  as  truth  shall 
triumph  over  error,  and  the  influence  of 
Christianity  be  felt  in  removing  vice  and 
superstition  from  the  hearts  of  men. 

* Of  this  gentlernan  a note  will  hardly  allow  ns 
the  proper  space  to  speak  of  his  character  and 
tuesP  He  was  born  on  the  12th  ot  August, ' 1752- 
He  removed  from  Chatham  to  Boston  m 1770,  and 
visited  England  in  1774.  He  became  acquainted 
with  Dr.  Franklin  in  London,  and  took  letters  to  his 
friends  in  France  and  Holland.  He  remained  on  the 
continent  nearly  two  years  and  with  difficulty  made 
his  wav  back  to  Boston.  In  various  modes  his  ser 
vices  were  useful  to  his  country.  During  the  presi- 
dencv  of  the  elder  Adams  he  was  one  of  a commit- 
tee  of  the  citizens  of  Boston  for  building  a^  frigate 
(the  Boston),  towards  which  he  subscribed  three 
thousand  dollars,  and  presenting  11  to  S°jenimeiit. 
He  was  largely  interested  in  the  India  and  China 
trafoand  addend  much  to  his  fortune.  He  was  dis- 


tinguished  as  an  intelligent  and  able  financier-a  di- 
S in  the  first  “ bank  of  the  United  States/'  from 

its  commencement  to  its  termination-often  a ref- 
eree in  intricate  cases  of  mercantile  equity  ; and 
his  whole  career  was  marked  by  the  most  inconn.pt- 
tible  integrity,  which  never  for  the  sake  of  a paltry 
advantage  violated  that  punctilious  delicacy  which 
fs  indispensable  to  the  character  of  a gentleman. 

“ An  easy  mien,  engaging  in  address, 
books  which  at  once  each  winning  grace  express, 

A life  where  love  and  truth  were  ever  joined, 

A nature  ever  good  and  ever  kind, 

A wisdom  solid  and  a judgment  clear, 

The  smile  indulgent,  and  a soul  sincere. 

I Mr.  Sears  was  the  proprietor  of  a large  estate  in 
Waldo  county,  in  Maine,  the  settlers  and  tenantry  o 
which  honored  and  revered  him.  and  as  they  became 
proprietors  of  the  soil  testified  then-gratitude  for  : 
L patriarchal  treatment  by  naming  their  I 

his  honor.  He  was  generous  and  chaiitablt.  tne 
founder  of  the  widows’  fund  in  Trinity  church-and 
a contributor  to  numerous  charities.  He  died 
front  of  his  house  in  Beacon-street,  struck  instantly 
dead  by  a strike  of  apoplexy,  as  he  was  getting  in  o 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND.  133 


The  Landing  of  Roger  Williams 

RHODE  ISLAND. 


This  state,  the  smallest  in  the 
Union,  is  bounded  on  the  north 
and  east  by  Massachusetts,  south 
by  the  Atlantic  ocean,  and  west  by 
Connecticut.  It  is  about  forty- 
nine  miles  long  and  twenty-nine 
wide,  and  contains  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixty  square 
miles,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
thirty  are  embraced  in  Narragan- 
set  bay.  The  population  in  1850 
was  147,654. 

The  northern  portion  of  the 
state  is  hilly,  and  that  near  the 
coast  is  low  and  level,  but  healthy,  being  tempered  by  the  seabreeze.  There  are 
several  islands  in  and  near  Narraganset  bay,  the  principal  of  which,  Rhode 
Island  (called  after  the  isle  of  Rhodes  in  the  Mediterranean),  has  given  name  to 
the  state. 

There  are  several  rivers  of  great  value  for  manufacturing,  which  is  carried  on 
in  various  branches,  bait  chiefly  in  cotton,  to  the  great  benefit  of  the  state.  The 
principal  rivers  are  as  follows:  Pawtucket,  Providence,  Wood,  Pawtuxet,  and 
Pawcafuck  ; and  several  manufacturing  villages,  of  considerable  size,  are  built  on 
their  banks. 

The  commerce  of  the  state  has  long  been  considerable  ; but  of  late  years  it 
has  been  transferred  from  Newport  to  Providence?,  where  it  now  centres.  Un- 
happily the  slave-trade  was  formerly  carried  on  extensively  from  Rhode  Island ; 
but  that  inhuman  traffic  has  ceased. 

Rhode  Island  presents  several  strong  contrasts,  when  viewed  in  different 
aspects.  Although  the  smallest  state  in  the  Union,  and  containing  but  a small 
number  of  inhabitants,  yet  it  has  a very  large  proportion  of  persons  engaged  in 


134 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND. 


manufactures,  and  was  the  first  in  which 
the  manfacture  of  cotton  was  effected 
by  machinery.  Although  the  first  of  the 
colonies  in  which  general  religious  tol- 
eration, or  rather  equality,  was  estab- 
lished, contrary  to  the  general  impres- 
sion, that  system  was  allowed  to  exist  but 
two  years;  for  Roman  catholics  were 
then  denied  the  liberty  allowed  to  others. 

The  history  of  this  state  is  interest- 
ing for  important  events  which  occurred 
within  its  territory  at  different  epochs. 
It  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  first  and 
the  latest  events  of  the  eventful  war  of 
Kino-  Philip,  or  Metacom,  who  was  a 
native  of  its  soil,  and  fell  at  the  foot  of 
I Mount  Hope.  The  Narragansets,  one 
of  the  most  powerful  Indian  tiibes  m 
New  England,  were  reduced  by  a war 
carried  on  in  this  territory. 

This  tribe  is  now  reduced  to  three  or 
four  hundred,  composing  about  fifty  fam- 
ilies, who  reside  on  the  Indian  lands. 
Individuals  of  the  tribe  were  lately  in 
possession  of  three  or  four  thousand 
acres  of  land,  about  one  third  of  which 
was  cultivated.  The  tribe  own  twenty 
or  thirty  acres  of  woodland,  seventy  acies 
of  swamp,  and  nineteen  acres  on  Slioit 
Neck  ; they  have  a church,  with  a reg- 
ular baptist  clergyman  (an  Indian)  ; and 
a schoolhouse,  in  which  school  is  kept 
winter  by  the  Indians,  and  in  sum- 


XIX  ' J ( « 

mer  by  the  missionary  society  : it  con 
sists  of  forty  or  fifty  scholars. 

In  the  revolution,  Newport  was  taken 
and  occupied  by  the  British  forces  until 
relieved  by  a French  fleet,  cooperating 
with  the  American  army. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a letter 
written  by  a distinguished  historian  - 
“ Rhode  Island  was  foremost  in  the 

following  events  : — 

“ May  17,  1744.  The  delegates  from 
the  town  of  Providence  were  instructed 
to  prevail  on  the  assembly  to  use  then- 
influence  with  the  other  colonies  to  pro- 
mote the  convening  of  a continental  con- 
gress— a few  days  earlier  than  the  action 
of  any  other  public  body  on  tlTe  subject. 

“ June  15,  1774.  The  assembly  chose 
delegates  to  the  congress  two  days  be- 


fore  Massachusetts,  which  I believe  has 
hitherto  been  considered  the  first  to  elect 


delegates. 


“ August , 1775.  The  assembly  recom- 
mended to  the  congress  to  build  and 
equip  a continental  navy ; the  first  rec- 
ommendation of  this  sort  by  any  public 
body. 

“ May,  1176.  Act  of  abjuration  on  in: 
dependence  was  passed  ; the  only  step 
of  this  description,  as  far  as  I know, 
taken  by  any  assembly,  or  colonial  con- 
vention, before  the  declaration  of  con- 
gress. The  resolves  of  Mecklenbuig 
county,  in  North  Carolina,  were  of  the 
same  tenor,  but  the  meeting  consisted 
of  delegates  from  one  county  only,  and 
these  seem  not  to  have  been  chosen  upon 
the  usual  principles  of  representation. 

“ There  are  passages  in  the  colonial 
history  of  Rhode  Island  most  honorable 
to  the  patriotic  spirit  of  the  people.  The 
assembly  petitioned  against  the  famous 
‘ sugar  act’  of  1773. 

“ The  petition  was  rejected  by  par- 
liament. A curious  debate  on  the  sub- 
ject may  be  seen  in  Hassard  s Pailia- 
mentary  History,  vol.  viii.,  p.  1261. 

Newport.— This  place  possesses  one 
of  the  best  harbors  in  the  United  States. 
The  entrance  is  protected  by  Fort  Adams, 
on  Brenton’s  point.  It  embraces  an  ex- 
tent of  about  130  acres.  A range  of 
guns  lines  the  shore  toward  the  west, 
and  the  casemates,  &c.,  are  very  strong. 

Newport  extends  about  a mile  along 
the  shore,  and  its  natural  beauties  pass 
quite  beyond  any  seaside  resort  in  this 
country.  It  has  become  very  popular 
as  a place  of  summer  residence.  In.  the 
hottest  weather,  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day,  a cool  sea-breeze  can  be  enjoyed 
here.  The  range  of  the  thermometer, 
in  fact,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  is  less 
than  at  almost  any  other  place  m the 
United  States.  The  romantic  variety 
and  picturesque  elegance  of  its  coast 
scenery,  where  the  salt  spray,  foaming 
against  the  rocks,  momently  dashes  it- 
self into  rainbows,  present  the  most  en- 
chanting splendors  of  impression  that 
land,  and  sea,  and  sunshine,  in  their 
combinations,  can  produce.  A walk 
aloncr  the  cliffs  is  like  a ramble  through 
a select  gallery  of  Birch’s  marine  views. 
To  sit  on  high  upon  some  “ com  of  van- 
tage” in  the  rock,  and  gaze  upon  the 
white  waters  wrestling  in  undying  wrath  ^ 


Newport. 


136 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND. 


with  the  eternal  bases  of  the  earth,  while 
the  .spirit  of  beauty,  prevailing  over  both, 
transmutes  the  terror  into  glory,  and 
spreads  out  before  the  imagination  an 
exhaustless  banquet  of  visionary  delight, 
is  a pleasure  that  invests  that  region  in 
a spiritual  lustre,  and  consecrates  it  to 
the  enthusiasms  of  the  poet  as  much  as 
to  the  enjoyments  of  the  gay.  The  drives 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town,  are 
varied  and  beautiful. 

The  beach  behind  the  town,  like  the 
whole  circuit  of  the  city  on  the  land 
side,  was  defended  by  a line  of  troops 
batteries,  &c.,  during  the  possession  ot 
it  by  the  English  in  the  revolutionary 
war;  and  the  opposite  high  grounds 
were  occupied  by  the  American  army, 
whose  headquarters  were  on  Taumony 
hill,  about  a mile  and  a half  from  the- 
town — an  elevation  which  affords  an  ex- 
tensive view  on  every  side;  General 
Prescott  was  taken  here  during  the.  war 
by  a bold  party  of  men  under  Colonel 
Barton,  who  landed  secretly  from  a boat 
in  the  night,  went  to  the  British  head- 
quarters, and  conveyed  their  captive 
away,  before  the  land  or  naval  forces, 
then  in  the  harbor,  could  prevent  them 
The  place  was  blockaded  by  the  British 

^During  the  possession  of  the  place  by 
the  enemy,  the  trees  were  cut  down  for 
fuel ; and  although  the  soil  is  admirably 
calculated  for  the  growth  of  fruit-trees, 
and  was  before  that  period  quite  covered 
with  the  finest  orchards,  it  is  now  so 
divested  of  trees  of  every  description, 
as  to  appear  remarkably  naked  and  mo- 
notonous for  an  American  scene.  I he 
fertility  of  the  ground,  and  the  excel- 
lence of  the  crops,  as  well  as  the  neat- 
ness and  precision  with  which  the  fields 
are  cultivated  and  regularly  divided  by 
fine  stone  walls,  present,  however,  a pic- 
ture of  agricultural  beauty  rarely  paral- 
leled in  the  United  States.  The  island, 
fourteen  miles  long  and  not  three  miles 
wide,  contained  in  1827  more  than  thirty 

thousand  sheep.  . 

Mount  Hope,  famous  as  the  ancient 
royal  residence  of  the  Narraganset  In- 
dians, and  particularly  as  the  abode  of 
Kin g Philip,  and  the  scene  of  his  death, 
is  seen  from  a few  miles  beyond  New- 


port, toward  the  northwest.  It  rises  in 
Warren,  on  the  shore  of  an  arm  of  the 
bay.  Prudence  island  is  about  five  miles 
in  length,  and  presents  the  same  fertile 
soil  and  gently-swelling  surface  as  that 
of  Rhode  Island.  The  inhabitants  are 
few,  as  are  those  of  Patience  and  Hope, 
islands  of  a much  smaller  size.  Des- 
pair is  a cluster  of  rocks  on  the  left,  near 
the  island  of  Hope,  the  north  end  ot 
which  is  twenty  mil^s  from  Providence. 

Coal  Mine.— An  extensive  mine  of 
anthracite  or  incombustible  coal  was 
opened  a few  years  since  near  the  end 
of  the  island,  in  Portsmouth,  about  two 
miles  from  Bristol  ferry  ; it  was  not  ex- 
tensively used,  and  the  work  was  soon 

abandoned.  . 

Providence  is  the  second  city  m JNew 
England.  Population  in  1851,  about 
45  000.  It  is  beautifully  as  well  as  ad- 
vantageously situated  at  the  head  of  navi- 
gation, on  the  river  Providence. 

The  town  was  settled  in  the  year  163b 
by  Roger  Williams,  who  left  the  old 
colonies  in  consequence  of  a disagree- 
ment in  religious  doctrines.  He  built 
his  house  on  the  shore,  near  the  present 
episcopal  church.  Many  of  the  society 
of  quakers!  or  friends,  afterward  joined 
him,  whose  descendants  form  a large 
share  of  the  population  of  the  state.  . 

Brown  University,  the  principal  in- 
stitution of  learning  in  the  state,  is  built 
on  the  summit  of  a high  hill,  decorated 
with  some  of  the  finest  houses  m this 
part  of  the  country,  dispersed  among 
spacious  gardens,  and  mingling  the  de- 
lights of  the  country  with  the  splendor 
of  a city.  It  was  founded  in  1764;  has 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  students  ; 
and  its  library  contains  twenty-five  thou- 
sand volumes. 

The  academy,  near  the  college,  is  a 
large  institution,  and  was  established  b) 

I the° friends,  or  quakers. 

A man  in  boring  for  water,  a few  years 
| aero,  at  the  end  of  a wharf,  many  yards 
distant  from  the  original  land,  bored 
i through  a stream  of  mud ; then  through 
a bog  meadow,  containing  good  peat ; 
! then  through  a sand  and  quartz  gravel. 

I i • •a.  i »v»rvrp  nTn  ptPfi  With 


then  iniuugii  a,  , 

i At  this  point,  water  impregnated  with 
copperas  and  arsenic  broke  forth  ; but, 
I determining  to  proceed  further,  he  next 


struck  a vineyard  and  drew  up  vines, 
grapes,  grape-seeds,  leaves,  acorns,  ha- 
zelnuts, pinenuts,  and  the  seeds  of  un- 
known fruits,  together  with  pure  water. 
This  was  thirty-five  feet  below  the  bed 
of  the  river. 

The  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad , 
forty-one  miles  in  length,  begins  at  India 
wharf,  in  Providence,  near  the  steamboat 
landing,  and,  passing  through  the  town, 
leads  through  Foxboro’,  Walpole,  Ded- 
ham, Roxbury,  and  other  towns.  It 
was  opened  in  1835,  and  cost  nearly  two 
millions  of  dollars  ; the  curvatures  are 
gentle  ; least  radius,  five  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  feet ; highest  grade, 
thirty-seven  and  a half  feet;  summit  in 
Sharon,  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet 
above  tide.  There  is  a viaduct  of  gran- 
ite in  Canton,  seven  hundred  feet  long, 
and  above  sixty  fe«t  high,  over  Nepon- 
set  valley.  There  are  many  embank- 
ments and  excavations  in  rock. 

Blackstone  Canal. — This  canal,  which  j 
reaches  from  Providence  to  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  runs  along  the  course  of  | 
the  Blackstone  river  for  several  miles.  ! 
It  is  forty-five  miles  long,  eighteen  feet  ! 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  thirty-four  feet  | 
at  the  surface.  There  are  forty-eight 
locks,  all  built  of  stone,  which  overcome 
a rise  and  fall  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  The  size  of  the  locks  is  eighty- 
two  feet  in  length,  and  ten  in  breadth  ; 
and  the  cost  of  the  whole  work  was  about 
half  a million  of  dollars.  The  water 
is  chiefly  derived  from  Blackstone  river, 
but  there  are  large  ponds  at  different 
parts  of  the  route  which  can  be  drawn 
upon  at  any  time.  The  whole  work  was 
completed  about  1828. 

Pawtucket  is  one  of  the  largest  man- 
ufacturing places  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. The  banks  of  the  river  are  varied 
and  somewhat  romantic  ; while  the  fall, 
which  is  under  the  bridge,  furnishes  a 
most  valuable  water-power.  Cotton  is 
principally  manufactured  here,  though 
there  is  machinery  devoted  to  other  pur- 
poses. The  village  is  divided  by  the 
Blackstone  or  Pawfucket  river.  The 
residents  of  the  left  bank  call  it  “ Paw- 
tucket, Massachusetts” — those  of  the 
right  bank,  “ Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island.” 
The  population  is  over  seven  thousand. 


There  is  quite  a number  of  handsome 
edifices  for  public  worship,  banks,  tav- 
erns, &c.  There  are  three  distinct  falls, 
on  which  manufactories  have  been  erect- 
ed. The  upper  or  Valley  falls  are  about 
a mile  from  the  main  part  of  the  village. 
Plere  there  are  five  large  mills.  About 
half  a mile  lower  down  are  the  Central 
falls.  Here  are  four  large  factories. 

Early  History  of  Cotton  Manufactures 
in  America. — As  Rhode  Island  was  the 
state  into  which  the  manufacture  of  cot- 
ton by  machinery  was  first  introduced, 
the  following  brief  sketch  of  its  history 
may  be  appropriately  introduced  here. 

Looking  back  to  the  incipient  state 
of  our  manufactures,  we  can  not  but  be 
impressed  with  absolute  astonishment 
at  the  rapid  strides  they  have  made 
toward  perfection.  In  1727,  the  only 
spinning-machine  in  the  whole  extent 
of  our  country  was  one  spinning-jenny, 
with  twenty-eight  spindles,  worked  by 
hand.  At  the  present  time,  millions  of 
capital  are  employed  in  spinning  and 
weaving,  every  sloping  stream  is  con- 
verted into  a mill  seat ; and  by  the  in- 
dustry of  our  own  hands,  with  the  aid 
of  labor-saving  machinery,  we  manufac- 
I ture  not  only  what  is  necessary  for  our 
| own  consumption,  but  also  for  exporta- 
tion. We  copy  from  a Providence  pa-' 

| per  the  following  facts  in  the  early  his- 
I tory  of  cotton-spinning  in  the  state,  by 
Mr.  William  Anthony,  of  Coventry ; they 
can  not  be  uninteresting  to  our  readers  : 

“In  1786,  Daniel  Anthony,  Andrew 
Dexter,  and  Lewis  Peck,  of  Providence, 
formed  a copartnership  for  the  manufac- 
turing of  what  was  then  emphatically 
cnWe&homespun  cloth.  They  commenced 
spinning  by  hand,  and  manufactured 
' jane  from  linen-warp  with  cotton-filling. 
About  that  time  machinery  was  imported 
from  England  by  Major  Orr,  of  Bridge- 
water,  Massachusetts  ; and  this  company 
sent  Mr.  Anthony  to  Bridgewater  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  a draft  of  the  ma- 
chinery, if  practicable.  The  machinery  I 
was  not  in  operation,  nor  was  that  the  j 
intention  of  Major  Orr  ; he  kept  it  mere- 
ly for  the  purpose  of  being  inspected  by 
the  curious,  and  others  willing  to  hazard 
the  experiment  of  establishing  a manu- 
factory. From  a draft  of  the  machinery 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND. 


a jenny  was  constructed.  The  spindles 
(twenty-eight  in  number)  and  brass  work 
were  made  by  Daniel  Jackson,  of  this 
town,  an  ingenious  coppersmith.  This 
jenny,  probably  the  first  ever  put  in 
motion  in  the  United  States,  was  placed 
in  the  chambers  of  the  markethouse  in 
Providence,  and  there  worked  by  hand. 

“Joshua  Lindley,  about  that  period, 
built  a carding-machine  from  Major 
Orr’s  pattern.  It  was  something  sim- 
ilar to  those  used  at  the  present  day 
for  carding  of  wool,  the  cotton  being 
taken  off  the  machine  in  rolls  and  roped 
by  hand.  The  company  caused  to  be 
built  from  Major  Orr’s  pattern  a spin- 
ning-frame, somewhat  similar  to  our 
water-frames,  but  very  imperfect.  , It 
consisted  of  eight  heads  of  four  spindles 
each,  and  was  carried  by  a crank  turned 
by  hand.  The  first  head  was  made  by 
John  Baily,  a very  ingenious  clockmaker 
of  Pembroke,  Massachusetts  ; and  the 
other  seven,  with  the  brasswork  and 
I spindles,  by  our  townsman,  Daniel  Jack- 
son.  The  lad  who  then  turned  the  wheel 
has  ever  since  devoted  his  attention  to 
the  manufacturing  of  cotton,  and  it  af- 
fords us  pleasure  at  this  time  to  number 
him  among  the  wealthy  and  most  respec- 
table portion  of  our  community. 

“ In  1788,  Joseph  Alexander  and  Jas. 
M‘Kerris,  from  Scotland,  came  to  Provi- 
dence, and  understanding  the  use  of  the 
flyshuttle,  they  undertook  to  weave  cor- 
deroy  ; a loom  was  built,  agreeably  to  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Alexander,  and  placed 
in  the  chambers  of  the  markethouse  ; it 
used  the  flyshuttle,  which  was  probably 
the  first  ever  introduced  into  this  coun- 
try. The  corderoy  was  wove  with  linen 
warp  and  cotton  filling ; but  the  manu- 
facture of  that  description  of  cloth  was 
abandoned,  in  consequence  of  no  person 
being  found  who  could  cut  the  corderoy, 
and  raise  the  pile  which  formed  the  ribs 
and  gave  it  the  finish. 

“ The  spinning-frame,  after  being  used 
some  time  at  Providence,  was  sent  to 
Pawtucket,  and  there  attached  to  a wheel 
and  propelled  by  water-power.  This 
machine  was  very  imperfect ; all  the  card- 
ing and  roping  was  done  by  hand.  It 
was  used  a short  time  and  then  sold  to 
Moses  Brown,  esquire. 


139  I 


“ Manufacturing  was  in  this  infant  and 
imperfect  state  when  Samuel  Slater,  es- 
quire, arrived  from  England.  He  was 
a manufacturer,  and  could  both  build 
and  use  machinery.  The  old  machinery 
was  ‘all  thrown  aside,  and  that  built 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Slater  sub- 
stituted in  its  place. 

“ But  few  had  then  sufficient  faith  in 
the  experiment  to  hazard  their  capital 
in  so  doubtful  an  enterprise  as  the  man- 
ufacture of  cotton.  The  manufacturers 
at  that  season  had  everything  to  con- 
tend against.  By  the  policy  of  England, 
the  exportation  of  machinery  was  pro- 
hibited. Our  artisans,  like  our  manufac- 
turers, were  in  jheir  infancy  ; our  iron, 
steel,  and  brass  workers  were  few,  and 
they  of  course  entirely  unacquainted  with 
any  kind  of  millwork,  for  we  find  that 
the  head  to  the  first  spinning-frame  was 
made  by  a clockmaker . There  also  ex- 
isted a prejudice  against  manufacturing, 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  Every  argu- 
ment which  ingenuity  could  devise  was 
urged  against  the  measure.  It  was  rep- 
resented as  demoralizing  to  society,  as 
repugnant  to  republican  principles,  as 
ruinous  to  those  engaged  in  it,  and  to 
the  very  liberties  of  the  country.  We 
were  then  a commercial  people,  and 
the  commercial  part  of  our  community 
viewed  with  no  little  jealousy  the  estab- 
lishment of  manufactures.  England,  and 
Englishmen  in  this  country,  opposed  it, 
knowing  that  our  real  advantages  were 
so  great,  that,  if  once  established,  we 
would  become  a powerful  and  success- 
ful rival.  But  arguments,  and  remon- 
strances, and  opposition  of  every  kind, 
proved  unavailing.  The  enterprise  of 
a few  individuals  overcame  every  ob- 
stacle, and  within  forty  years  from  the 
establishment  of  a single  hand  spinning- 
frame,  with  no  great  assistance  from 
government,  we  find  our  manufactures 
in  their  present  flourishing  and  enviable 
situation.  We  can  not  dismiss  the  sub- 
ject without  expressing  a feeling  of 
exultation,  that  our  town  was  the  first  in 
the  country  to  establish  and  patronize 
this  invaluable  branch  of  national  in- 
dustry, and  our  markethouse*the  reposi- 
tory of  the  first  spinning-frame  ever  set 
in  motion  in  the  United  States.” 


140  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND. 

Block  Island. — This  most  southern 
part  of  the  state  is  a lone  and  desolate 
little  island,  lying  far  distant  from  the 
mainland,  with  but  an  irregular  and  pre- 
carious connexion  with  any  other  part 
of  the  country. 

No  class  of  citizens  of  the  United 
States — :says  a writer — are  less  under- 
stood in  Rhode  Island,  than  the  inhab- 
itants of  Block  island.  Shut  out  from 
the  world  by  the  barrier  of  the  ocean, 
all  communication  cut  olf  except  when 
the  waters  are  tranquil  enough  to  per- 
mit their  boats  to  float  upon  their  bosom, 
this  island  appears  to  be  a little  world 
by  itself,  apart  from  everything  but  the 
white-crested  billow,  anc}  the  dense  blue 
sea-fog.  The  island  lies  high  in  the 
water,  on  an  average  ten  feet  higher  than 
Montaug  point,  which  is  the  nearest 
land.  It  is  nearly  destitute  of  a harbor, 
even  for  its  fishing-smacks,  as  a north- 
west wind  sweeps  down  Long  Island 
sound  on  the  one  hand,  and  a south  wind 
drives  in  from  the  Atlantic  on  the  other, 
rendering  insecure  any  position  that 
might  be  taken  around  her  fated  land. 

Many  is  the  fine  ship  that  has  laid  her 
bones  upon  the  rocks  that  stud  the  ex- 
treme points  of  this  no-man’s-land,  and 
many  more  have  but  just  escaped  a sim- 
ilar fate;  and  scarce  a mariner  comes 
in  view  of  it  that  does  not  call  to  mind 
some  shipmate  who  made  his  last  splice 
in  that  neighborhood,  and  died  within 
view  of  his  destined  haven.  Block  island 
is  a beacon  of  joy  to  thousands  who 
come  in  from  the  “sheep-pasture,”  as 
the  Yankees  term  the  Atlantic,  and  who 
from  a foreign  land  seek  that  of.  their 
nativity ; it  is  the  point  whence  they  take 
their  departjire,  and  the  first  land  they 
make  on  their  return,  and  for  that  rea- 
son is  greeted  by  the  returning  seaman 
as  the  first  glimpse  of  his  much-loved 
home.  But  when  they  make  it  a “ lee- 
shore,”  with  a stiff  breeze,  it  is  more  an 
object  of  terror  than  anything  else,  for 
ten  to  one  are  the  chances  of  escape 
from  destruction. 

But  from  the  island  we  turn  to  that 
singular  race  who  inhabit  it.  A Block- 
islander  has  been  the  same,  without  a 
shadow  of  change,  since  his  island  was 
first  inhabited.  One  would  know  him 

by  his  look  alone — his  weather-beaten 
face,  and  an  eye  that,  to  all  appearance, 
has  been  bleached  while  penetrating  the 
fog  that  hangs  above  and  around  the 
island  like  a canopy.  One  would  know 
him  by  his  form : built  for  strength 
rather  than  for  beauty,  and  that  natural 
strength  increased  by  constant  hardships 
and  exposure  to  water  and  to  sun,  the 
frame  is  spread  to  a degree  that  could 
not  fail  to  be  ever  known  after  having 
been  known  at  all.  But,  most  of  all,  he 
would  be  known  by  his  dress.  Having 
seen  the  costume  of  one  Block-islander, 
you  have  seen  them. all-— it  is  a curious 
mixture  of  the  New  England  farmer  and 
the  seaman.  There  is  the  homespun 
pepper-and-salt,  or  black  broadcloth,  and 
upon  its  surface  a huge  patch  of  Russia 
duck  ; the  tarpaulin  hat  which  marks  the 
seaman,  and  the  cotton  bandanna  hand- 
kerchief that  tells  of  him  from  the  Green 
mountains ; but  most  of  all  have  we 
looked  at  what  covers  his  legs  from  one 
extremity  to  the  other,  and  are  denom- 
inated boots  : these  are  known  wherever 
they  are  seen — from  one  extremity  of 
the  continent  to  the  other ; they  could 
have  been  modelled  at  no  other  place, 
and  an  attempt  to  imitate  them  would 
be  as  fruitless  as  unprofitable;  water 
could  not  penetrate,  and  fire  could  hard- 
ly consume,  this  part  of  their  wardrobe, 
and  they  will  stand  for  ages,  as  monu- 
ments of  the  taste  of  the  people  who 
invented  them.  They  are  worn  by  all 
classes,  from  young  to  old. 

The  females  of  Block  island,  too,  can 
face  the  gale,  and  defy  rains,  or  snows, 
or  freezing  winters.  They  are  almost 
as  hardy  as  their  husbands,  and  not  un- 
frequently  venture  so  far  upon  the  sea 
that  the  sail  of  their  clipper-boats  are 
seen  only  as  specks  on  the  horizon. 

Rhode  Island,  small  as  it  is,  has  been 
as  fruitful  in  eminent  men  as  any  other 
state  in  the  Union,  however  large.  As 
early  as  1723,  it  was  the  residence  of  the 
celebrated  divine  and  philosopher,  Dean 
Berkley,  afterward  bishop  of  Cloyne. 

It  is  said  that  he  wrote  his  Minute 
Philosopher  while  there. 

The  first  anatomical  and  surgical  lec- 
tures ever  delivered  in  America  were 
given  at  Newport,  about  the  year  1760, 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND.  141 

by  Dr.  William  Hunter.  A year  or  two 
after,  lectures  on  electricity,  with  the 
Franklinian  experiments,  were  given  by 
Solomon  Southwick,  the  father  of  the 
gentleman  of  the  same  name  in  Albany. 
From  about  17.56,  there  was  more  'gen- 
eral literature  in  Newport,  and  through 
the  island,  than  perhaps  any  other  part 
of  America,  which  was  owing  to  a very 
well-selected  public  library  given  by 
Abraham  Redwood,  esquire,  a very  op- 
ulent and  generous  person  belonging«to 
the  society  pf  friends.  He  gave  five 
hundred  pounds  sterling  for  the  books 
in  London.  These  were  selected  with 
great  judgment  by  the  colony  agent,  and 
some  were  added  by  private  donations. 
President  Styles  was  its  librarian  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  years.  After 
a British  army  took  possession  of  the 
island,  this  valuable  selection  of  books 
was  despoiled  of  a great  portion  of  the 
English  classics,  histories,  voyages,  and 
travels,  and  whatever  came  under  the 
head  of  entertaining  books.  The  li- 
brary is  still  respectable. 

Among  military  men,  Rhode  Island 
gave  to  the  nation  General  Greene  and 
Commodore  Perry.  The  once  very 
beautiful  scenery  which  embellished  the 
island,  and  its  character  for  healthful- 
ness, drew  to  it  every  summer  numbers 
of  opulent  invalids,  with  not  a few  men 
of  property,  who  sought  pleasure  and 
agreeable  residence.  It  was  the  perma- 
nent residence  of  many  men  of  inde- 
pendent fortune,  past  the  meridian  of 
life,  from  different  parts  of  Europe  and 
the  West  India  islands,  and  who  chose 
that  spot  in  which  to  spend  their  days. 
This  accounts  for  the  large  number  of 
tories,  or  gentlemen  who  wished"  for  no 
alteration  in  government  and  the  habit- 
ual order  of  things. 

Besides  very  handsome  country-seats, 
that  island  contained  three  gardens  that 
merited,  in  some  measure,  the  name  of 
botanical  gardens,  having  greenhouses 
and  hothouses,  with  curious  foreign 
plants.  Those  belonging  to  Malborne, 
Redwood,  and  Bowler,  were  the  most 
distinguished.  The  most  elegant  and 
costly  dwellinghouse  in  the  twelve  col- 
onies was  the  country-seat  of  Colonel 
Malborne,  which  was  accidentally  de- 

stroyed  by  fire  previous  to  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  The  beautiful  spot  now 
belongs  to  another  family. 

Before  the  revolution,  Rhode  Island 
with  its  capital  (Newport)  was  the  most 
agreeable  spot  on  the  Atlantic  shores. 

It  enjoyed  a very  considerable  com- 
merce : the  most  lucrative,,  although  not 
the  most  moral,  was  the  trade  to  Africa. 
Newport  was  then,  from  the  causes  al- 
ready mentioned,  a lively,  genteel,  and 
literary  town,  and  Providence  was  com- 
paratively small.  But  after  the  British 
took  possession  of  it,  the  town  of  Prov- 
idence rose  rapidly  on  the  ruins  of  the 
capital.  Upward  of  nine  hundred  build- 
ings, of  all  descriptions,  were  destroyed 
by  the  British,  principally  for  fuel ; and 
what  was  equally,  if  not  more,  to  be  la- 
mented, they  also  destroyed,  through 
necessity,  all  the  beautiful  woods  and 
ornamental  trees  on  that  fine  island. 
During  these  calamities,  Providence, 
Bristol,  Warren,  and  several  towns  on 
the  Narraganset  shore,  increased  in  size 
and  consequence,  leaving  the  island,  like 
an  old  battered  shield,  held  up  against 
the  enemy.  If  the  general  government 
can  do  anything  to  recover  it  to  a con 
dition  in  any  respect  equal  to  its  formei 
consequence,  they  ought,  in  gratitude, 
so  to  do  ; for  where  is  the  spot  in  the 
United  States  that  has  suffered  so  much 
as  Newport  on  Rhode  Island  I 

While  we  are  disposed  to  eulogize 
Rhode  Island,  there  is  one  thing  we 
have  always  regretted,  and  that  is  its 
penal  code.  In  point  of  health  and  pro- 
priety, her  prisons  were  far  behind  those 
of  other  states  ; and  the  severity  of  their 
punishments  far  more  rigorous  than  in 
most  of  the  other  colonies  and  states. 
Their  whipping  at  the  cart’s-tail  fell  but 
little  short  of  the  Russian  knot ; and 
their  ear-croppings  and  brandings  long 
continued  after  other  states  had  me- 
liorated their  punishments  for  theft  and 
forgery. 

The  following  sh6ws  the  population 
of  the  state  at  different  periods  : — 

In  1730,  17,935  In  1800,  69,122 

1748,  34,128  1810,  76,931 

1774,  59,678  1820,  83,059 

1783,  51,809  1830,  97,199 

1790,  68,825  1840,  108,830 

In  1850,  147,654. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  143 


NEW  YORK. 

No  state  in  the  Union  occupies,  at  the 
present  time,  a more  prominent  position 
than  New  York,  or,  in  many  points  of 
view,  a more  interesting.  One  of  the 
earliest  in  the  history  of  the  colonial 
settlements,  occupying  on-e  of  the  largest 
territories  among  the  original  thirteen 
states,  touching,  with  its  extensive  arms, 
the  ocean,  and  two  pf  the  larger  lakes, 
including  for  a century  the  most  power- 
ful body  of  Indians  within  our  borders, 
and  some  of  the  principal  paths  of  for- 
eign invasion,  her  scenes  of  early  enter- 
prises and  military  operations,  often  dis- 
tinguished by  the  bold  and  beautiful 
traits  of  nature,  have  been  in  turn  the 
witnesses  of  extending  civilization,  and 
the  triumphs  of  modern  science  and  art  enlisted  in  her  service.  Where  the  Indians, 
sent  out  or  led  on  by  the  French  Jesuits  in  Canada,  laid  the  ambush,  or  fell  upon 
the  defenceless  frontier  settlement,  or  where  the  armies  of  France  and  England 
contended  for  the  possession  of  American  forests,  in  the  course  of  years  the  same 
places  witnessed  the  strife  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother-country  ; and, 
since  it  ceased,  have  been  enlivened  by  the  passage  of  steamboats  or  rail-cars,  or 
afforded  sites  for  flourishing  towns  and  cities. 

To  give  more  than  an  imperfect  outline  of  the  past  and  present  condition  of  so 
large,  populous,  and  important  a state,  in  the  few  pages  allotted  to  it  in  a work 
like  this,  will  be  impossible  ; and,  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  falling  into  a mere 
record  of  dry  statistics,  we  must  confine  our  attention  to  some  of  the  leading 
natural  features,  the  most  important  epochs  in  history,  works  of  art,  and  other 
points  of  interest. 

Hudson  River. — This  stream,  as  one  of  the  most  important  channels  of 
commerce  in  the  Union,  merit  special  attention.  Its  natural  advantages  have  been 
immensely  surpassed  by  those  added  by  art : for,  since  the  construction  of  the 


144  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


canals,  especially  the  Grand  or  Erie 
canal,  an  extent  of  territory  has  been 
opened,  surpassing,  a thousand  times, 
that  which  borders  the  stream  and  its 
branches.  The  railroads  already  made 
increase  the  amount  of  navigation  and 
valuable  freights  annually  borne  upon 
the  bosom  of  this  noble  river ; and  those 
proposed  and  partly  completed,  promise 
still  greater  and  incalculable  results. 
Of  those  more  recently  completed,  the 
New  York  and  Erie  railroad,  described 
on  another  page,  is  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant, forming,  as  it  does,  a second 
and  more  rapid  communication  between 
the  Atlantic  sea-board  and  the  lakes. 

The  Hudson  rises  in  the  wild,  eleva- 
ted, and  almost  uninhabited  region  west 
of  Lake  Champlain,  and  flows,  at  first, 
nearly  north,  then  east,  and  finally  south, 
till  it  falls  into  New  York  bay,  passing 
through  which  and  the  lower  bay,  its 
waters  mingle  with  those  of  the  ocean, 
at  Sandy  Hook.  The  latter  and  princi- 
pal part  of  its  course  is  remarkably 
straight,  and  almost  due  south.  After 
receiving  several  small  branches  in  the 
upper  regions,  it  is  swelled  by  the  Mo- 
hawk at  Waterford;  and  soon  after 
reaching  Troy,  the  head  of  steamboat 
navigation,  passes  Albany,  where  the 
northern  and  Erie  canals  communicate 
with  it,  through  a spacious  basin.  From 
that  place  to  its  mouth,  the  Hudson  is 
navigated  by  a number  of  steamboats, 
sloops,  canal-boats,  and  vessels  of  larger  j 
size,  worthy  of  the  principal  commer- 
cial river  of  the  United  States,  flowing 
into  the  Atlantic.  Although  it  passes 
through  a line  of  mountains  at  the  High- 
lands, that  are  commonly  regarded  as  the 
Allegany  range,  it  pursues  its  way  with 
a smooth  apd  unbroken  current,  causing 
no  interruption  to  navigation. 

It  has  two  large  expansions  below 
that  point,  called  Haverstraw  and  Tap- 
pan  bays,  after  which  it  proceeds,  with 
a breadth  but  little  increased,  till  it 
reaches  the  city  of  New  York.  The 
tide  is  evident  even  at  Albany  ; but  the 
water  is  perceptibly  affected  by  the 
brine  of  the  Atlantic  only  as  high  as 
Polopel’s  island,  at  the  northern  extrem- 
ity of  the  Highlands.  The  numerous 
and  flourishing  towns  upon  its  banks, 


with  the  variety  of  taste  displayed  in 
the  country-seats  occupying  the  heights, 
declivities,  and  shores,  intermingling 
with  the  beautiful  and  sometimes  wild 
scenery  with  which  nature  has  enrich-  ‘ 
ed  it,  and  which  is  widely  and  so  justly 
celebrated — all  these,  combined  with 
the  evidences  of  industry  and  wealth, 
displayed  by  the  fleets  of  vessels  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  continually  ploughing  its 
waters,  render  the  Hudson  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  routes  for  a traveller. 

In  summer,  the  number  of  travellers 
passing  up  and  down  this  river  is  almost 
incredible : for  it  lies  on  the  way  between 
the  commercial  metropolis  of  tho  Union 
and  several  of  the  principal  points  to 
which  travellers  for  business  or  pleas- 
ure direct  their  course : Ballston  and 
Saratoga,  Lakes  George  and  Cham- 
plain,  Canada,  Niagara,  and  the  West;  j 
while  by  numbers  this  attractive  route 
is  chosen  in  going  to  Boston,  the  White  j 
mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  and  oth-  j 
er  parts  of  New  England. 

Ope  of  the  remarkable  objects  on  the  | 
Hudson  is  the  trap  range,  on  its  western 
bank,  extending  from  Weehawken  bluff  j 
ar  up  toward  the  Highlands,  called  the  j 
Palisades.  It  often  presents  a precipi-  i 
tous  wall,  totally  inaccessible  from  the  I 
water,  except  occasionally ; and  for  j 
some  distance  it  rises  about  four  hun- 
dred  feet  perpendicularly. 

Mountains. — The  Allegany  range  en- 
ters  this  state  from  New  Jersey,  and 
crosses  the  Hudson  at  the  pass  of  the  j 
Highlands,  celebrated  for  its  scenery,  ; 
and  for  some  important  events  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  passes  into  New 
England. 

The  Catskill  mountains  rise  at  some 
distance  above  the  Highlands,  about  sev- 
en miles  west  of  the  river,  and  present 
a range  of  rocks,  covered  with  a thin 
coat  of  forest-trees,  with  several  peaks 
rising  a little  above  the  general  outline, 

] the  loftiest  of  which,  the  Crow’s-Nest, 
is  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  ocean.  The  poverty  of  the 
soil  and  the  roughness  and  almost  inac- 
cessible nature  of  the  surface,  render 
* this  wild  region  the  retreat  of  deer  and 
wolves.  The  abundance  of  oak-trees  is 
such,  that  numerous  tanneries  are  found 


View  of  the  Palisades,  Hudson  River. 


146 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


in  that  region.  The  village  of  Hunter 
is  situated  halfway  up  the  mountain,  at 
an  elevation  considerably  higher  than 
any  other  within  the  limits  of  New 
York.  The  Mountain  house,  in  the  up- 
per parts  of  this  Alpine  region,  is  the 
resort  of  numerous  travellers  of  taste  in 
the  warm  seasons  ; and,  while  it  affords 
every  comfort,  and  many  of  the  luxuries 
of  life,  it  commands  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive and  delightful  views  to  be  found 
within  the  circuit  of  the  Union,  with  ea- 
sy access  to  the  wild  valley  of  the  Cau- 
terskill  creek,  and  its  remarkable  cas- 
cades. 

Oswego  River  is  a very  remarkable 
stream  on  account  of  one  singular  pecu- 
liarity. It  is  the  drain  of  almost  the 
whole  cluster  of  small  lakes  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  state  of  New  York.  Having 
its  head  in  Canandaigua  lake,  in  its  eas- 
terly course,  it  receives  the  outlets  of 
all  those  which  empty  northward,  and 
at  length,  after  passing  several  villages, 
receives  the  Oswego  canal,  and  falls 
into  Lake  Ontario  at  the  village  of  Os- 
wego. 

Genesee  River. — The  scenery  along 
the  course  of  this  river  is  wild,  where  it 
passes  through  the  high  and  rocky  ridge 
| which  bounds  the  rich  “ Genesee  Flats,’ 
j on  the  south.  The  banks,  for  a consid- 
erable distance,  are  perpendicular,  as  if 
cut  through  by  some  irresistible  torrent, 
exposing  to  view  the  strata  far  below 
the  original  surface.  The  extensive 
valley  which  succeeds,  so  celebrated  for 
its  fertility,  affords  the  stream  a smooth 
and  level  channel,  by  which  it  gently 
meanders  through  a scene  of  peculiar 
richness,  in  summer  waving  with  some 
of  the  best  wheat  in  America.  The 
stream,  by  wearing  away  the  limestone 
rocks  above,  annually  enriches  the  soil 
by  its  deposites  ; and  this  natural  manu- 
ring process  is  aided  by  the  action  of 
the  wind,  which,  in  blowing  down  the 
rocky  chasm  just  mentioned,  brings 
with  it  particles  of  dust  from  the  crumb- 
ling surface,  and  spreads  them  far  and 
wide  over  the  meadows.  So  important 
are  the  effects  of  this  process,  that  the 
land  is  perceptibly  richer,  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  valley,  as  we  approach  its 
I rugged  boundary. 


Moving  northward,  the  Genesee  flows  j 
toward  the  great  mart  and  manufactory  \ 
of  those  stores  of  grain  which  its  shores 
yield  in  such  abundance  ; and  that  large 
and  flourishing  town  owes  its  existence, 
or  at  least  its  importance,  to  the  abun- 
dant water-power  afforded  by  the  sud- 
den descent  of  its  waters  over  the  steep 
falls  at  that  place.  Both  sides  of  the 
stream  are  there  lined,  for  a great  dis- 
tance, by  mills  of  the  largest  size,  con- 
structed in  the  most  substantial  manner, 
which  are  celebrated  for  the  excellency, 
as  well  as  the  amount  of  the  flour  which 
they  annually  produce. 

It  is  remarkable  in  the  history  of  this 
part  of  the  state,  that  the  superior  fer- 
tility of  the  Genesee  Flats  long  remain- 
ed unknown,  as  well  as  the  peculiar  fit- 
ness of  the  soil  for  wheat.  Thousands 
of  emigrants  from  New  England,  says 
Darby,  settled  on  other  tracts  of  land 
further  west,  where  they  were  satisfied 
if  "they  could  raise  thirty  bushels  of 
corn  on  an  acre.  But  the  value  of  this  , 
fertile  region  is  now  well  appreciated; 
and  sixty  bushels  of  corn,  or  twenty-five 
of  wheat,  are  annually  yielded  by  thou- 
sands of  acres.  A finer  sight  can  hard- 
ly be  shown  in  any  part  of  our  country, 
than  this  region,  when  covered  with  its 
waving  crops. 

The  Genesee  Flats  were  a favorite 
district  with  the  Indians  ; and  the  last 
blow  received  by  the  Iroquois,  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  was  given  here,  : 
when  a large  village  was  burnt,  and  they 
were  driven  from  their  richest  plant-  , 
ing  grounds..  The  remains  of  ancient 
mounds  and  other  traces  of  past  genera-  . 
tions,  prove  that  the  banks  of  the  stream 
were  long  the  residence  of  a large  pop- 
ulation. 

Springs. — New  York  abounds  in 
mineral  springs,  and  of  very  different 
qualities.  Some  of  them  possess  highly 
sanative  properties,  and  are  the  most 
celebrated  resorts  in  America,  by  in- 
valids and  travellers  for  pleasure.  Oth- 
ers are  merely  curiosities,  on  account 
of  the  peculiar  substances  held  in  solu- 
tion by  their  waters. 

Gas  spj'ings  are  among  the  latter; 
and  these  are  found  in  several  places  in 
the  western  parts  of  the  state,  chiefly  at 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  147 


Bristol,  Middlesex,  and  Canandaigua, 
where  they,  in  some  places,  rise  from 
small  hillocks,  and  the  hydrogen  which 
forms  a large  constituent  of  the  gaseous 
exhalations,  readily  burns  on  being 
touched  with  flame,  and  sometimes  con- 
tinues to  blaze  for  several  hours,  even 
when  surrounded  with  snow.  In  the 
geological  volumes  of  the  reports  of  the 
scientific  survey  of  the  state,  all  the 
particulars  maybe  found,  relating  to  this 
and  to  many  other  subjects,  connected 
with  the  rocks  and  soil  of  the  extensive 
and  diversified  territory. 

Ballston  Springs. — The  old  chalybe- 
ate spring,  in  the  centre  of  the  village 
of  Ballston  Spa,  near  the  Kayderoseros 
brook,  was  known  to  the  Indians,  and 
highly  valued  by  them.  It  was  visited 
by  Sir  William,  Johnson,  before  the 
Revolutionary  war,  at  the  recommenda- 
tion of  an  Indian,  for  the  improvement 
of  his  health  ; and  he  was  carried  for  a 
considerable  distance  on  a litter,  there 
being  at  that  time  no  road.  The  vicini- 
ty of  the  spring  was  marked  by  the  feet 
of  numerous  deer,  and  paths  were  trod- 
den by  them  to  their  favorite  drinking- 
place,  from  every  direction.  For  sever- 
al years  after  the  war,  there  were  no 
better  accommodations  at  the  place  than 
a miserable  loghouse  ; but  it  gradually 
became  a place  of  considerable  resort ; 
and  about  the  year  1814  orlS15,  was  a 
village,  with  several  houses  for  lodgers, 
one  of  which,  the  Sans  Souci,  had  ac- 
commodations for  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  persons.  Several  other  springs 
had  been  discovered,  and  more  were 
afterward  found,  all  situated  in  the  small 
alluvial  valley  of  the  Kayderoseros. 
These  differed  in  nature  : some  being 
pure  water,  others  chalybeates,  sulphur- 
ous, and  saline.  This  place,  however, 
for  many  years,  has  been  superseded  by 

Saratoga  Springs. — This  is  now  by 
far  the  most  important  watering-place 
in  the  Union,  for  the  number  of  visiters. 
There  are  five  or  six  hotels  of  the  lar- 
gest size,  and  numerous  smaller  ones, 
all  standing  on  one  street,  and  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  principal  spring ; 
and  the  place,  during  the  warm  season, 
especially  in  the  months  of  July  and 
August,  is  generally  crowded  to  over- 


flowing, by  thousands  of  persons,  from 
all  parts  of  this  country,  and  from  many 
foreign  lands.  The  railroad  offers  ev- 
ery facility  for  travelling,  and  several 
interesting  places  lie  in  the  vicinity, 
while  through  the  place  lies  the  grand 
route  to  Canada,  by  Lake  Champlain. 

The  Congress  spring , at  the  southern 
end  of  the  village,  affords  a plentiful 
supply  of  saline  water,  in  which  Glau- 
ber’s salt  abounds,  accompanied  with 
portions  of  lime  and  magnesia,  and  a 
slight  trace  of  iron,  and  abundance  of 
carbonic  acid  gas,  all  which  together 
render  it  one  of  the  most  useful  of  natu- 
ral mineral  waters  in  the  world.  It  is 
recommended  for  many  cases  of  disease, 
and  great  quantities  are  bottled  for  the 
supply  of  cities  and  towns  in  all  parts 
of  the  Union,  while  much  of  it  is  sent 
abroad.  It  was  discovered  soon  after 
the  Revolution,  in  the  bed  of  a small 
brook,  which  flows  through  the  narrow, 
marshy  strip  of  ground,  in  which  all 
the  other  springs  at  this  place  are  situ- 
ated, including  the  Iodine  spring , which 
is  a great  rarity. 

The  Round  Rock  spring  was  known 
to  the  Indians,  and  is  named  from  a hol- 
low conical  mass  of  rock  in  which  it  ri- 
ses, and  over  the  top  of  which  it  for- 
merly flowed.  A tree,  it  is  said,  fell 
upon  it  some  years  ago,  and  caused  the 
crack  through  which  the  water  now  es- 
capes, near  the  level  of  the  ground. 
The  water  is  a feeble  chalybeate,  of  lit- 
tle value  or  interest,  and  holds  in  solu- 
tion a portion  of  lime,  whose  gradual 
deposition,  on  the  escape  of  the  carbon- 
ic acid,  no  doubt  formed  the  singular 
cone,  which  naturally  has  made  it  an 
object  of  popular  curiosity. 

Natural  History. — A few  years 
ago  the  legislature  of  this  state  author- 
ized a scientific  survey  of  its  territory, 
appointed  some  of  the  most  eminent 
naturalists  in  different  departments  and 
appropriated  considerable  sums  of  mon- 
ey to  pay  the  expenses.  The  state  has 
now  been  traversed  and  examined,  re 
ports  have  been  made,  accepted,  and 
printed,  and  we  have  already  eleven  vol- 
umes, elegant  quartos,  abounding  in 
facts,  and  illustrated  by  hundreds  of  en- 
gravings, representing  the  rocky  strata, 


1 — 

148  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

and  other  geological  features,  with  the 
plants,  insects,  reptiles,  fish,  birds,  and 
beasts,  inhabiting  the  land  and  water. 
The  descriptions  partake  of  the  popu- 
lar style,  to  a considerable  extent,  in  or* 
der  that  the  common  reader  may  not  be 
debarred  from  the  perusal,  by  language 
too  strictly  technical.  The  last  volumes 
are  soon  to  appear.  The  following 
general  views  of  the  regions,  climates, 
and  animals  of  the  state,  we  abridge 
from  those  reports. 

New  York  lies  within  the  temperate 
zone,  in  an  irregular  triangle,  with  its 
apex  on  the  Atlantic,  and  its  sides  on 
the  western  border  of  New  England, 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario, 
and  the  northern  boundaries  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey.  Long  island 
forms  a sandy  spur,  extending  from  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  eastward,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Including 
Long  island,  the  state  extends  through 
eight  degrees  of  longitude,  and  from 
forty  degrees  and  three  minutes,  to  for- 
ty-five degrees,  of  north  latitude,  with 
more  than  forty-six  thousand  square 
miles.  It  covers  a surface  greater  than 
Poland,  Scotland,  or  Naples  and  Sicily; 
three  times  larger  than  Switzerland, 
and  almost  equal  to  England.  It  is 
nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Italy,  the  south 
of  France,  and  the  north  of  Spain;  and 
resembles  them  in  the  heats  of  summer; 
but  yet  the  winters  are  as  severe  as 
those  of  the  northern  countries  of  Eu- 
rope. The  mean  length  of  the  winter 
in  ten  years  was  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  days,  or  about  five  months-;  and  the 
mountains,  although  none  of  them  ex- 1 
ceed  the  height  of  five  thousand  feet, 
have  a much  colder  climate  than  corres-  j 
ponding  elevations  in  Europe.  Within  j 
the  boundaries,  are  animals,  which  are 
found,  in  the  old  world,  only  at  great 
distances  from  each  other;  as  the  Cer- 
vidae  and  Mustelidae  of  the  south  of  Eu- 
rope, and  the  Muridae  and  Vespertilion- 
idae  of  the  north. 

There  are  four  districts,  distinguished 
by  geographical  peculiarities,  and  not 
less  by  zoological. 

1.  The  Western  District , bounded  on 
the  east  by  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  is 
chiefly  elevated  on  the  Allegany  table- 

land,  furrowed  by  valleys  lying  north 
and  south,  once  probably  outlets  of  an 
inland  ocean.  The  descent  westward 
is  sudden,  to  Lake  Erie;  while  ten  or 
twelve  small  lakes  in  the  middle  are 
drained  by  the  Genesee  river,  and  visit- 
ed by  salmon  from  Lake  Ontario.  The 
great  lakes  have  much  influence  on  the 
climate.  Here  are  found  the  northern 
lynx,  with  the  deer-mouse  and  porcu- 
pine. Streams  flow  from  this  district 
to  the  Mississippi,  and  to  the  Susque- 
hannah  and  Delaware. 

2.  The  Northern  District  has  mount- 
ains, some  five  thousand  feet  in  height, 
with  Lake  Champlain,  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  long;  and  is  inhabited  by 
several  fur-bearing  animals  : the  sable 
and  beaver,  and  also  by  the  mouse  and  . 
the  wolverine.  It  is  tjie  southern  limit 
of  migration  of  many  of  the  arctic  birds, 
as  the  Canada  jay,  spruce-grouse,  swan, 
raven,  and  arctic  woodpecker. 

3.  The  Hudson  Valley  District  lies  in 
the  form  of  an  inverted  L ; and,  though 
small,  it  is  highly  interesting,  as  it  con- 
tains many  of  the  animals  of  the  adja- 
cent New  England  states,  while  on  the 
west  it  has  the  Catskill  mountains,  some 
of  which  rise  four  thousand  feet,  and 
are  still  the  habitation  of  wolves,  deer, 
panthers,  and  bears.  The  Erie  canal 
has  brought  into  the  Hudson  the  soft- 
shelled  turtle  and  the  rock  bass  from  the 
lakes  ; as  the  yellow  perch  and  the  mus- 
kalonge  have  found  their  way  from  Lake 
Erie  to  the  Mississippi  through  the  Ohio 
canal.  The  southern  part  of  this  dis- 
trict teems  with  inhabitants  of  the  ocean. 

It  is  remarkable  that  some  species  o£ 
animals  find  the  Hudson  their  natural 
eastern  boundary,  as  the  opossum,  chain- 
snakes,  brown  swift,  buzzard,  and  sev- 
eral other  birds,  come  to  its  western 
borders,  but  never  cross  it.  At  the 
same  time,  there  are  some  species  which 
abound  in  the  counties  on  the  eastern 
side,  but  are  never  seen  on  the  western. 

4.  The  Atlantic  District , or  Long  Is- 
land, runs  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  northeasterly,  with  a mean  breadth' 
of  ten  miles,  having  low  sand  hills  in 
the  northern  part,  only  in  one  place 
three  hundred  feet  high.  The  bear, 
wolf,  and  otter,  have  been  exterminated  : 

% 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


but  the  deer  remain  ; and,  although  much 
hunted,  are  believed  to  be  on  the  in- 
crease, ‘since  they  have  begun  to  be 
protected  by  law  during  the  breeding 
season.  This  remarkable  tongue  of 
land,  stretching  nearly  at  right  angles 
from  the  coast  south  of  it,  is  the  first 
resting-place  offered  to  many  of  the 
birds,  on  their  migrations  from  the  West 
Indies  and  other  southern  regions,  after 
a long  flight  over  the  waters  of  the 
ocean.  It  happens  also  to  lie  in  such  a 
latitude,  that  it  is  at  once  the  northern 
limit  of  the  tropical  birds,  and  the  south- 
ern limit  of  the  arctic.  In  winter  the 
eider-duck  is  found  on  Long  island,  the 
little  white  goose,  the  cormorant,  the 
awk,  and  many  others  from  the  Arctic 
ocean  ; while  in  summer  are  to  be  seen 
the  turkey-buzzard,  the  swallow-tailed 
kite,  the  fork-tailed  fly-catcher  from 
Guiana,  &c.,  &c.  Here  is  also  the  nat- 
ural limit  of  certain  species  of  fish, 
some  from  the  north,  and  others  from 
the  south. 

“American  quadrupeds  have  attract- 
ed but  little  attention,”  remarks  one  of 
the  writers  of  the  scientific  reports,  Dr. 
Dekay,  “until  within  a short  period; 
and  were  then,  at  first  only  noticed  by 
foreigners.  The  few  Americans  who 
afterward  began  to  procure  specimens, 
sent  most  of  them  abroad,  where  only 
they  found  them  appreciated.  De  Li- 
ancourt,  De^Chastellux,  and  some  other 
mere  travellers,  did  much  ; and  such  sci- 
entific explorers  as  Bose,  Kalm,  Mi- 
cheaux,  and  Pal  de  Beauvois,  have  done 
much  more.  The  Philadelphia  Acade- 
my of  Natural  History,  the  Lyceum  of 
New  York,  and  other  scientific  societies 
in  Boston,  New  Haven,  and  Salem,  have 
accomplished  much  since  their  forma- 
tion.” The  American  Journal  of  Sci- 
ence and  the  Arts,  established  and  con- 
ducted by  Prof.  Silliman,  has  also  pow- 
erfully contributed  to  the  cultivation  of 
zoological  study  and  research,  as  well 
as  of  other  branches. 

Many  remains  of  mammoth  and  other  . 
extinct  animals  have  been«found  in  the 
state  of  New  York  ; and  the  only  entire 
skeleton  of  the  mastodon  ever  obtained 
was  dug  from  the  earth  near  Newburgh, 
in  1845. 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  I49 


Lakes. — New  York  contains  more 
lakes  than  any  other  state  in  the  Union  : 
and,  if  we  cast  our  eyes  upon  the  map, 
and  observe  their  number  and  import- 
ance, with  those  larger  ones  which  to- 
gether form  a large  proportion  of  its 
boundaries,  we  might  be  disposed  to 
give  it  a new  but  appropriate  geograph- 
ical appellation,  and  call  it  “the  Lake 
state.” 

Lake  George. — The  most  picturesque 
of  the  American  lakes,  lies  just  within 
the  southern  limit  of  the  northern  mount- 
ain ranges,  and  combines  the  wildness 
and  sublimity  of  Scotch  scenery  with  the 
richness  and  beauty  of  native  American 
forests,  intermingled  with  occasional 
marks  of  progressive  cultivation.  Lake 
George,  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water  to 
which  we  allude,  is  twenty  miles  in 
length,  and  about  'one  mile  in  width  ; 
and  is  completely  shut  in  by  eminences 
of  considerable  elevation,  which  form  a 
succession  of  bold  scenery,  as  the  trav- 
eller passes  over  the  smooth  surface  in 
the  steamboat  which  ploughs  its  crystal 
water.  French  mountain,  at  the  south- 
ern extremity,  looks  down  upon  the  ru- 
ins of  Forts  George  and  William  Hen- 
ry, which  were  erected  to  repel  the  in- 
vasions of  the  people  whose  name  the 
mountain  bears,  in  the  colonial  wars  ; 
and  several  other  peaks  rise  conspicu-  . 
ously  below,  and,  at  the  Narrows,  in  the 
middle  of  the  lake,  almost  close  up  the 
passage,  which  is  still  more  impeded  by 
numerous  little  islands  of  various  forms, 
which  seem,  from  a distance,  like  a 
fleet  of  light-boats,  becalmed,  on  a par- 
ty of  pleasure. 

The  beautiful  sheet  of  water  was,  in 
former  times,  disturbed  by  scenes  of 
war  ; and  the  remains  of  military  works 
near  its  southern  extremity,  with  histor- 
ical associations  connected  with  different 
points  on  its  shores,  redouble  the  inter- 
est of  the  intelligent  traveller  who  re- 
sorts to  its  delightful  borders,  and  glides 
over  its  glassy  surface.  The  ruins  of 
the  two  forts  beforementioned,  George 
and  William  Henry,  and  which  were 
the  scenes  of  important  events,  are  seen 
on  its  southern  shore. 

Lake  Champlain. — Lake  Champlain,  j 
interesting  from  its  historical  associa-  I 


150 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I 


tions,  is  long  and  narrow,  separates  the 
states  of  Vermont  and  New  York,  and 
is  distinguished  for  its  beauty.  Its  wa- 
ters are  generally  quiet,  never  being 
wrought  into  anything  more  than  gentle 
billows  ; and  its  width,  being  such  that 
both  shores  are  distinctly  visible  through 
its  whole  length,  gives  it  somewhat  the 
appearance  of  a broad  river.  The  cel- 
ebrated fortresses  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  are  on  its  southern  por- 
tion. In  its  wider  parts,  picturesque 
little  islands  seem  to  rest  on  its  bosom  ; 
three  of  which,  lying  near  together, 
of  similar  size  and  shape,  are  called  the 
“ Three  Brothers.” 

The  “ North  and  South  Hero,”  are 
two  larger  islands,  which  occupy  quite  a 
considerable  space  in  the  length  of  the 
lake.  They  are  inhabited  by  a numer- 
ous population,  and. have  their  schools 
and  churches.  About  three  miles  from 
the  Vermont  shore,  is  a small  island,  in- 
habited by  one  family,  who,  like  Sel- 
kirk, “ have  none  to  dispute  their  right” 
to  their  little  secluded  home. 

In  a passage  up  the  lake,  through 
which  ply  the  splendid  steamboats  on 
the  grand  route  to  Canada,  you  look  out 
upon  two  states  at  the  same  time.  On 
the  right  is  Vermont,  with  its  verdant 
shore ; and  in  the  distance  are  the 
“ Green  mountains.”  On  the  left  is  the 
north  part  of  New  York,  looking  quite 
as  mountainous,  and  as  much  diversified 
with  hills  and  dales,  rich  in  mines  of 
iron,  but  still  almost  covered  with  for- 
ests. On  both  shores,  beautiful  villages 
are  frequently  seen,  stretching  down  to 
the  water’s  edge,  and  adding  much  life 
and  interest  to  the  landscape.  None 
who  pass  up  this  lake,  but  feel  a pecu- 
liar interest  in  that  part  of  it,  where  the 
memorable  “ Battle  of  Plattsburgh”  was 
fought. 

That  part  of  the  lake  abounds  in  de- 
lightful views,  especially  where  we  ap- 
proach Plattsburgh,  and  pass  over  the 
waters  memorable  as  the  scene  of  the 
naval  victory  of  Commodore  M‘Donough 
over  the  British  fleet  under  Commodore 
Downie.  War  is  to  be  deprecated  in 
all  its  forms,  and  its  existence  exceed- 
ingly to  be  deplored,  a%  a sad  relic  of 
barbarism ; still,  as  events  of  history 


and  reality,  all  feel  an  equal  interest  in 
scenes  that  were  acted  here. 

History. — The  history  of  this  state 
naturally  itself  divides  into  periods, 
corresponding  in  general  with  those 
most  remarkable  in  that  of  the  older 
colonies  and  states  ; and  under  each  of 
these  many  interesting  and  instructive 
events  and  incidents  are  recorded,  some 
of  which  will  be  .alluded  to  in  their  ap- 
propriate places,  with  that  brevity  which 
is  made  necessaiy  by  the  nature  of  this 
work.  Abundant  sources  of  informa- 
tion are  at  hand,  for  any  who  wish  to 
pursue  any  branch  of  New  York  histo- 
ry in  detail  ; for  no  state  in  the  Union, 
perhaps,  is  better  furnished  in  this  re- 
spect, especially  in  works  of  recent 
publication.  Although  fewer  men  of 
letters  were  found  among  the  early  in- 
habitants in  colonial  times,  numerous 
historians,  as  well  as  other  writers,  have 
devoted  their  pens  to  subjects  around 
them  ; and  within  a few  years  the  His- 
torical Society  has  made  great  and  very  j 
successful  exertions  to  collect  and  pre- 
serve records  of  all  kinds,  calculated  to 
throw  light  upon  any  period  of  history. 

The  legislature,  at  their  invitation,  sent 
an  intelligent  agent  to.  Europe,  a few  ‘ 
years  ago,  Mr.  Brodhead,  who  brought 
back  an  invaluable  collection  of  docu- 
ments,  in  different  languages,  from  the 
archives  of  Holland,  France,  and  Eng- 
land, respectively  illustrating  tne  peri-  f 
ods  of  Dutch  settlement  and  rule,  of 
English  extension  and  French  invasion. 
Future  historians  .will  find  Here  a rich 
addition  to  previous  annals,  and  the 
means  of  correcting  foimer  errors  and 
of  illustrating  numerous  points  which 
require  elucidation. 

Indian  antiquities  have  been  studied 
with  zeal,  and  are  now  prosecuted  with 
new  advantages.  Under  the  authority 
of  the  legislature,  that  well-qualified  in- 
vestigator, Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  was 
employed  in  1846.  to  take  a census  of 
thq  Indians  in  the  state  ; and  he  collect- 
ied  a mass  of  the  most  valuable  facts  ev- 
j er  obtained,  Relating  to  any  family  of 
j the  human  race,  illustrating  the  chan- 
j ges  occurring  in  the  transition  state,  j 
from  the  savage  toward  the  civilized 
| condition.  In  this  survey,  as  might  be 


View  of  Albany,  from  Greenbush. 


152  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


expected,  the  influence  of  Christianity 
is  strongly  exhibited,  as  the  grand  civil- 
izing agent,  and  lessons  of  an  impor- 
tant character  are  given,  well  calculated 
to  guide  philanthropists  in  their  future 
undertakings  in  favor  of  the  much-neg- 
lected, abused,  and  belied  race  of  red- 
men. 

The  reader  must  be  referred  for  in- 
formation on  the  history  of  this  state  in 
all  its  different  periods  and  epochs,  to 
the  following  authors  among  many  oth- 
ers : Colden,  Smith,  Clinton,  Campbell, 
Yates,  Moulton,  &c.  Barber’s  volume 
is  well  adapted  to  the  common  reader, 
abounding  in  local  descriptions  and  an- 
ecdotes, illustrated  with  many  engra- 
vings. We  have  here  merely  room  to 
allude  to  the  chief  events  in  the  early 
history  of  the  colony. 

Henry  Hudson,  an  Englishman  in  the 
service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  compa- 
ny, discovered  the  Hudson  river  in  1609, 
and  ascended  it  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles.  It  was  in  consequence  of 
this  discovery,  that  the  Dutch  laid  claim 
to  the  territory  on  both  sides  of  the  riv- 
er, and  called  it  New  Netherlands. 
The  position  now  known  as  Albany, 
was,  in  1613,  named  by  the  few  Dutch 
who  discovered  it  and  built  a fort  there, 
Fort  Orange  ; and  in  the  next  year,  sev- 
eral trading-houses  were  erected  upon 
Manhattan  island  (now  New  York),  to 
which  they  gave  the  name- of  New  Am- 
sterdam. 

The  English  were  not  well  pleased 
by  what  they  considered  the  intrusions 
of  the  Dutch.  They  claimed  that  this 
part  of  the  territory  properly  belonged 
to  Virginia;  and,  in  the  same  year, 
Captain  Argal  came  with  a fleet  of  three 
ships,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  fort.  They  submitted  without  re- 
sistance, because  their  numbers  were 
very  few.  But  a new  governor  arrived 
from  Holland,  and  the  Dutch  would  al- 
low the  authority  of  the  English  no 
longer,  and  they  retained  possession 
until  1664.  They  built  Fort  Good 
Hope  on  the  Connecticut,  at  Hartford, 
and  another  on  the  Delaware,  and  then 
claimed  a right  to  all  the  extensive  re- 
gions between  these  two  rivers. 

But  the  Indians  did  not  let  the  Dutch 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


remain  long  in  peace.  In  1646,  a bat- 
tle was  fought  at  a place  called  Strick- 
land’s plain ; and  the  savages  were  de- 
feated with  great  slaughter.  The  colo- 
nies of  New  Haven  and  Connecticut 
were  at  this  time  disputing  with  the 
Dutch  ; but,  in  1650,  a treaty  was  made 
at  Hartford,  by  which  the  Dutch  gave 
up  their  claim  to  the  territory  belong- 
ing to  those  colonies,  except  the  part 
which  they  then  occupied. 

Five  years  after  this  the  Swedes,  who 
had  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  Del- 
aware river,  were  attacked  and  subdued 
by  the  Dutch  governor,  Stuyvesant,  with 
a fleet  of  seven  ships.  But  ere  long, 
the  Dutch  were  met  again  by  their  old 
enemies  the  English.  In  1664,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  grant  which  Charles  II. 
had  given  to  his  brother,  the  duke  of 
York  and  Albany,  and  which  secured  to 
him  all  the  lands  owned  by  the  Dutch, 
a squadron  appeared  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York,  which  was  commanded  by 
Colonel  Nichols.  A surrender  was  im- 
mediately demanded  by  the  English, 
who  promised  to  secure  the  rights  of 
life  and  property  to  the  inhabitants. 
The  governor  wished  to  make  resist- 
ance, but  the  inhabitants  prevailed  upon 
him  to  submit.  The  English  thus  took 
possession,  and  called  it  New  York,  in 
honor  of  the  duke  of  York;  and  not 
long  after  Fort  Orange  was  also  taken, 
and  named  Albany. 

Nichols  now  became  governor;  and 
his  administration  was  mild  and  success- 
ful. 

We  have  not  room  to  notice  the  suc- 
cessive governors  of  the  colony,  nor  the 
various  events  which  distinguished  the 
successive  periods,  through  the  contests 
between  England  and  other  powers, 
which  had  more  or  less  influence  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  We  can  only  re- 
fer, in  their  places,  to  some  leading 
events  in  the  French  and  the  Revolu- 
tionary wars,  and  in  that  with  England 
of  1812. 

Albany. — This  city  presents  several 
superior  claims  to  our  attention.  In 
point  of  history  it  is  the  oldest  settle- 
ment by  Europeans  on  the  Hudson  for, 
unusual  as  it  is  in  founding  colonies,  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  was  not  occupied 


Albany  Female  Academ 


154  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


by  the  Dutch  until  they  had  first  estab- 
lished themselves  at  this  place,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  and  more  from  the 
sea.  This  was  the  scene  of  many  im- 
portant councils  and  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  especially  the  Five  Nations  ; 
and  in  the  grounds  of  the  old  capitol 
were  interred  numerous  savage  memo- 
rials of  peace  and  amity.  During  the 
French  wars,  Albany  was  often  the 
grand  point  of  rendezvous  for  the  troops 
required  of  New  England  and  New 
York,  in  military  expeditions  against 
Canada.  Burgoyne’s  expedition,  in 
1777,  had  the  capture  of  this  city  as  its 
first  object,  after  gaining  possession  of 
Ticonderoga,  and  it  was  saved  only  by 
the  battles  of  Saratoga.  Albany  has 
been  the  capital  of  this  state  ever  since 
its  formation  ; and  here  is  the  point  at 
which  concentrate  the  principal  canals 
and  railroads  of  New  York — the  uniting 
link  in  the  chains  connecting  the  com- 
merce of  the  lakes  with  that  of  the 
great  nortnern  ports,  Boston  and  New 
York. 

Albany  is  well  situated  to  make  a 
striking  appearance  to  a person  ap- 
proaching by  the  river,  or  viewing  it 
from  the  opposite,  elevated  shores  of 
G-reenbush.  A crowded  mass  of  houses 
seems  to  cover  the  entire  declivity,  which 
rises  suddenly  from  the  level  of  the 
shore  to  the  summit,  which  is  crowned 
by  the  statehouse  with  its  dome.  The 
bi  oadest  and  perhaps  the  principal  street 
(State  street),  well  built,  with  many 
large  edifices,  hotels,  stores,  and  private 
residences,  leads  from  the  base  of  the 
hill  to  the  gates  of  the  statehouse,  start- 
ing from  the  chief  avenue  of  business, 
Market  street,  which  extends,  with  sev- 
eral parallel  streets,  far  up  and  down 
the  city,  norfh  and  south. 

I The  canal-basin  occupies  the  front  of 
the  town  for  about  one  half  its  length, 
being  shut  in  from  the  river  by  the  pier, 
which  commences  at  the  north,  and  ter- 
j minates  opposite  the  foot  of  State 
street.  Here  are  seen  mingling  the 
boats  of  Lake  Champlain,  Erie,  and  the 
Ohio  canal,  with  the  steamboats  sent 
I from  New  York  to  tow  them  to  the 
! mouth  of  the  river,  where  many  of  them 
exchange  the  abundant  products  of  the 


interior  for  the  various  stores  brought 
from  our  own  and  foreign  coasts.  The 
railroads  come  in  with  their  share  of  1 
valuable  freights  ; and  Albany  presents,  ] 
on  every  hand,  abundant  and  gratifying 
proofs  of  the  sagacity  of  those  enlight- 
ened councils,  which  opened  the  grand 
channels  of  commerce,  for  the  wide  and 
lasting  benefit  of  the  state  and  the  coun- 
try. 

The  Albany  Female  Institute. — This 
sdminary  was  founded  by  private  sub- 
scription, and  has  been  a flourishing 
and  useful  institution,  conferring  a high 
and  solid  education  on  thousands  of  the  ^ 
youths  of  this  ci£y  and  other  places  near 
and  distant.  The  plan,  in  some  impor- 
tant respects,  was  new:  it  being  the 
design  to  afford,  at  the  cheapest  possible 
rate,  a superior  education  on  females  of 
all  ranks  in  society ; and  so  successful 
has  it  proved,  that  several  other  institu- 
tions have  been  formed  in  imitation  of 
it,  which  have  in  like  manner  been  high- 
ly useful,  particularly  the  Rutgers  Insti- 
tute in  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  Albany  Female  Seminary. — This 
is  another  institution  occupying  a com- 
manding situation  on  the  top  of  Capi- 
tol hill,  near  the  statehouse  and  several 
other  public  buildings.  It  is  founded  on  a , 
plan  which  does  great  credit  to  the  s , 
state  of  New  York,  which  has  so  hon-  \ 
orably  distinguished  itself  by  its  liberal  j 
provision  for  the  diffusion  of  education,  j 

The  central  Normal  School  is  also'es-  I 
tablished  in  Albany,  and  is  doing  impor- 
tant good  by  preparing  teachers  for  the  ; 
common  schools. 

The  City-Hall  was  built  in  1832,  of 
white  marble  from  Sing-Sing,  quarried 
and  hewn  by  the  prisoners,  with  a base- 
ment, and  a fagade  with  six  Ionic  col- 
umns and  a dome  covered  with  gilding, 
the  only  specimen  of  the  kind  in 'the 
United  l^ates.  The  circular  hall  or  ro- 
tunda contains  a statue  of  Hamilton, 
copied  from  one  by  G^'eenough,  which 
was  destroyed  in  the  New  York  ex-  j 
change^by  the  great  fire.  There  are  al- 
so portraits  of  Clinton  and  TV  alter 
Scott  in  relief,  surrounded  by  emblems. 

The  State- Hall. — This  edifice  stands 
j near  the  city-hall,  and  is  one  hundred 
| and  thirty-eight  by  eighty-eight  feet, 


St.  Paul’s  Church,  Albany 


156 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


and  sixty-five  feet  in  height.  It  is  of 
brick  and  stone,  faced  with  marble,  and 
contains  the  offices  of  the  comptroller, 
treasurer,  attorney-general,  surveyor- 
general,  &c. 

The  Capitol  is  constructed  of  stone, 
and  cost  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  contains  the  chambers 
of  the  senate  and  the  representatives,  in 
which  are  found  full-length  portraits  of 
Washington  and  the  governors  of  New  j 
York. 

There  are  six  banks,  and  twenty-five 
churches  of  different  denominations. 

The  Rensselaer  Mansion  is  a venera- 
ble edifice  a mile  north  of  the  city,  the 
residence  of  the  Patroons  of  that  name, 
proprietors  of  one  of  the  great  entailed 
estates  in  this  state,  which  have  been 
retained  in  several  old  Dutch  families 
from  past  generations.  The  estate  em- 
braces vast  tracts  of  land  in  different 
counties,  large  portions  of  which  occu- 
pied by  tenants,  at  various  rents,  usual- 
ly small,  and  often  trifling.  Within  a 
few  years  great  dissatisfaction  has  been 
excited  among  the  people,  and,  in  1845, 
bands  of  men,  on  this  and  other  manors, 
armed  and  disguised,  set  the  laws  at  de- 
fiance, and  committed  some  acts  of  vio- 
lence, even  murder.  The  militia  were 
called  out,  arrests  made,  and  trials  and 
imprisonments  at  length  suppressed  the 
“ anti-rent  riots.” 

The  Indians  knew  Albany  by  the 
name  of  Scagh-negh-ta-da,  which  is  said 
to  express,  in  their  language,  “ The  End 
of  the  Pine  Woods  p'  and  this  term  has 
since  been  applied  to  Schenectady,  the 
town  at  the  western  extremity  of  the 
elevated  pine-barren  tract  which  was 
thus  alluded  to,  there  fifteen  miles  across, 
and  still  almost  uninhabited.  The  Dutch 
called  the  place  Beaverwyck,  on  ac- 
count of  the  principal  article  of  the  trade 
which  they  here  carried  on  with  the  na- 
tives; and  afterward  Willemstadt.  The 
name  Urania,  or  Fort  Orange,  was  nev- 
er extended  to  the  town,  it  is  affirmed, 
but  confined  to  the  small  fort  which  was 
erected  by  the  Dutch  on  their  first  oc- 
cupying this  point.  The  present  name 
was  conferred  by  the  English,  as  has 
before  been  remarked.  It  is  supposed 
that  the  first  white  man  who  ever  visit- 


ed this  spot  was  one  of  the  companions 
of  Hudson,  Hardwicke  Chrystance,  who 
was  sent  from  his  vessel  on  an  exploring 
party,  in,  September,  1610.  Tradition 
says  he  landed  somewhere  near  the 
present  North  Market  street.  The  tra- 
ding-house and  fort  was  built  that  year 
or  the  next  on  the  northern  extremity 
of  Boyd’s  island,  a little  south  of  the 
present  ferry.  It  was,  however,  over- 
thrown and  carried  away  by  the  flood, 
in  the  next  season.  A higher  station 
was  then  chosen,  on  a hill  two  miles 
distant,  at  a place  called  “ Kidder hoogh- 
tenf  by  the  Dutch,  and  by  the  Indians, 
“ Ta-wass-a-gun-shee ,”  or  Lookout  Hill. 
Another  position  was  preferred  ere  long, 
and  there  Fort  Orange  was  finally  erect- 
ed. The  spot  is  near  South  Market 
street,  and  near  that  now  occupied  by 
the  Fort  Orange  hotel.  Eight  large 
cannon  were  mounted  for  defence,  of 
the  sort  then  known  to  the  Hollanders 
by  the  name,  “ sticn  gestucktcn ,”  or 
stone-pieces,  because,  as^is  said,  they 
were  capable  of  throwing  large  stones 
instead  of  iron  shot. 

But,  for  about  twenty  years  after  this 
occupation  of  the  spot,  the  Dutch  spent 
only  the  trading  seasons  at  Fort  Orange, 
returning  annually  to  their  own  country, 
with  the  products  of  their  trade.  In 
1625,  the  Dutch  West  India  company 
offered  large  tracts  of  land  to  any  per- 
sons who  would  colonize  the  country, 
and  great  numbers  came  over  between 
that  time  and  the  year  1635,  from  some 
of  whom  many  of  the  principal  families 
of  the  present  day  have  derived  their 
| names. 

! Wood  was  used  in  Albany  in  all  build- 
ings except  the  fort  until  1647.  The 
town  was  surrounded  by  a palisade  for 
about  a century,  and  the  strict  laws  re- 
specting trade  with  the  Indians,  induced 
! numbers  of  persons  to  remove  to  the 
! Schenectady  Flats,  where  they  could 
trade  with  the  natives  with  greater  free- 
; dom.  The  first  church-building  erected 
j was  at  the  corner  of  State,  Market,  and 
j Court  streets,  and,  after  being  enlarged 
several  times  was  taken  down  in  1806, 
| and  the  stone  used  in  building  the  pres- 
' ent  South  Dutch  church.  The  houses 
| of  Albany  were  built  in  the  style  of 


j 158  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

1 

Holland,  of  small  bricks,  with  the  gable 
ends  to  the  street,  and  troughs  under 
the  eaves  projecting  far  over, the  streets. 
The  Dutch  language  has  not  even  yet 
wholly  fallen  into  disuse,  in  some  fami- 
lies. The  city  charter  was  granted  in 
1686,  and  extended  westward  to  the  dis- 
tance of  a mile  from  the  river,  and  north- 
west to  the  north  line  of  the  manor  of 
Rensselaerwyck,  being  13-|  miles  in 
length.  In  1815  the  limits  were  en- 
larged, by  adding  the  small  town  of  Col- 
onie.  Population,  1850,  51,000. 

Canals. — The  Erie  Canal  was  the 
first  of  any  considerable  extent  in  the 
United  States,  was  planned  and  execu- 
ted by  the  influence  of  Dewitt  Clinton 
and  his  friends,  and  must  ever  be  regard- 
ed as  the  result  of  labors  creditable  to 
them  and  the  state,  the  period  being  one 
in  which  much  opposition  was  exci- 
ted against  it,  in  consequence  of  the  ig- 
norance of  the  people  of  works  of  that 
kind.  The  project  of  connecting  the 
navigation  of  the  lakes  with  that  of  the 
Hudson,  by  means  of  a channel  three 
hundred  and  sixty-three  miles  long,  al- 
most every  foot  of  wnich  was  to  be  ex- 
cavated, and  which  must  be  taken  across 
streams  and  over  hills  and  valleys,  ap- 
peared to  many  as  visionary  and  ridicu- 
lous; but  the  difficulty  of  acquiring  land 
and  of  reconciling  conflicting  interests  in 
the  choice  of  routes,  conspired  to  in- 
crease the  discouragement  of  the  under- 
taking. Had  the  calculations  of  the 
projectors  been  unfounded,  the  result 
would  doubtless  have  discouraged  imi- 
tators : but  the  Grand  canal  of  New 
York  has  long  been,  and  will  ever  be, 
a monument  of  successful  enterprise, 
transcending  in  its  beneficial  effects  the 
most  sanguine  expectations. 

The  Erie  canal  was  commenced  in 
1817,  and  finished,  in  1825.  It  extends 
from  the  great  basin  at  Albany  north- 
ward, along  the  right  bank  of  the  Hud- 
son, to  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  and 
thence  rising,  by  nine  double  locks,  to 
the  level  of  the  banks,  crosses  the  Mo- 
hawk twice  by  aqueducts  and  follows 
the  valley  of  that  stream  to  Rome. 
Thence  it  crosses  to  the  Oswego  river 
near  Syracuse,  whence  the  Oswego  canal 
leads  to  Lake  Ontario;  and  up  the  val- 

ley  of  that  stream  it  proceeds  to  the 
Genesee  at  Rochester,  and  onward  to 
the  Mountain  Ridge,  at  Lockport,  where 
it  rises  by  five  double  locks  to  the  level 
of  Tonawanda  creek,  a tributary  of  Ni- 
agara river,  and,  a part  of  the  way,  by 
the  channel  of  the  former,  goes  on  to 
Lake  Erie  at  Buffalo. 

The  canal  is  there  about  500  feet  high- 
er than  the  Albany  basin  ; 200  of  which 
| are  attained  at  Schenectady,  nearly  300 
at  Canajoharie,  and  400  at  the  Long 
Level,  above  Little  Falls.  Beyond  that 
are  the  only  two  descents  on  the  route, 
and  these  are  but  small. 

Among  the  principal  constructions  on 
the  route,  are  the  grand  embankment, 
near  Rochester,  100  feet  high  and  two 
miles  long;  the  fine  stone  aqueducts  at 
Little  Falls  and  Rochester,  the  former 
214  feet  long,  and  the  latter  stretching 
across  the  Genesee,  900  feet,  on  nine 
beautiful  arches.  At  Buffalo,  is  a fine 
harbor,  lined  with  spacious  storehouses, 
crowded,  in  the  season  of  navigation, 
with  the  numerous  steamboats  and  oth- 
er vessels  employed  in  the  navigation  of 
the  lakes.  * The  branch  from  Syracuse 
extends  through  the  great  salt  region ; 
and  there  are  several  other  branches. 

The  Champlain  Canal. — Parting  from 
the  Erie  canal  at  the  junction,  eight 
miles  from  Albany,  this  important  work 
crosses  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  pass- 
es through  Waterford,  and  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  at  the  foot  of 
the  hilly  range  called  «Behmis’s  heights, 
the  scene  of  the  battle  of  Saratoga, 
crosses  it  at  Miller’s  Falls,  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward (in  the  French  wars  known  as  the 
First  Carrying  Place),  passes  on  to  Fort 
Ann,  or  the  Second  Carrying  Place, 
where  it  enters  Wood  Creek,  following 
it  to  its  mouth  at  Whatehall  (formerly 
Skeenesborough),  at  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  Lake  Champlain.  The  ele- 
vation overcome  on  this  route  is  150  feet, 
from  which  the  descent  is  about  75  feet 
toward  the  north  : the  lake  being  about 
that  height  above  the  river’s  level  at  Al- 
bany. The  length  of  the  route  is  about 
60  miles. 

The  Dclaieare  and  Hudson  Canal. — 
This  canal  commences  at  Rondout,  and 
extends  to  the  Delaware  river,  having 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


159 


Cascade  Bridge,  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad. 


been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
coal  to  New  York  city  from  some  of  the 
Pennsylvania  mines. 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  canal  was 
begun  in  1825,  and  finished  in  three 
years.  It  is  108  miles  long,  and  «ex- 
tends  from  Rondout,  90  miles  from  New 
York,  to  Port  Jervis,  on  the  Delaware, 
a distance  of  59  miles,  then  24  miles  up 
its  eastern  bank,  to  Lackawana  river, 
and  up  that  stream  25  miles  to  Hones- 
dale.  In  some  places  great  expense 
has  been  laid  out  in  blastings.  A rail- 
road of  14  miles  connects  its  extremity 
with  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania.  The, 
canal  is  from  32  to  36  feet  wide,  4 deep, 
with  locks  9 feet  by  76,  for  boats  of  25 
or  30  tons. 

Railroads. — A continuous  line  of 
railroads  now  extends  from  Albany  to 
Buffalo,  with  branches,  from  several 
points,  connecting  with  the  great  Massa- 


chusetts railroad  to  Boston,  and  the  Hud- 
son river  road  to  New  York  city. 

The  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad. 
— This  road  extends  from  the  Hudson 
river  at  Piermont,  twenty-four  miles 
from  New  York  city,  through  tlpe  south- 
ern tier  of  counties  of  the  state  (passing 
twice  into  Pennsylvania)  to  Dunkirk  on 
Lake  Erie,  a distance  of  five  hundred 
and  forty  miles,  the  latter  place  being 
forty-five  miles  southwest  of  Buffalo. — 
A charter  was  obtained  for  this  road  in 

1832.  The  company  was  organized  in 

1833.  and  the  route  was  surveyed  in 

1834.  The  road  was  commenced  in 
1836;  but  was  suspended  soon  after  in 
consequence  of  ihe  commercial  revulsion 
of  1836-’37. — But  aided  by  a loan  of  the 
credit  of  the  state  of  three  millions  it 
was  recommenced  in  1841,  and  succes- 
sive portions  of  the  road  putin  operation 
from  time  to  time  till  it  was  finally  com- 


16(F'  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


pleted  and  opened  to  the  public  its  en- 
tire length,  in  April,  1851. 

The  cost  of  the  Erie  railroad,  as 
stated  in  the  report  of  the  directors,  up 
to  April,  1851,  was  $20,500,000 ; of 
which  $2,500,000,  at  least,  is  chargeable 
to  equipment-account.  The  amount  of 
capital  stock  issued  is  $5,790,000,  leav- 
ing the  remainder  of  cost,  in  the  form 
of  bonds  and  other  debts  against  the 
company,  $14,710,000;  exclusive  of  the 
three  millions  loaned  by  the  state,  and 
relinquished  to  the  company  on  condi- 
tions which  have  now  been  complied 
with  ; and  $750,000  relinquished  by  the 
original  stockholders  on  certain  condi- 
tions, in  1845,  making  the  total  cost  of 
the  road  and  equipments  $24,250,000  ; 
although  the  liabilities  are  only  about 
$20,500,000. 

The  immense  importance  of  this  road 
can  scarcely  be  estimated.  It  opens  a 
trade  with  fertile  regions  hitherto  diffi- 
cult of  access,  while  it  will  bring  to  New 
York  a large  part  of  the  increasing 
products  of  the  lake  counties,  so  dispro- 
portioned  to  the  capacities  of  the  Erie 
canal,  even  when  enlarged  under  the 
recent  act  of  the  legislature. 

Cascade  Bridge  (a  view  of  which  is 
given  overleaf),  is  situated  18S-|  miles 
from  New  York,  and  271  i from  Dun- 
kirk. It  cost  about  $70,000  and  is  the 
work  of  John  Fowler.  This  stupendous 
structure  consists  of  a single  arch,  250 
feet  in  width,  thrown  over  a ravine  184 
feet  in  depth.  The  span  of  the  arch  has 
a rise  of  fifty  feet,  and  far  surpasses  in 
width  anj  other  in  the  world,  construct- 
ed of  timber.  This  ravine  is  very  nar- 
row, and  is  approached  and  crossed  so 
rapidly,  that  a person  in  the  cars  can 
form  no  idea  of  the  bridge  itself,  though 
he  may  judge  of  the  depth  of  the  gulf  by 
a glance  at  the  tops  of  the  trees,  descend- 
ing, row  by  row,  to  the  rocky,  thread- 
like stream  at  the  bottom  of  its  gloomy 
jaws.  Instead  of  resting  upon  frail  piers 
erected  by  the  hand  of  man,  each  leg  of 
the  arch  is  supported  on  and  in  deep 
shelves  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  that  rises, 
wall-like,  on  both  sides  of  the  chasm  ; 
and  while  these  eternal  foundations 
stand,  so  will  the  bridge. 

The  Hudson  River  Railroad. — This 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


work  forms  one  of  the  most  important 
means  of  transport  and  travelling  within 
the  limit-s  of  the  state.  It  passes  along 
the  valley  of  the  Hudson  river  close  to 
its  eastern  bank.  It  is  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  miles  long. 

The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Rail- . 
road  affords  an  uninterrupted  line  of  rail- 
road to  Boston,  through  Connecticut. 

There  are  several  other  roads  within 
the*state,  which  our  limits  will  not  per- 
mit us  to  describe. 

Seminaries  of  Learning  and  Reli- 
gion— Ere  concluding  this  brief  notice 
of  the  public  affairs  of  the  state,  a few 
facts  may  be  appiopriately  added  re- 
specting this  important  department. 

Universities  and  Colleges. — Columbia 
college,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  was 
founded  in  1754  ; Union  college  at 
Schenectady,  in  1795  ; Hamilton  col- 
lege at  Clinton,  Oneida  county,  in  1812  ; 
Geneva  college  at  Geneva,  in  1824  ; and 
the  New  York  university,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  in  1831;  Madison  univer- 
sity  founded  at  Hamilton,  in  1820  ; and 
Rochester  university  at  Rochester,  in 
1850,  with  an  endowment  of  $150,000. 

The  universities  and  colleges  are  un- 
der the  inspection  of  the  regents  of  the 
university  of  the  stale,  and  have  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  literary  fund. 

Theological  Seminaries. — Lutheran 
at  Hartwick,  in  1816;  Protestant  Epis- 
copal in  New  York,  1819;  Baptist  at 
Hamilton,  1820 ; Presbyterian  at  Au- 
burn, 1821  ; Union  at  New  York,  1834; 
Roman  Catholic  at  Fordham,  L840. 

Medical  Colleges. — There  are  two  in 
the  city  of  New  York  : viz.,  the  college  I 
of  physicians  and  surgeons,  and  the  ^ 
New  York  school  of  medicine;  and  a 
third  at  Fairfield,  called  the  college  of 
physicians  and  surgeons  for  the  western 
distiict,  and  another  at  Buffalo. 

Academies  are  numerous,  and  the 
principal  ones  are  under  the  direction 
of  the  state,  and  make  annual  reports 
of  scientific  observations,  &c. 

Normal  Seminary. — At  Albany  is  a 
central  school  for  the  instruction  of  com- 
mon-school teachers.  Here  also  is  pub- 
lished a journal  for  the  benefit  of  the 
schools,  extensively  d iffused  among  teach- 
ers and  school  officers. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  161 


Common  Schools.- — The  first  report 
to  the  legislature,  showing  the  number 
and  condition  of  the  schools  in  New  York, 
was  made  in  1798,  when  the  number  of 
schools  in  the  state  was  but  about  1,500 
and  the  number  of  scholars  about  60,000. 
The  first  appropriations  for  common 
schools  was  made  in  1795,  and  was  on  a 
scale  of  liberality  which  shows  a just 
appreciation  of  the  importance  of  this 
fundamental  interest  in  the  infancy  of 
the  state.  The  sum  appropriated  was 
$50,000  annually  for  five  years.  In 
1805,  a permanent  school  fund  was 
founded  by  the  appropriation  of  half  a 
million  of  acres  of  the  vacant  lands  of 
the  state.  The  annual  returns  from  the 
school  districts  were  incomplete  till  1817, 
when  there  was  5,000  schools,  and  over 
200,000  scholars,  exclusive  of  the  city 
of  New  York.  In  1821,  the  number  of 
pupils  had  increased  to  over  300,000  ; 
and  since  that  period  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  schools,  and  of  children  in- 
structed, has  borne  a near  proportion 
to  the  increase  of  population,  till  by  the 
last  report  of  the  state  superintendent  of 
common  schools,  the  number  of  school 
districts  is  shown  to  be  near  12,000,  and 
the  children  instructed,  about  800,000. 
The  annual  appropriation  from  the  in- 
come of  the  permanent  fund  is  now 
$300,000  and  from  taxes  $800,000,  of 
which  $55,000  is  appropriated  to  the 
purchase  of  school  libraries  and  appa- 
ratus, and  the  remainder  is  applicable 
exclusively  to  the  payment  of  teachers’ 
wages  and  the  support  of  schools. 

Since  the  foundation  in  1835,  the  dis- 
trict libraries  have  grown  to  the  amount 
of  1,500,000  volumes.  The  benefits  of 
these  depositories  of  intelligence,  accessi- 
ble to  every  mind  in  the  state,  can  never 
be  adequately  estimated.  They  will  be 
abundant  in  the  fruits  of  industry,  vir- 
tue, and  refinement,  through  all  coming 
generations. 

A striking  illustration  of  the  progress 
of  education  in  this  state  is  found  in 
looking  at  the  views  of  her  early  states- 
men as  to  the  degree  of  instruction  to  be 
provided  in  the  common  schools.  The 
regents  of  the  university,  in  1793,  sug- 
gest to  the  legislature  “the  numerous 
advantages  which  they  conceive  would 


accrue  to  the  citizens  in  general,  from 
the  institution  of  schools  in  various  parts 
of  the  state,  for  the  purpose  of  instruct- 
ing children  in  the  lower  branches  of 
education,  such  as  reading  their  native 
language  with  propriety,  and  so  much 
of  writing  and  arithmetic,  as  to  enable 
them,  when  they  come  forward  into  ac- 
tive life,  to  transact  with  accuracy  and 
despatch,  the  business  arising  from  their 
daily  intercourse  with  each  other.” 

And  this,  less  than  sixty  years  ago, 
was  the  highest  view  of  popular  educa- 
tion entertained  in  a state,  which  now 
has  its  noble  and  munificently-endowed 
seminaries  and  colleges,  its  armies  of 
teachers,  and  its  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  pupils. 

Schenectady. — This  is  one  of  the 
oldest  towns  in  the  state,  and  was  for  a 
long  time  important  as  a frontier  posi- 
tion, nothing  but  a wilderness  being 
found  between  it  and  Canada.  For  a 
number  of  years  it  has  been  distinguish- 
ed as  the  seat  of  one  of  the  most  flour- 
ishing literary  institutions  in  the  state, 
Union  college,  the  edifices  of  which  oc- 
cupy a pleasant  and  commanding  posi- 
tion, overlooking  the  extensive  meadows 
of  the  Mohawk,  surrounded  by  a suc- 
cession of  undulated  and  hilly  country, 
and  enlivened  by  the  Erie  canal  and  the 
lines  of  railroads  which  here  meet  by 
various  routes  from  Albany,  and  proceed 
on  in  company,  with  occasional  separa- 
tions, to  Rochester,  and  finally  terminate 
together  at  Buffalo. 

In  the  year  1769,  Schenectady,  while 
a merb  village,  fifteen  miles  west  of  Al- 
bany, garrisoned  by  a few  troops,  was 
the  victim  of  the  jealousies  and  conten- 
tions of  those  sent  for  its  protection  ; for 
the  soldiers  having  deserted  their  posts, 
one  of  those  secret  predatory  bands  of 
savages,  which  were  long  the  scourge 
of  our  frontier  settlements,  led  on  by 
Frenchmen  from  Canada,  fell  upon  it  in 
the  dead  of  night,  massacred  almost  ev- 
ery man,  woman,  and  child,  and  burnt 
their  dwellings.  A few  fugitives  esca- 
ped, and  carried  the  shocking  tale  to 
Albany. 

The  exposed  state  of  the  country 
west  of  this  place  was  so  great,  and  the 
number  of  the  people  so  small  compar 


11 


162 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ed  with  the  extent  of  unoccupied  land, 
that  inducements  were  not  found  to  ex- 
tend settlements  fast  beyond  this  point; 
and  even  down  to  the  period  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  nearly  the  whole 
middle  and  western  parts  of  New  York 
were  included  in  a single  county. 

A few  scattering  villages  only  were 
then  to  be  seen,  at  Cooperstown,  Johns- 
town, &c.,  &c.,  usually  with  block  hou- 
ses, or  other  slight  means  of  protection, 
provided  against  the  apprehended  dan- 
gers of  savage  parties.  The  five  na- 
tions of  Indians,  viz.,  the  Mohawks, 
Oneidas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and  Sen- 
ecas, who  had  been,  for  the  most  part, 
friendly  to  the  English  through  the 
French  wars,  were,  many  of  them, 
drawn  over  to  the  British  interest  by 
John  Johnson,  one  of  the  sons  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  who  had  long  exer- 
cised the  most  important  influence  over 
those  savage  people.  By  the  aid  of  the 
celebrated  Brandt,  a half-blood  of  doubt- 
ful character  and  courage,  a series  of 
calamities  was  brought  upon  those  weak 
and  defenceless  settlements,  which  can 
not  be  recounted  without  exciting  the 
mingled  feelings  of  commiseration  and 
horror.  But,  for  those  events,  as  well 
as  for  other  particulars,  relating  to  the 
history  of  that  now  populous  and  pros- 
perous portion  of  the  state,  we  must  re- 
fer our  readers  to  the  works  of  Mr. 
Campbell  (a  descendant  of  a family  of 
the  sufferers),  the  Life  of  Colonel  Wil- 
let  by  his  son,  and  the  Life  of  Brandt, 
by  Mr.  Stone. 

Schenectady  Lyceum. — This  institu- 
tion (a  view  of  which  is  given  on  the 
opposite  page)  was  erected  a few  years 
since,  to  supply  a deficiency,  long  felt, 
in  a city  so  long  and  so  honorably  dis- 
tinguished as  the  seat  of  a seminary  of 
the°highest  class.  It  is  designed  for  the 
instruction  of  boys  in  studies  preparato- 
ry to  college  and  business  ; and  enjoys 
an  advantageous  and  convenient  situa- 
tion. The  principal  building  is  of  an 
octagonal  form,  of  brick  stuccoed,  in  a 
fanciful  Gothic  style,  with  pointed  doors 
and  windows,  and  surmounted  by  a stee- 
ple. In  advance  of  this,  and  of  the 
line  of  the  yard-fence,  are  two  small 
buildings  belonging  to  the  institution ; 


and  the  grounds  beyond  are  shaded 
with  large  and  fine  trees.  The  upper 
rooms  in  the  main  building  are  occupi- 
ed by  the  Lyceum  society,  and  for  sci- 
entific purposes. 

Cooperstown. — This  pleasant  vil- 
lage, two  hundred  miles  from  New 
York,  by  way  of  Catskill,  and  sixty-six 
from  Albany,  enjoys  a beautiful  situa- 
tion on  Otsego  lake,  on  a gentle  emi- 
nence at  its  south  end,  backed  by  a hil- 
ly range  of  considerable  # elevation,  in 
which  the  cleared  and  cultivated  land 
is  agreeably  mingled  with  the  forests. 
The  streets,  broad  and  straight,  are  well 
shaded  with  trees,  and  lined  with  dwel- 
ling-houses, many  of  them  of  rather  an 
old  and  venerable  appearance.  To  the 
Indians  it  is  said  to  have  been  a favorite 
place  of  resort. 

The  first  white  inhabitant  was  Mr. 
John  Christopher  Hardwick,  who  resi- 
ded here  for  a short  time,  about  ten 
years  before  the  Revolutionary  war  ; but 
in  1788,  the  first  permanent  settlement 
was  made  by  Mr!  William  Cooper;  and 
two  years  later,  the  county  of  Otsego 
was  formed,  of  which  this  town  is  the 
capital.  Remains  of  a road  are  still  to 
be  seen,  which  was  cut  through  the  for- 
est by  a brigade  of  General  Sullivan’s 
army,  from  Fort  Plain  to  the  head  of 
Otsego  lake ; and  at  the  outlet  are  some 
traces  of  a dam  constructed  by  the 
troops,  at  the  direction  of  their  com- 
mander, General  Clinton,  by  which  the 
water  was  made  to  rise,  and  then,  the 
dam  being  broken  down,  allowed  it  to 
rush  down  in  a torrent,  which  cleared 
the  channel  of  the  incumbrances  of  logs 
that  impeded  the  passage. 

Cooperstown  is  deservedly  admired 
by  travellers,  and  annually  the  resort  of 
citizens,  seeking  the  pleasures  of  the 
country  in  the  summer  season.  The 
population  however  is  small,  the  num- 
ber of  dwelling-houses  being  only  about 
a hundred  and  sixty.  The  people  are 
distinguished  for  their  refinement  and 
courteous  manners. 

Cooperstown  may  be  taken  as  a fa- 
I vorable  specimen  of  one  of  the  several 
classes  o*  New  York  villages  : such  as. 
j have  grown  up  since  the  Revolutionary 
I war,  and  have  no  associations  with  the 


154  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

sufferings  and  dangers  of  the  eailier  1 
settlements,  and  yet  removed  from  ca-  ; 
nals  and  railroads,  and  every  other  in-  ; 
fluence  which  might  have  given  it  a i 
rapid  growth  or  sudden  and  great  pros- 
perity. Left  to  the  steady  but  slow 
improvement  of  an  agricultural  neigh- 
borhood, it  presents  fewer  evidences  of 
increase  in  wealth  or  numbers,  but  is 
less  liable  to  some  of  the  evils  incident 
to  many  other  places. 

There  are  a few  small  manufactories 
along  the  banks  of  the  outlet  of  the 
lake,  where  about  eight  thousand  spin- 
dles are  employed  in  cotton-spinning, 
and  on  that  of  Oak  creek,  one  of  the 
numerous  small  streams  in  this  county, 
most  of  which  flow  southward  into  the 
Susquehannah. 

Otsego  county  is  hilly,  and  in  some 
parts  mountainous,  being  crossed  by  the 
Susquehannah  and  Kaatsberg  ranges. 
There  is  much  good  grass  land.  Lime- 
stone is  found  near  Schuyler’s  lake  in 
Cherry  Valley,  and  iron  ore  in  several 
places. 

Cherry  Valley  is  one  of  those  unfor- 
tunate villages  which  suffered  from  In- 
dian barbarity  in  the  Revolutionary 
war ; and  it  may  be  noticed  in  this 
place.  It  is  fourteen  miles  northeast  of 
Cooperstown,  and  fifty-three  west  of  Al- 
bany, amidst  the  high  and  irregular 
ground  which  gives  rise  to  Canajoharie 
creek  and  several  other  early  tributaries 
of  the  Mohawk,  with  the  head  stream 
of  that  river.  Several  vales  lie  between 
the  neighboring  hills,  which  possess  a 
fertile  soil ; and  one  of  these,  with  the 
wild  cherry-trees  that  naturally  abound- 
ed in  the  neighborhood,  gave  to  the 
place  its  pleasing  name. 

It  happened  to  lie  so  exposed  and  de- 
fenceless, in  the  early  years  of  its  histo- 
ry, that  it  shared  in  the  dangers  of  the 
other  scattering  settlements  in  the  neigh- 
boring region,  and  was  finally  surprised 
by  a band  of  Indians,  led  by  the  notoii- 
ous  Col.  Butler,  from  Canada,  and  fell 
under  a general  and  indiscriminate  mas- 
sacre, in  which  whole  families,  men, 
women,  and  children,  bled  under  tli€ 
tomahawk. 

The  particulars  given  of  this  mourn 
ful  tragedy  by  Win.  W.  Campbell,  in  his 

valuable  “Annals  of  Tryon  County,” 
rre  painful  in  the  extreme,  but  yet  valu- 
able to  impress  future  generations  with  ; 
abhorrence  of  war,  and  especially  that  | 
unwarrantable  practice,  in  which  sever- 
al civilized  nations  have  engaged,  of 
hiring  savages  to  exercise  their  blood- 
thirsty ferocity  upon  the  innocent  and 
defenceless.  The  sketch  given  in  that 

work,  of  the  history  of  the  settlement, 
and  the  character  of  the  people,  renders 
their  fate  the  more  deeply  interesting. 

We  shall  here  introduce  an  account 
abridged  from  its  pages.  ^ 

The  survey  was  made  in  1739,  and 
the  ground  first  occupied  by  Mr.  Linde- 
say,  a Scotch  gentleman,  of  some  for- 
tune and  distinction.  He  took  with 
him  his  wife  and  his  father-in-law,  a Mr. 
Congreve,  a lieutenant  in  the  British 
army.  The  low  ground  was  then  cov- 
ered with  a thick  forest  of  beech  and 
maple,  mingled  with  wild-cherry  trees, 
the  highlands  with  evergreen ; and  the 
native  wild  animals,  even  the  deer,  elk,  h 
bears,  and  wolves,  undisturbed  by  civil- 
ized man,  ranged  through  the  woods,  ' 
being  hunted  only  occasionally  by  the 
Mohawks.  The  settlers  sought  the 

friendship  of  the  wild  men,  and  with 
success.  In  the  winter  of  1745,  while 
the  snow  lay  very  deep,  and  the  journey 
to  the  nearest  neighbors,  on  the  Mohawk 
river,  15  miles  off,  was  impossible  for  i 
any  of  the  family,  all  the  provisions  • 
were  consumed,  and  nothing  but  famine  , 
and  death  were  in  prospect.  An  Indi- 

an,  travelling  on  snowshoes,  becoming  ; 
acquainted  with  their  situation,  supplied 
them  with  food  through  the  remainder 
of  the  season,  by  bringing,  repeatedly, 
loads  upon  his  back  all  that  distance. 

The  following  year,  the  settlement 
was  increased,  by  the  addition  of  sevei- 
al  Scotch  and  Irish  families,  who  re- 
I moved  from  Londonderry,  in  New  j 
Hampshire,  at  the  invitation  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Dunlop,  one  of  their  countiy-  J 
[ men,  a gentleman  of  education  and  1 
■ travel,  who  had  been  induced  by  the 
, present  of  a large  tract  of  land,  to  join 
} Mr.  Lindesay.  They  brought  an  addi-  j 
tion  of  thirty  persons,  and  the  aspect  of 
- the  place  was  speedily  improved  by 

3 their  industry.  A house  was  built  of  i 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


logs,  for  religious  use,  on  the  declivity 
of  a little  hill,  near  the  house  of  the 
pastor,  whose  support  was  secured  by 
the  payment  of  ten  shillings  for  every 
hundred  acres  of  land,  added  to  prod- 
ucts of  his  own  labor,  and  the  voluntary 
contributions  of  his  parishioners. 

In  1744,  Mr.  Congreve  joined  the 
British  army  as  lieutenant,  in  place  of 
his  father-in-law  ; and  Mr.  Dunlop  open- 
ed the  first  grammar-school  in  the  state 
west  of  Albany,  at  which  were  taught 
a number  of  boys  from  the  settlements 
on  the  Mohawk.  Several  of  these  were 
distinguished  men  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

In  1778,  the  apprehensions  of  an  in- 
vasion from  Canada  was  general  in 
Tryon  county;  and,  on  account  of  the 
weakness  of  this  solitary  village,  num- 
bers of  the  inhabitants  left  their  homes 
for  places  of  greater  safety.  In  the  au- 
tumn, however,  the  danger  being  sup- 
posed to  be  past,  they  returned.  But 
an  expedition  had  been  prepared  at 
Montreal,  consisting  of  seven  hundred 
tories  and  Indians,  who  proceeded,  with 
Brandt  and  Butler  at  their  head.  Ru- 
mors of  their  approach  spread  a new 
alarm ; but  Colonel  Alden,  commander 
of  a few  soldiers,  stationed  at  Cherry 
Valley,  refused  to  admit  the  women  and 
children. into  the  fort,  and  to  quiet  their 
apprehensions,  sent  out  a scouting  par- 
ty, who  were  surprised  asleep,  and  cap- 
tured by  the  more  cautious  enemy. 

The  invaders,  on  the  10th,  reached  a 
hill,  a mile  southwest  from  the  fort, 
where  they  remained  concealed  till  the 
next  day  ; and  then,  having  learned  from 
their  prisoners,  that  the  officers  lodged 
in  several  dwelling-houses  in  the  vil- 
lage, made  preparations  to  surround 
them  all  by  small  parties,  while  the 
main  body  should  assail  the  fort.  Mr. 
Hamble,  who  was  that  morning  riding 
into  the  village,  being  unable  to  discov- 
er distant  objects,  in  consequence  of  the 
hazy  weather,  and  the  falling  sleet,  was 
fired  upon  and  wounded  by  some  of  the 
Indians,  and  hastening  on  his  horse, 
gave  the  alarm  to  Colonel  Alden,  and 
then  turned  for  the  fort.  The  colonel, 
who  had  always  discredited  the  reports 
of  danger,  still  doubted  them ; but, 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  165 


on  his  way  to  the  fort,  was  pursued  and 
scalped  by  one  of  the  enemy.  The 
Senecas,  who  were  the  most  fierce  of. 
the  Five  Nations,  were  foremost  in  the 
attack.  They  assailed  the  house  of  Mr. 
Robert  Wells,  and  killed  the  whole  fam- 
ily within,  consisting  of  the  father  and 
mother,  four  children,  his  brother,  sis- 
ter, and  three  domestics.  A little  son 
alone  remained,  who  had  been  sent  to 
school  at  Schenectady.  He  was  after- 
ward a distinguished  counsellor  of  New 
York  city,  the  Hon.  John  Wells.  Miss 
Jane  Wells,  the  sister  of  the  proprietor 
of  the  house,  and  a young  lady  of  supe- 
rior character  and  exalted  piety,  having 
escaped  by  the  door,  sought  safety  in 
the  woodpile  ; but  an  Indian  discovered 
her,  and,  after  deliberately  wiping  his 
scalping-knife  on  his  legging,  sheathed 
it,  and  seized  her  by  the  arm,  at  the 
same  time,  brandishing  his  tomahawk. 
The  captive  remonstrated  with  him  in 
the  Indian  language,  with  which  she  had 
some  acquaintance;  and  one*  of  the  to- 
ries among  the  invading  party,  named 
Peter  Smith,  who  had  once  lived  with 
the  family  of  Mr.  Wells  as  a servant, 
interposed  and  begged  the  savage  to 
spare  her  life,  pretending  that  she  was 
his  sister.  But  this  availed  only  to  pro- 
cure a short  delay.  The  next  moment 
the  interesting  young  lady  fell  dead 
from  a blow  of  the  tomahawk. 

The  house  of  the  venerable  pastor 
was  entered  by  the  enemy,  and  his  aged 
wife  immediately  put  to  death  ; but  one 
of  the  Mohawk  chiefs,  named  Little  Aa- 
ron, led  him  out  of  the  house,  and  kept 
him  under  his  protection.  An  Indian, 
running  by,  pulled  off  the  old  gentle- 
man’s hat ; and  the  chief  pursued  him 
and  brought  it  back.  The  old  man  was 
thus  rescued  from  massacre ; but  the 
shock  he  received  w^as  so  great,  that, 
although  he  was  set  at  liberty  soon  after, 
he  died  a few  months  subsequently. 
The  fort  was  not  taken  by  the  enemy ; 
but,  on  the  first  alarm,  a gun  was  fired 
from  it,  which  gave  intimation  of  the 
attack. 

One  of  the  householders,  Mr.  Mitch- 
ell, discovered  the  enemy,  while  at  a 
distance  from  his  house  ; and  finding  it 
impossible  to  reach  it,  he  escaped  to  the 


166  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


woods,  and  remained  concealed  until  the 
savages  had  accomplished  their  work  of 
destruction,  and  taken  their  departure. 
On  returning  home,  a sad  spectacle 
met  his  view — the  bodies  of  his  wife 
and  four  children.  The  house  was  burn- 
ing, but  he  succeeded  in  extinguishing 
the  fire.  On  examining  the  bodies,  he 
found  evidences  of  remaining  life  in  one 
of  them — his  little  daughter.  He  imme- 
diately raised  her,  and  endeavored  to 
resuscitate  her  ; but  just  then,  observing 
some  of  the  enemy  approaching,  he  con- 
cealed himself,  and,  when  they  came 
up,  saw  one  of  them,  a tory,  named 
Newbury,  strike  the  innocent  little  vic- 
tim with  his  hatchet,  and  thus  put  an 
end  to  his  last  hope.  The  next  day  the 
disconsolate  father,  wholly  unassisted, 
removed  all  the  corpses,  on  a sled,  to 
the  fort,  where  the  soldiers  assisted  him 
to  inter  them.  The  same  Newbury  was 
executed  for  his  crimes  the  next  year, 
on  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  having 
been  arr.  sted  when  engaged  as  a spy, 
in  the  arii.y  of  General  Clinton,  at  Can- 
ajoharie. 

Mr.  Campbell’s  house  was  attacked, 
and  his  family  were  taken  into  captivity. 
He  was  absent ; but,  although  he  hast- 
ened homeward  on  hearing  the  gun  fired 
in  the  fort,  he  arrived  too  late  to  render 
any  assistance.  The  number  of  inhab- 
itants killed  was  thirty-two,  and  of  sol- 
diers sixteen.  A few  persons  escaped 
to  the  Mohawk,  and  the  remainder  were 
made  captive.  The  buildings  were  all 
burned, 'the  settlement  was  laid  waste, 
and  abandoned  by  the  survivors,  un- 
til more  peaceful  times. 

Little  Falls. — This  is  one  of  the 
favorite  spots  with  travellers  of  taste ; 
and  there  are  but  few  points  at  which  are 
assembled,  within  so  narrow  a space, 
such  a display  of  picturesque  scenery, 
with  so  many  works  of  useful  science 
and  art.  Here  the  Mohawk  river,  hav- 
ing reached  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
rich  German  Flats,  once  the  bottom  of 
a lake,  pours  through  the  descending, 
rocky  channel  cut  by  the  current,  where 
the  waters,  in  some  long-past  age,  found 
an  outlet  through  their  ancient  barrier. 
Here,  to  form  an  artificial  passage  for 
boaJ;s  arriving  at  the  end  of  the  Long 


level  on  the  Erie  canal,  the  rocky  shore 
has  been  excavated,  and  lofty  walls 
erected,  and  sufficient  breadth  gained, 
to  conduct  that  noble  work,  by  successive 
locks,  down  to  the  level  which  ex- 
tends below.  The  railroad  has  since 
found  a path  for  its  more  rapid  vehicles ; 
and  now  the  roar  of  the  river  mingles 
with  the  sounds  of  the  locomotive  and 
the  bugles  of  the  boatmen. 

The  accompanying  engraving  gives  an 
accurate  and  pleasing  view  of  the  natu- 
ral scenery,  and  some  of  the  works  of 
art,  which  stand  in  such  striking  contrast 
in  this  picturesque  and  remarkable  pass. 
The  village  in  the  distance  is  that  of 
Little  Falls,  which  takes  its  name  from 
the  continued  series  of  cascades,  by 
which  the  Mohawk  here  finds  its  way 
to  the  meadows  stretching  through  the 
eastern  valley.  The  principal  fall  on 
this  stream,  the  Cohoes,  near  its  mouth, 
ma'kes  these  comparatively  second  in 
importance ; and  hence  the  term  by 
which  they  dre  distinguished.  The  . 
channel  is  in  several  places  divided  by 
rocks  and  islands,  of  rough  and  ragged 
forms,  which  bear  the  appearance  of 
having  been  worn  away  by  the  force  of 
a current  far  more  deep  and  impetuous 
than  any  now  ever  produced  by  the  riv- 
er, even  at  its  highest  floods  ; and  the 
descent  of  the  channel  is  so  great  as  to 
render  the  passage  impossible,  even  in 
small  boats.  { 

It  is,  therefore,  doubly  interesting  to 
the  spectator  to  observe  the  triumph  of 
art,  with  the  obstacles  of  nature  which 
have  been  overcome,  in  full  view.  If 
passing  through  this  dark,  wild,  and  ro- 
mantic gorge,  in  a canal-boat,  he  glides 
smoothly  along  upon  the  glassy  surface 
of  the  canal,  and  here  and  there  is  grad- 
ually raised  or  let  down,  by  the  locks, 
from  one  level  to  another,  without  injury 
or  inconvenience,  by  the  same  element 
which  is  seen,  in  its  natural,  untamed 
state,  rushing  and  raving  furiously  be- 
low. Or,  if  he  is  a passenger  in  one 
of  the  cars  which  pursue  the  railroad 
track,  from  the  other  side  of  the  river  he 
beholds  the' same  scene,  from  a different 
but  no  less  striking  point  of  view,  and, 
in  a few  moments,  makes  a rapid  transi- 
tion from  one  to  the  other  of  those 


Village  of  Little  Falls. 


168  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


smooth  and  fertile  meadows  which  ex- 
tend along  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  at 
different  levels,  above  and  below  the 
falls. 

One  of  the  high  hills  on  the  southern 
banV  of  the  liver,  at  this  place,  has  a re- 
markable cave ; and  the  geological  fea- 
tures of  the  region  are  worthy  of  atten- 
tion. Beautiful  crystals  of  quartz  are 
found  in  the  neighborhood,  in  consider- 
able abundance,  and  are  washed  from 
the  micaceous  slate  by  every  rain.  Pas- 
sengers in  the  rail-cars  sometimes  have 
an  opportunity  to  purchase  a few,  of 
the  children  who  take  pains  to  collect 
them. 

The  Marble  Aqueduct,  two  hundred 
and  fourteen  feet  long,  and  sixteen  feet 
wide,  is  one  of  the  best-constructed  and 
beautiful  works  on  the  line  of  the  canal, 
crossing  the  Mohawk  on  five  large  arch- 
es, to  bring  over  a supply  of  water  from 
the  old  canal  on  the  northern  bank. 
The  central  arch  is  seventy  feet  span. 

Few  constructions  can  be  found  which 
present  to  the  eye,  in  so  forcible  a con- 
trast, the  rude  obstacles  of  nature  with 
symmetry  and  beauty  of  useful  art. 

The  first  settler  in  this  wild  spot  was 
a Scotch  gentleman,  Alexander  Ellis, 
who,  by  the  aid  of  Sir  William  J ohnson, 
obtained  a patent  of  the  surrounding 
tract.  The  river  makes  a descent  of 
forty-two  feet,  by  two  rapids,  within  the 
distance  of  two  thirds  of  a mile,  with  a 
broad  interval  of  smooth  and  deep  wa- 
ter. Above  these  is  a dam,  divided  by 
an  island,  over  which  the  water  pours 
in  small  cascades.  The  romantic  pass 
which  opens  through  the  ridge  of  mount- 
ains, is  about  two  miles  in  length,  and 
of  an  average  breadth  of  only  five  hun- 
dred yards,  while  rough  and  woody 
heights,  rises  on  each  side  nearly  four 
hundred  feet.  Everything  here,  and 
above  and  below,  indicates  that  a lake 
once  covered  the  great  German  Flats ; 
and  it  is  calculated  that,  if  a dam  were 
now  built  here  seventy  feet  high,  that 
rich  and  extensive  alluvial  tract  would 
soon  be  overflown,  and  the  new  lake 
would  find  an  outlet  through  Wood 
creek  into  Oneida  lake  and  Ontario. 
The  rocks  are  deeply  worn,  often  by 
large  and  deep  circular  drills,  such  as  ] 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


are  found  at  many  similar  spots.  One  of 
these  is  two  and  a half  feet  in  diameter, 
beginning  at  the  top  of  a rock  thirty  feet 
above  the  present  level  of  the  river; 
and,  being  broken  below,  allows  a vis- 
iter to  see  the  sky  above,  through  the 
whole  length  of  the  funnel.*  The  canal 
descends  at  this  place  by  five  locks,  each 
of  eight  feet  lift. 

In  1789,  several  prisoners  were  taken 
by  a party  of  Indians,  at  a mill ; but 
two  men  escaped,  by  retreating  under 
the  waterwheel,  whence  the  savages 
could  not  dislodge  them. 

Rome. — This  village  was  named  at  a 
time  when  unfounded  expectations  were 
entertained  of  its  rapid  and  extensive 
growth.  Its  population,  in  1850,  about 
8,000  It  occupies  a,  place  of  great  im- 
portance in  the  French  and  Revolution- 
ary wars,  as  it  was  one  of  the  carrying- 
places  on  the  ancient  Indian  route  be- 
tween Lake  Ontario  and  the  Mohawk, 
by  the  way  of  Oneida  lake  and  Wood 
creek.  The  Black-river  canal  (an  im- 
portant work)  passes  the  village,  as  well 
as  the  railroad  and  Erie  canal.  The 
ground  is  the  summit-level  between 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  ocean,  four  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  feet  above  the  Hud- 
son at  Albany,  from  which  it  is  distant 
one  hundred  and  twelve  miles.  The 
United  States  arsenal,  and  barracks  for 
one  thousand  men,  were  built  in  1813. 

Fort  Stanwix  (of  which  only  some 
marks  remain  in  the  soil)  was  erected 
in  1758,  and  was  at  first  merely  a square 
fort,  with  four  bastions,  a covered  way 
and  glacis,  surrounded  by  a palisaded 
ditch.  It  cost  c£’266,400,  but,  through 
neglect,  was  in  ruins  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution.  Having  been  hastily 
repaired,  and  named  Fort  Schuyler,  on 
the  3d  of  August,  1777,  it  was  invested 
by  Colonel  St.  Leger,  with  a large  mixed 
force  from  Canada,  comprising  one  thou- 
sand Indians.  Colonel  Ganzevoort,  how- 
ever, resolutely  refused  to  surrender ; 
and,  although  in  command  of  only  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  sent  out  Colonel 
Willet  to  make  a diversion  in  favor  of 
General  Herkimer,  who  was  advancing 
to  his  relief,  and  with  such  success  that 
the  enemy  were  driven  from  their  camp, 
I leaving  their  baggage  and  even  papers. 


170  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Twenty  wagon-loads  of  spoils  were 
brought  into  the  fort.  The  invaders, 
however,  returned,  and  the  siege  was 
closely  pressed  ; but  Colonel  Willet  and 
Major  Stockwell  succeeded  in  passing 
by  stealth  through  the  midst  of  the  ene- 
my, and  reached  General  Sullivan’s 
camp  at  Stillwater,  who  sent  General 
Arnold  with  assistance.  That  sagacious 
officer  (afterward  a traitor)  so  terrified 
the  invaders  by  exaggerated  reports, 
that  they  fled  in  a panic,  and  failed  in 
their  enterprise  as  utterly  as  General 
Burgoyne,  to  co-operate  with  whom,  they 
had  come  from  Canada. 

Utica. — This  city,  situated  on  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Mohawk,  occupies 
one  of  the  important  points  where  the 
line  of  the  Erie  canal  and  the  railroad 
coincide,  and  are  crossed  by  several 
country  roads.  It  has  the  additional 
advantage  of  lying  on  a tract  of  fertile 
land,  the  river  alluvion  in  that  country 
being  broad  and  rich.  It  is  ninety-six 
miles  west  of  Albany,  and  two  hundred 
and  forty-one  miles  from  New  York. 
Fort  Schuyler,  an  earth  work,  thrown 
up  here  in  the  old  French  war,  was  the 
first  point  ever  occupied  here  by  white 
men ; but,  as  Whitestown,  for  some 
years  after  its  settlement,  was  the  prin- 
cipal place  of  resort  in  this  region,  as 
late  as  1793,  there  were  but  three  dwel- 
lings in  Utica.  Rome  was  afterward 
marked  out,  as  the  site  of  a future  city; 
j but,  although  the  Western  Inland  Nav- 
igation company,  chartered  in  1792, 
opened  a canal  from  the  bend  of  the 
Hudson  here  to  Oneida  lake,  and  ex- 
pectations were  entertained  of  a great 
trade  taking  that  direction,  in  1800,  the 
Seneca  turnpike  was  opened  through 
Utica,  which  gave  the  latter  place  the 
advantage.  It  has  continued  to  increase 
ever  since.  The  population  in  1830  was 
8,323,  and  in  1850,  17,240.  It  was 
made  a village  in  1798,  when  it  receiv- 
ed the  name  of  Utica,  and  it  was  incor- 
porated as  a city  in  1832.  It  contains 
fourteen  churches,  three  banks,  numer- 
ous stores,  and  a number  of  handsome 
private  houses,  with  much  refined  and 
intelligent  society.  The  streets  of 
Utica  are  generally  pleasant,  many  of 
them  being  planted  with  trees  and  lined 


with  neat  yards  and  gardens  ; while  the 
hotels  are  large,  and  the  point  where 
the  canal  and  railroad  pass  the  principal 
street  is  one  of  great  activity  and  bus- 
tle. The  view  in  every  direction  is  over 
an  extent  of  level  ground,  and  bounded 
by  the  hills  enclosing  the  valley  of  the 
Mohawk. 

Clinton. — The  pleasant  village  of 
Clinton,  situated  nine  miles  from  Utica, 
is  the  seat  of  Hamilton  college.  This 
institution  owes  its  origin  to  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Kirkland,  a missionary  to  the 
Oneida  Indians.  He  was  one  of  the 
pupils  of  the  celebrated  school  of  Mr. 
Wheelock,  and  graduated  at  Princeton 
in  1765.  In  the  following  year  he  re- 
moved to  this  place,  and  commenced  a 
long,  self-denying,  and  successful  course 
of  missionary  labors  among  the  Oneidas, 
over  whom  he  obtained  a strong  and 
beneficial  influence,  of  great  importance 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  While  the 
other  nations  of  the  savage  confederacy 
joined  the  English,  the  Oneidas  remain- 
ed true  to  our  cause.  After  the  peace 
had  been  restored,  he  received  a grant 
of  land  in  this  place  and  neighborhood, 
called  Kirkland’s  patent,  and  again  took 
up  his  residence  here  in  1792. 

The  remarkable  chief  Skenandoa, 
with  many  of  his  people,  became  intel- 
ligent Christians  under  the  instructions 
of  their  devoted  pastor.  In  1793,  he  ob- 
tained a charter  for  a seminary  of  learn-  ! 
ing,  designed  for  Indians  as  well  as 
whites,  under  the  title  of  the  Hamilton 
Oneida  academy,  which  has  since  been 
raised  to  the  rank  of  a college. 

Trenton  Falls. — The  West  Canada 
creek,  in  flowing  through  a long,  deep, 
and  narrow  ravine,  presents  a succession 
of  wild  and  romantic  scenes,  so  striking 
and  so  interesting,  that  this  region  has 
been  for  some  years  a favorite  point  of 
observation  to  travellers  of  taste  in  the 
western  tour.  It  is  common  for  parties 
to  stop  at  Utica,  and  devote  a day  to  an 
excursion  to  Trenton  Falls.  The  stream 
makes  successive  falls,  four  of  which  are 
the' most  considerable,  but  all  varying 
in  form  and  appearance.  The  largest 
is  two  miles  northwest  from  Trenton  vil- 
lage, where,  within  a short  distance,  it 
is  precipitated  down  three  perpendicu- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  171 

lar  rocks,  rushing  over  the  intermediate 
spaces  by  steep  and  rough  channels,  in 
a furious  and  turbulent  manner.  The 
first  of  the  falls  is  forty-seven  feet  in 
height,  the  second  eleven,  and  the  third 
forty-eight ; and  such  is  the  variety  in 
the  directions  of  the  sheets  of  water  and 
the  surrounding*objects  in  that  wild  and 
secluded  dell,  which  is  shut  in  on  both 
sides  by  perpendicular  banks  of  dark 
limestone,  from  one  hundred  to  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet  in  height,  that  the 
impressions  made  on  the  mind  of  a 
spectator  are  at  once  awful  and  pleas- 
ing. 

Syracuse. — This  is  a large  and  flour- 
ishing village  on  the  Erie  canal,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  miles  west  of 
Albany,  at  the  junction  of  the  Oswego 
canal.  Population,  1850  22,235. 

The  great  Salt-Spring , at  Salina,  is 
the  most  valuable  in  the  Union,  as  it  is 
abundant  in  water,  very  highly  charged, 
and  the  supply  is  taken  to  numerous 
manufactories,  where  the  salt  is  extract- 
ed and  purified  by  the  most  approved 
processes. 

The  spring  rises  on  the  marshes  of 
Salina  lake,  a salt  pond,  six  miles  long 
and  two  in  breadth,  whose  waters  are 
impregnated  to  such  a degree  that  its 
shores  are  lined  with  plants  usually  found 
only  on  the  borders  of  the  sea.  The 
lake  is  surrounded  by  limestone  hills, 
containing  petrifactions  ; and  gypsum 
abounds  in  the  neighborhood.  The  spot 
is  a portion  of  that  extensive  region 
which  reaches  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  between  the  latitudes  of  thirty- 
one  and  forty-fitfe  degrees  north,  whose 
course  is  here  and  there  betrayed  by 
brine  springs.  In  this  state,  such 
springs  exist  in  the  counties  of  Onon- 
daga, Cayuga,  Seneca,  Ontario,  Niaga- 
ra, Genesee,  Tompkins,  Wayne,  and 
Oneida  ; but  that  of  Salina  is  by  far  the 
most  valuable  and  productive.  Accord- 
ing to  published  statements,  a bushel  of 
salt  may  be  obtained  from  forty-five  gal- 
lons of  water ; and  analysis  gives  the 
following  results  for  forty  gallons  : — . 

Weight,  355  pounds  ; saline  matter  of 
all  kinds,  56  pounds.  Of  this,  muriate 
of  soda  is  51  pounds  ; carbonate  of  lime, 
colored  by  oxyde  of  iron,  6^  ounces  ; sul- 

phate  of  lime,  2 pounds,  4 ounces  ; mu- 
riate of  lime,  1 pound,  12^  ounces  ; and 
probably  some  muriate  of  magnesia  and 
sulphate  of  soda. 

The  water  is  raised  from  the  spring 
by  a forcing-pump,  and  distributed 
through  pipes  and  troughs  to  numerous 
manufactories,  large  and  small,  of  differ- 
ent kinds,  in  the  villages  of  Salina  and 
Syracuse,  and  a considerable  tract  of 
land  lying  between  them.  In  some 
places  are  seen  large  buildings,  in  which 
the  water  is  evaporated  by  artificial 
heat ; but  the  greater  part  is  exposed, 
in  shallow  wooden  vats,  to  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  being  covered  by  sliding  roofs 
when  threatened  by  rain.  A branch  of 
the  Erie  canal  affords  the  means  of  easy 
transportation,  and  immense  quantities 
of  salt  are  annually  transported  to  all 
parts  of  the  country. 

The  vats  are  about  sixteen  by  seven 
feet,  and  four  inches  deep,  and  are  sup- 
plied with  water  sent  from  pump-houses 
through  hollow  logs.  Between  the  rows 
of  vats,  sufficient  space  is  left  for  carts 
to  pass,  in  which  the  salt  is  removed. 
The  salt  made  in  this  manner  is  coarse; 
that  formed  by  artificial  heat  is  fine. 
From  fifteen  to  twenty-five  boilers  are 
used,  usually  placed  in  rows,  which  are 
supplied  with  salt  water  much  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  vats  ; and  heat  is 
applied  below,  where  fires  are  kindled 
in  furnaces.  In  some  manufactories, 
steam-pipes  are  used  for  heating,  and 
pass  through  the  water.  The  new  spring 
at  Salina  yields  water  more  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  salt  than  the  old  spring; 
that  is,  in  the  proportion  of  fifty  to  sev- 
enty. Fresh  water  being  reckoned  at  0, 
and  water  saturated  with  salt  at  100, 
a cubic  foot  of  water  from  the  new 
spring  yields  fourteen  pounds  of  salt. 

Two  mills ‘on  every  bushel  here  are 
to  be  paid  to  the  state  for  pumping 
the  water,  and  six  cents  a bushel  on  all 
the  salt  made.  About  three  millions  of 
bushels  are  manufactured  annually  ; and 
the  business,  in  all  its  branches,  occu- 
pies about  three  thousand  men,  in  the 
four  villages  of  Syracuse,  Salina,  Ged- 
desburgh,  and  Liverpool. 

A French  colony  for  the  Onondaga 
| country  was  planned  in  the  year  1655, 

/ 


172  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


by  the  Jesuit  Dablon,  who  procured  at 
Quebec  fifty  soldiers,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Lawson,  and  set 
out  with  them  the  next  year,  to  under- 
take one  of  their  missions  at  this  place. 
Under  so  powerful  a guard,  with  the 
approbation  of  the  Jesuit  superior-gen- 
eral, Francis  Le  Mercier,  the  expedition 
sailed  up  the  river;  but  it  was  attacked  j 
by  four  hundred  Mohawks,  before  they 
reached  Montreal,  who  were  jealous  of 
the  Onondagas,  by  whom  the  enterprise 
was  encouraged.  The  Indians  being 
repulsed,  the  party  proceeded ; and,  af- 
ter some  delays  and  dangers,  arrived  at 
the  appointed  place  of  settlement.  This 
is  supposed  to  have  been  on  the  borders 
of  Salina  lake,  as  mention  is  made  of  a 
salt-spring.  They  were  for  a time  very 
kindly  treated  by  the  Onondagas,  who 
inhabited  this  region.  Scarcely  two 
years,  however,  had  elapsed,  before 
strong  symptoms  of  hostility  were  ex- 
hibited ; several  murders  were  commit- 
ted, and  a large  army  of  the  Six  Nations 
was  assembled. 

The  colonists  became  alarmed,  and 
resolved  on  flight.  By  practising  the 
greatest  caution  and  secresy,  they  suc- 
ceeded. Canoes  were  made  with  all 
haste  in  the  house  of  the  Jesuit,  and  a 
young  Frenchman,  who  had  been  adopt- 
ed by  the  Indians,  and  enjoyed  their  lull 
confidence,  persuaded  them  to  make  a 
great  feast ; at  the  close  of  which  they 
betook  themselves  to  sleep  ; and  when 
they  awoke  the  next  day,  their  intended 
victims  were  not  to  be  found.  Having 
launched  their  canoes  in  the  night,  and 
taken  ’their  young  countryman  with 
them,  the  colonists  got  such  a start  of 
their  ehemies,  that  they  arrived  in  safety 
at  Montreal. 

Auburn. — This  beautiful  village,  sit- 
uated* on  Owasco  lake,  is  worthy  of  the 
pleasing  associations  connected  with  its 
name,  which  Goldsmith’s  favorite  poem 
has  celebrated.  Population,  9,548. 

The  stateprison,  located  here,  is  quite 
a handsome  building.  It  stands  back 
about  eighty  feet  from  the  road,  and 
covers,  including  the  grounds,  about 
twenty-five  thousand  square  feet.  The 
wall  that  surrounds  it  is  two  thousand 
feet  long,  thirty  feet  high,  and,  at  the 


base,  four  feet  thick.  On  the  southern 
side  there  is  a small  creek,  from  which, 
by  means  of  a wheel  and  shaft,  power 
enough  is  obtained  to  work  all  the  ma- 
chinery inside  of  the  walls.  The  prison 
consists  of  two  wings,  and  the  main 
body  of  the  house,  which  forms  three 
sides  of  a square  ; the  wings  being  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  long,  and  twenty- 
five  feet  deep,  and  the  house  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet  long.  It  was  begun 
in  the  year  1816,  and  the  cost  was  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  ex- 
penses of  the  prison,  in  the  year  1839, 
were  $51,671.21,  and  the  money  that 
was  earned  in  the  same  year  was  $60,- 
161.46.  The  prisoners  number,  in  the 
course  of  a year,  from  six  to  seven  hun- 
dred. Every  sabbath  they  are  instruct- 
ed in  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible, 
and  the  younger  portion  are  taught  read- 
ing, writing,  and  arithmetic.  When 
this  prison  was  first  built,  there  were 
five  hundred  and  fifty  cells  ; but  lately 
a few  more  have  been  added.  These 
cells  are  arranged  in  four  stories,  and 
are  seven  feet  high,  seven  feet  long,  and 
three  and  a half  feet  wide.  They  are 
very  well  warmed,  lighted,  and  ventila- 
ted, and  everything  fixed  for  the  comfort 
of  the  prisoners.  The  space  between 
the  cells  and  the  outside  wall  is  ten  feet 
wide,  and  is  open  from  the  roof  to  the 
ground.  The  passages  to  the  cells  are 
three  feet  wide,  extending  out  from  the 
wall  in  front  of  each  cell.  They  being 
constructed  in  this  manner,  perfect  si- 
lence can  be  preserved  through  the 
night,  as  the  slightest  noise  or  whisper 
is  heard  by  the  watchman  on  guard  be- 
low. This*  precaution  is  taken  in  order 
to  prevent  any  conversation  during  the 
night.  The  same  care  is  taken  in  the 
daytime,  for  they  are  made  to  work 
without  speaking.  The  prison-bell  l ings 
soon  after  daybreak,  which  is  a signal 
for  the  prisoners  to  rise,  and  soon  after 
the  keeper  unlocks  the  doors.  The 
prisoners  then  come  out  of  their  cells, 
each  one  taking  his  pan  that  is  used  for 
his  food,  his  kettle  for  water,  and  his 
tub.  They  then  put  these  different 
things  in  their  respective  places,  and  in 
lockstep  walk  to  the  workshops,  where 
they  work  until  the  prison-bell  rings 


View  of  Auburn 




174  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


again,  and  then  in  the  same  manner  go 
to  the  eating-room.  The  tables  that  are 
used  here  are  very  narrow,  to  prevent 
any  intercourse.  In  about  half  an  hour 
they  are  ordered,  by  the  ringing  of  the 
bell,  to  return  to  the  workshops,  and 
here  work  until  twelve  o’clock,  when 
again  they  go  and  take  their  dinner  in 
the  same  way.  As  evening  comes  on, 
the  prisoners  go  to  the  place  where  they 
left  their  tubs  in  the  morning ; and  when 
the  word  of  command  is  given,  each 
takes  his  own  up  and  proceeds  to  the 
mess  or  dining-room,  where  each  one 
takes  his  can  of  water  and  his  pan  df 
food,  and  then  all  walk  in  the  same 
close  step  to  their  cells.  As  they  enter, 
they  pull  the  door  to  after  them,  and 
are  then  locked  in  by  the  turnkey,  who 
has  two  keys  entirely  different  from  any 
others  in  the  prison.  The  prisoners  are 
divided  into  companies  ; and  each  com- 
pany occupies  a separate  gallery.  The 
turnkeys  go  around  through  the  differ- 
ent galleries  in  stocking-feet,  to  see  if 
the  convicts  are  in  bed. 

The  stateprison  at  Auburn  is  impor- 
tant in  an  historical  point  of  view,  be- 
cause it  is  that  in  which  a new  system 
of  prison-discipline  was  commencea, 
which  has  since  been  extensively  adopt- 
ed in  the  large  stateprisons  of  this  coun- 
try, and,  with  various  modifications,  iri 
France  and  elsewhere.  It  was  invented 
and  first  practised  by  Mr.  Lynds,  after- 
ward superintendent  of  the  Sing-Sing 
prison.  The  grand  object  of  it  is  to 
prevent  all  conversation  and  interchange 
of  thoughts  between  the  convicts.  In 
all  prisons  previously  in  use,  where  con- 
siderable numbers  of  persons  were  con- 
fined, unless  • for  offences  of  peculiar 
kinds,  or  under  oppressive  systems  of 
government,  numbers  of  prisoners  were, 
from  time  immemorial,  placed  in  com- 
mon halls,  often  in  a very  crowded  man- 
ner ; and  not  only  immoral  conversation, 
but  the  basest  crimes,  might  be  indulged 
in.  So  great  were  the  evils  of  that  sys- 
tem, that  many  innocent  persons  have 
been  ruined  by  their  contact  with  felons 
of  the  worst  character,  while  awaiting 
trial.  The  expense  of  keeping  and 
guarding  men  in  such  circumstances  was 
very  great ; and  to  Mr.  Lynds  belongs 


the  honor  of  the  inestimable  improve- 
ments which  have  been  made,  although 
he  was  accused  of  occasional  practices 
of  unnecessary  severity,  in  the  punish- 
ment of  offenders  or  suspected  persons 
among  the  prisoners  under  his  charge. 

Not  a word  is  allowed  to  be  spoken 
by  the  convicts  while  at  work  ; and  each 
small  party  of  laborers  is  attended  by  a 
sentinel,  at  whatever  employment,  and 
every  infringement  of  the  rule  of  strict 
silence  which  he  can  observe  is  instant- 
ly reported  and  punished.  Their  cells 
are  solitary,  although  arranged  side  by 
side  in  long  rows,  and  separated  only  by 
single  walls ; and  sentinels  are  so  posted, 
at  night,  that  no  communication  can  be 
carried  on  between  any  of  the  prisoners. 
In  the  largest  prisons,  where  a thousand 
or  more  persons  are  confined,  a dead 
silence  reigns  from  the  hour  of  retire- 
ment till  that  of  breakfast.  A few  men 
are  sufficient  to  guard  a great  number, 
thus  isolated  in  mind,  and  yet  made  to 
move  and  act  in  compact  bodies.  A 
plot  is  impossible  : one  man  can  not 
even  form  an  acquaintance  with  anoth- 
er. Whenever  they  move,  they  are  re- 
quired to  march  at  a regular  step,  in 
single  file,  and  close  together  ; a difficult 
march,  which  requires  strict  attention. 
They  often  receive  their  food  on  re- 
turning from  work,  without  stopping; 
for  being  marched  through  the  kitchen, 
each  takes  his  can  from  a table,  and  car- 
ries it  to  his  cell. 

Religious  services  are  often  held  in 
chapels  connected  with  the  prisons,  and 
chaplains  usually  find  many  of  the  con- 
victs accessible  to  their  private  instruc- 
tions. Each  cell  has  a Bible,  and  sab- 
bath-schools are  often  kept  by  benevo- 
lent people  of  the  neighborhood.  In 
some  cases,  also,  as  in  New  York  city, 
societies  provide  temporary  lodgings 
and  work  for  discharged  convicts,  and 
otherwise  interest  themselves  in  their 
welfare. 

The  Prison-Discipline  Society,  which 
was  formed  in  Boston  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  early  recommended  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  Auburn  prison  was 
conducted,  and  greatly  contributed  to 
their  general  adoption  in  the  United 
States  and  foreign  countries. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


175 


Geneva  Medical  College. 


Geneva. — This  place  is  conspicuous  j 
among  the  lake  villages  for  the  beauty  ; 
of  its  appearance  from  the  water.  Lt 
stands  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake  of  the 
same  name,  upon  the  western  bank ; 
and  the  houses  of  some  of  the  more 
wealthy  inhabitants  occupy  the  summit  j 
of  the  higher  ground,  which  rises  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet,  just  behind  the 
busiest  streets,  and  descends  with  a hasty 
but  graceful  slope  to  the  water,  adorned 
by  the  gardens,  green  with  useful  plants, 
and  gay  with  blooming  flowers.  The 
surrounding  country  presents  that  gen- 
tly-varied surface  peculiar  to  this  part 
of  New  York,  where,  for  many  miles, 
the  ground  has  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  channelled  from  north  to  south. 
The  lowest  depressions  are  occupied  by 
several  of  the  small  lakes,  while  the 
: heights  of  the  intermediate  ridges  com- 
j mand  extensive  and  pleasing  views  over 
the  gently-undulated  country  between. 

The  settlement  of  Geneva  was  begun 
in  the  year  1794,  by  Mr.  Austin  and  Mr. 
Barton  ; and  the  act  of  incorporation 
was  passed  in  1812.  The  number  of 
dwellings  is  about  five  hundred ; and 
there  are  nine  churches,  a bank,  &c. 


j The  Geneva  College  was  one  of  the 
' earliest  institutions  which  adopted  a 
plan  of  studies  adapted  to  young  men 
preparing  for  other  professions  than 
those  usually  termed  “ learned;”  and, 
like  several  others  since  established  in 
different  places,  affords  instruction  in 
practical  branches  to  such  students  as 
prefer  to  pursue  them.  The  buildings 
occupy  a remarkably  fine,  agreeable, 
and  commanding  situation,  on  the  ele 
vated  shore  of  the  Jake,  near  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  Main  street. 

This  college,  incorporated  in  1825, 
has  professors  of  mathematics,  natural 
philosophy,  Latin  and  Greek,  statistics 
and  civil  engineering,  modern  languages, 
history  and  belles-lettres,  chymistry  and 
mineralogy.  There  is  also  a medical  | 
department,  commonly  called — 

The  Medical  College  of  Geneva. — The 
building  belongs  to  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  college,  which  is  under  the 
ejection  of  four  professors.  The  in- 
habitants of  this  beautiful  town  have 
distinguished  themselves  by  their  liber- 
ality in  providing  and  supporting  insti- 
tutions of  the  most  valuable  character; 
and  few  places  of  equal  size  can  be  found 


176  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


in  the  country  better  provided.  This  I 
building,  with  the  others  connected  with 
the  college,  is  an  ornament  to  the  town, 
while  it  makes  a conspicuous  appear- 
ance from  a distance. 

Rochester. — This  flourishing  and 
important  city  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
is  of  such  recent  growth,  that,  until  the 
year  1810,  there  was  not  even  a single 
dwelling  on  its  site.  The  whole  tract 
was  once  a mill-lot,  and  was  purchased, 
in  1802,  by  Nathaniel  Rochester  and 
two  associates,  at  $15.50  an  acre — $1,750 
in  all.  Some  of  the  land  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Genesee  was  sold  at  eigh- 
teen pence  an  acre  in  1790,  by  the  great 
speculators  of  the  day — Phelps  and  Gor- 
ham. In  1816,  the  population  was  only 
three  hundred  and  thirty-one. 

The  flour  business  is  extensively  car- 
ried on  at  Rochester.  There  is  a large 
number  of  gristmills,  with  runs  of  stones 
sufficient  to  grind  several  thousand  bar- 
rels of  flour  daily.  The  amount  made 
annually  amounts  to  near  a million  of 
barrels.  There  are  also  several  woollen 
and  cotton  mills,  with  many  saw  and 
other  water  mills  of  different  kinds  in 
this  busy  town. 

Few  towns  in  the  Union  present  such 
evidences  of  a great  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness, on  so  small  a space  of  ground,  as 
Rochester,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  river,  at  and  below  the  aqueduct. 
The  mills  above  referred  to,  form  a 
double  line  of  large,  massive,  stone 
buildings  ; and  the  greatest  activity  pre- 
vails in  and  around  them,  where  crowds 
of  men  are  constantly  employed  in  the 
various  kinds  of  business  which  are  car- 
ried on  in  them,  and  in  the  various  other 
mills  and  manufactories  adjacent,  as 
well  as  at  the  depots  of  the  canal  and 
the  railroad.  Above  twenty  churches, 
several  of  them  remarkably  handsome, 
as  well  as  capacious  edifices,  are  among 
the  public  buildings,  although  the  first 
presbyterian  church,  which  is  the  oldest, 
was  erected  in  1815  ; and  so  late  as  in 
January,  1813,  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Indian  new-year,  the  Senecas  performed 
their  last  heathen  ceremonies  on  the 
ground,  near  the  site  of  the  present 
Bethel  church.  An  interesting  account 
of  these,  as  well  as  of  many  other  par- 




ticulars  relating  to  Rochester,  may  be 
found  in  the  history  of  the  town,  pub- 
lished in  1835.' 

The  falls'  of  the  Genesee  at  this  place 
are  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the 
cataracts  in  New  York,  and  rendered  by 
art  the  most  useful.  The  upper  one  is 
small,  making  an  inconsiderable  descent 
over  a rocky  bed  of  only  a moderate  an- 
gle of  descent ; but,  as  the  grand  aque- 
duct is  built  over  it,  the  effect  of  the 
flowing  water  is  increased  by  the  ob- 
struction of  the  channel  by  the  masses 
of  stonework,  and  the  contraction  thus 
formed  of  the  passage.  The  middle  fall 
is  the  principal  one ; and  that  is  per- 
pendicular, over  a rocky  precipice,  which 
rises  like  a wall  from  the  lower  to  the 
upper  level  of  the  river.  In  pouring 
over  this,  the  water  plunges  ninety-six 
feet,  sometimes  in  a few  small  streams, 
but,  in  floods,  in  a general  sheet.  It 
was  here  that  the  celebrated  Sam  Patch, 
after  performing  many  astonishing  leaps, 
unharmed,  from  fearful  heights,  lost  his 
life,  in  the  year  1829,  by  jumping  from 
the  rocks  into  the  basin. 

Below  this  spot,  the  river  flows  a mile 
and  a half,  through  a wide  and  deep 
channel,  passing  several  rapids,  when  it 
reaches  the  two  lower  falls.  Here  the 
surrounding  scenery  is  rough  and  wild; 
and  the  river  first  pours  over  a precipice 
twenty-five  feet  high,  and  immediately 
afterward  over  another  of  eighty-four 
feet.  The  banks  below  are  high,  rocky, 
and  perpendicular,  for  a considerable 
distance,  showing  numerous  stratifica- 
tions, which  have  been  cut  through  by 
the  current.  Across  the  awful  chasm  a 
wooden  bridge  was  erected,  in  1819,  of 
one  noble  arch,  whose  chord  was  three 
hundred  and  fifty-two  feet,  and  the  versed 
sine  fifty-four  feet.  The  entire  length 
of  the  bridge  was  seven  hundred  and 
eighteen  feet,  and  the  width  thirty  feet. 
The  top  of  the  arch  was  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  above 
the  . river.  It  contained  seventy  thou- 
sand feet  of  timber,  and  sixty-four  thou- 
sand, six  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  board 
measure.  Just  one  year  and  a day  after 
its  completion,  it  fell  in  ruins  by  its  own 
weight,  the  sides  of  the  arch  pressing 
! up  the  top. 


Falls  of  Niagara,  viewed  from  Table  Rock. 


12 


178  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Cartha'ge,  a small  t^wn  on  the  eastern 
bank,  is  a place  of  considerable  business, 
as  a communication  between  Rochester 
and  Lake  Ontario  was  established  some 
years  since,  by  an  inclined  plane  from 
the  high  bank  to  the  river,  where  boats 
received  and  discharged  cargoes.  The 
business  has  greatly  increased;  and  there 
are  now  three  railroads  from  Rochester 
to  the  navigable  part  of  the  river,  six 
miles  from  the  lake-shore. 

Buffalo. — This  city,  before  referred 
to,  as  one  of  the  principal  inland  towns 
of  the  state,  and  the  centre  of  the  lake 
and  canal  navigation  and  railroad  com- 
munication, is  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
summit,  declivity,  and  base,  of  the  table- 
land which  borders  the  end  of  Lake 
Erie  and  the  head  of  Niagara  river. 
The  streets  are  broad,  clean,  and  well 
built,  and  numerous  blocks  of  stone- 
houses  border  the  stream  which  here 
pours  into  the  lake.  A lighthouse,  a pier, 
and  an  improved  harbor,  all  subserve 
the  extensive  commerce  of  the  place. 

Niagara  Falls,  celebrated  throughout 
the  world  as  the  most  stupendous  of  cat- 
aracts, lies  partly  in  the  state  of  New 
York  and  partly  in  Canada.  A more 
sublime  spectacle  can  not  easily  be  con- 
ceived, and  none  can  anywhere  be  found 
on  earth  to  compare  with  it.  The  river 
Niagara,  abroad,  deep,  and  rapid  stream, 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Erie,  the  deepest  of 
the  American  inland  seas,  also  discharges 
the  waters  flowing  toward  the  ocean 
from  the  whole  chain  of  lakes  above. 
Passing,  with  a hasty  but  unbroken  cur- 
rent, by  Grand  island,  it  soon  approach- 
es the  verge  of  the  mountain  ridge  ; and, 
after  rushing  for  about  half  a mile  down 
a declining,  rocky  bed,  forming  the  rap- 
ids, it  is  precipitated  over  a precipice 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet*  high,  into  a 
gulf  of  unknown  depth  below,  with  a 
roar  which  is  sometimes  audible  at  the 
distance  of  twenty  miles. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  sheets  of 
falling  water  are  entire  and  unbroken, 
from  top  to  bottom,  in  their  whole  extent, 
without  any  interruption  worthy  of  being 
mentioned.  Goat  island,  near  the  mid- 
dle, divides  the  river  for  some  distance 
above  and  at  the  fall.  On  the  New  York 
side,  the  cataract  presents  a straight 


line ; but  between  Goat  island  and  the 
Canada  side,  it  is  curved  inward,  form- 
ing the  Horseshoe.  Thousands  of  trav- 
ellers annually  visit  the  spot,  to  admire 
this  great  natural  curiosity ; and  fine 
hotels,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  afford 
them  ample  accommodations.  Stair- 
cases have  been  excavated  at  different 
places,  by  which  visiters  can*  get  safely 
down  to  the  best  points  of  view.  A 
walk  under  the  cliff  is  very  interesting; 
but  to  pursue  the  slippery  and  danger-  i 
ous  path  under  the  sheet  of  water,  be- 
neath the  falling  torrent  and  the  mighty 
rock  over  which  it  falls,  requires  both 
courage  and  caution.  Parties,  however, 
often  incur  the  hazard,  and  submit  to 
the  inconvenience  caused  by  the  extreme 
dampness  of  the  atmosphere,  which  is 
constantly  surcharged  with  spray,  and, 
being  agitated  by  conflicting  currents 
of  wind,  soon  wets  one  to.  the  skin. 

Every  change  of  season,  weather,  and 
light,  imparts  some  peculiar  aspect  to 
this  extraordinary  scene.  The  rising 
sun  gilds  the  edges  of  the  cataract,  and 
illuminates  the  upper  banks,  with  their 
wild  crests  of  overhanging  trees,  while  ! 
the  darkness  of  the  awful  gulf  below  is 
enhanced  by  the  unintermitted  roaring  | 
and  concussions  of  the  tremendous  mass- 
es of  water  dashed  together.  The  lofty 
column  of  mist,  which  for  ever  stands,  | 
like  a cloud,  over  this  scene  of  noise  1 
and  fury,  is  sometimes  dark  as  a thun- 
der-storm,  but  more  frequently  of  a | 
snowy  whiteness,  and  illuminated  and  | 
painted  by  rainbows,  whose  arches  vary 
in  their  position  and  direction  with  the 
course  of  the  sun.  Night  casts  a tone 
of  majesty  over  the  scene,  as  difficult  to- 
be  duly  described  as  to  be  witnessed 
without  emotion,  especially  when  the 
moon  silvers  the  rocks,  the  water,  and 
the  spray,  or  when,  in  winter,  it  falls 
upon  the  forest-trees,  glazed  with  the 
frozen  spray,  and  upon  the  immense 
icicles,  often  more  than  a hundred  feet 
in  length. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  any  living  j 
thing  to  survive  the  descent  of  this  aw-  , 
ful  cataract.  Deer  and  other  animals  « 
have  sometimes  been  carried  down,  i 
while  attempting  to  swim  across  the  j 
river  above  ; and,  in  several  instances,  , 


the  Clifton  House. 


The  Van  Kleeck  House. 


men  have  been  borne  down  to  the  awful 
verge,  and  plunged  to  unknown  depths 
in  the  black  gulf  beneath. 

The  vicinity  of  Niagara  has  been  sig- 
nalized by  several  important  military 
events.  The  French  fortress  of  Fron- 
tenac,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  was 
captured  by  the  British,  after  a siege ; 
Fort  Erie,  at  the  head  of  the  stream, 
was  taken  by  the  Americans,  in  the  war 
of  1812  ; Buffalo  was  burnt  by  the  ene- 
my ; Lewistown  was  taken,  by  an  Amer- 
ican force,  by  a bold  coup-dc-main,  after 
crossing  in  boats,  and  scaling  an  almost 
inaccessible  height  on  the  shore.  The 
battle  of  Lundy’s  Lane  and  Bridgewa- 
ter was  fought  within  a short  distance 
of  the  cataract,  and  gave  the  Americans 
some  of  their  greatest  advantages  in  that 
unhappy  contest. 

Grand  island,  a little  above  the  cata- 
ract, is  a good  agricultural  region,  and 
is  remarkable  as  the  site  of  the  proposed 
city  of  “Ararat,”  offered  as  a gather- 
ing-place of  the  Jews,  and  as  a camp 
occupied  by  the  invaders  of  Canada,  in 
the  late  attempt  at  revolution. 

The  passage  to  the  islands,  over  the 
bridge,  affords  the  visiter  a gratifying 
though  an  agitating  view  of  the  rushing 
stream,  just  as  it  pours  furiously  by  to 
its  stupendous  leap  down  the  awful 
precipice.  With  astonishing  skill  and 
boldness,  the  slight  fabric  has  been  con- 
structed, from  rock  to  rock,  across  the 
wild  and  dangerous  channel  ; and  the 


spectator  views  its  waves  with  awe  and 
fear,  as  they  glide  beneath  his  feet,  and 
intimate  the  sudden  and  fatal  conse- 
quences of  a single  misstep. 

The  Welland  canal,  on  the  Canada 
side,  gives  a passage  to  lake-vessels  from 
Erie  to  Ontario. 

A wire-bridge  across  Niagara  river, 
below  the  falls,  has  been  built,  and  is 
of  sufficient  strength  to  allow  the  passage 
of  great  weights. 

Without  naming  numerous  other  pla- 
ces and  objects  of  great  interest,  we  re- 
turn to  the  Hudson  river. 

Poughkeepsie. — This  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  villages  in  the  valley  of  the 
Hudson,  but  is  so  situated,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a mile  from  its  eastern  shore, 
as  to  be  quite  cut  of  sight  to  travellers 
passing  in  steamboats.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  villages  in  this  part  of 
the  state  ; and  its  settlement  dates  back 
to  about  the  year  1700,  when  it  was  first 
inhabited  by  a few  Dutch  families.  The 
soil  is  favorable  to  cultivation,  while  the 
stream  which  flows  through  the  town 
makes  a succession  of  falls,  amounting, 
in  all,  to  a descent  of  about  a hundred 
and  sixty  feet,  and  affords  water-power 
to  various  mills  and  manufactories.  The 
place  contains  three  printing-offices,  two 
banks,  and  eleven  churches,  with  twelve 
schools.  Population,  1850,  11,080. 

The  Van  Klcech  House. — This  was  the 
first  house  ever  erected  in  Poughkeep- 
sie. It  was  the  residence  of  Myndert 


The  Collegiate  School.  Poughkeepsie. 


182  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Church  of  Our  Lady  at  Cold- Spring. 


Van  Kleeck,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
the  county ; and  the  remarkable  build- 
ing, with  the  surrounding  grounds,  was 
in  possession  of  his  descendants  in  the 
year  1835,  when  it  was  taken  down.  It 
was  built  in  1702.  It  was  for  many 
years  a public-house  ; and,  in  1787,  was 
occupied  by  the  legislature  as  a state- 
house.  The  session  held  there  was  the 
eleventh,  and  the  governor  of  the  state 
was  then  George  Clinton. 

The  Collegiate  School  is  an  institution 
for  education,  in  a large  building  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  feet  by  thirty-five, 
well  proportioned,  with  a fine  colonnade, 
and  surrounded  by  spacious  grounds, 
tastefully  adorned.  The  building  cost 
forty  thousand  dollars  ; and  it  commands 
a fine  view  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  upon 
the  surrounding  country,  with  the  ridge 
of  the  Catskill  mountains,  twenty  miles 
distant  toward  the  south.  Poughkeepsie 
lies  below,  about  a mile  in  front;  and 
the  elevation  occupied  by  the  edifice 
commands  a charming  view  of  the  Hud- 
son,  enlivened  by  numerous  steamboats 
and  other  vessels  engaged  in  its  varied 
and  active  commerce. 

Poughkeepsie  is  one  of  the  largest 


manufactories  of  locomotives  in  the 
United  States.  The  surprising  success 
of  Americans,  in  the  improvement  and 
construction  of  the  most  complex  and 
powerful  steam  machines,  and  especial- 
ly of  this  class,  has  excited  admiration 
abroad,  as  well  as  at  home  ; and  multi- 
tudes of  our  locomotives  are  now  per- 
forming the  labors  of  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal railroads  of  Europe,  while  our 
furnaces  and  workshops  are  resounding 
with  the  preparations  for  many  more. 

Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Cold- 
Spring. — A few  miles  below  Pough- 
keepsie, and  opposite  West  Point,  on 
an  elevation  commanding  a view  of  the 
river,  is  this  neat  little  edifice,  just  above 
the  landing.  It  is  of  plain,  Grecian 
style,  with  four  Doric  columns.  The 
material  is  brick,  but  the  whole  is  cov- 
ered with  stucco,  which  gives  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  white  stone. 

The  Stone-Church  at  Rover. — About 
twenty-four  miles  east  from  Poughkeep- 
sie, near  the  village  of  Dover,  is  a re- 
markable cavern,  which,  from  the  pecu- 
liar, angular  form  of  its  roof,  has  re- 
ceived the  name  of  the  “ stone-church. ” 
This  natural  cavity  appears  to  have  been 


slowly  formed  by  the  flowing  of  a stream, 
which,  coming  down  the  mountain  in 
which  the  cavern  is  found,  enters  at  a 
narrow  fissure  in  the  roof,  and,  descend- 
ing from  crag  to  crag,  presents  a beau- 
tiful succession  of  cascades,  till  it  reaches 
the  level  of  the  floor,  where  it  spreads 
out  in  a quiet  little  pond.  The  whole 
cavern  is  large,  being  divided  into  two 
compartments  by  an  immense  rock  which 
has  fallen  from  above.  The  inner  cham- 
ber is  about  seventy  feet  in  length, 
while  the  Gothic  arch  above  is  twenty 
feet  in  width,  and  the  top  about  two 
hundred  feet  high. 

“ The  scene,”  remarks  a visiter,  “ is 
well  fitted  to  inspire  devotional  feelings  : 
the  heart  acknowledges  the  power  of  the 
Creator,  and  rises  in  admiration  of  his 
works.” 

Troy  is  one  of  the  numerous  towns 
in  this  state  which  display  striking  evi- 
dence of  rapid,  substantial,  and  perma- 
nent improvement,  which  has  been  so 
extensively  occasioned  by  the  enlight- 
ened internal  policy  of  the  government, 
and  accomplished  by  the  intelligence  and 
industry  of  the  people.  A view  from 
Mount  Ida,  an  eminence  rising  abruptly 
from  its  eastern  border,  embraces  a 
scene  of  life  and  activity  seldom  sur- 
passed. A young  and  flourishing  city 
below,  with  streets  crowded  with  busy 
people,  the  noble  Hudson  sweeping  ma- 
jestically by,  crossed  by  a fine  pier, 
which  serves  the  double  purpose  qf  a 
bridge  and  a viaduct  to  the  railroad — 
the  combined  trunk  of  the  Champlain 
and  Erie  canal,  floating  the  crowded 
boats  from  the  north  and  the  west — sev- 
eral of  the  splendid  New  York  steam- 
boats, which  penetrate  to  this  highest 
accessible  point : all  these  are  embraced 
within  the  immediate  range  of  the  eye, 
with  the  various  signs  of  bustle  to  which 
they  give  rise.  The  United  States  ar- 
senal, at  Watervliet,  stands  opposite; 
while  nearer  by,  the  environs  of  Troy 
are  beautified  by  the  mansions  and  gar- 
dens of  some  of  the  wealthy  citizens, 
and  the  rumbling  of  machinery,  and  the 
smoking  of  chimneys,  bet  ray  the  vicini- 
ty of  some  of  the  largest  and  best  manu-  I 
factories  in  the  country.  Some  of  those 
are  supplied  with  moving-power  by  the 


St.  Paul’s  Church,  Troy. 

small  but  constant  streams  flowing  down 
the  eminence  on  which  the  spectator  is 
supposed  to  stand  ; and  such  is  the  va- 
riety found  among  the  factories,  mills, 
&c.,  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  that  we 
can  not  pretend  to  give  a full  account 
of  them.  Population,  1850,  29,000. 

Plattsburgh. — This  town,  the  capi- 
tal of  Clinton  county,  one  hundred  and 
twelve  miles  north  of  Whitehall,  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles  from 
Albany,  enjoys  an  advantageous  and 
pleasant  situation,  on  the  western  side 
of  Lake  Champlain.  The  township  is 
supplied  with  many  fine  mill-seats,  by 
the  Saranac  and  Salmon  rivers,  and  sev- 
eral other  small  streams  ; and  the  east- 
ern part  of  it  is  generally  level,  although 
the  western  is  hilly.  The  village  stands 
on  the  lake-shore,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Saranac.  In  speaking  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain, on  a preceding  page,  we  alluded 
to  the  important  naval  victory  achieved 
on  the  Cumberland  Kay,  opposite  this 
place,  in  the  last  war  with  Great  Brit- 
ain, in  1814. 

Plattsburgh  was  twice  taken  by  their 
troops,  but  the  country  below  was  final- 
ly delivered  from  danger  by  the  event 
just  mentioned.  The  victorious  Ameri- 
can squadron,  under  Commodore  Mc- 
Donough, had  820  men,  and  86  guns, 


— — — 1 

I 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  185 


and  the  British  1,050  men,  and  96  guns. 
The  following  recollections  ot  the  battle 
are  from  the  pen  of  a friend  : — 

“ The  Battle  of  Plattsburgh . — It  was 
a bright  sabbath  in  September,  one  of 
those  rich,  soft,  and  mellow  days  that 
begin  to  wear  the  sober  tints  of  autumn, 
that  my  childish  heart  was  made  sad  by 
the  scenes  and  the  sounds  of  war.  Our 
home  was  on  the  eastern  border  of  the 
lake,  just  across  from  Plattsburgh  ; and, 
for  many  long  months,  the  event  of  bat- 
tle had  been  the  theme  of  conversation 
by  the  fireside,  among  men  as  they  met 
in  their  daily  haunts,  and  friends  by 
the  wayside.  Preparations  were  going 
forward  for  defence  ; and  among  men 
there  was  enlisting,  draughting,  &c.,  and 
all  things  wore  the  aspect  of  some  im- 
pending evil,  which  threw  a kind  of 
gloom  over  the  feelitigs,  in  which  all 
sympathized.  We  lived  within  less  than 
a day’s  march  of  the  enemy’s  ground, 
and  consequently  were  often  alarmed 
with  conjectures  and  painful  suspense, 
in  regard  to  their  movements.  Often 
were  we  surprised  with  rumors  of  the 
near  approach  of  the  British — that  they 
had  crossed  the  lines — were  marching 
down  upon  us,  &c.,  which  kept  the  in- 
habitants in  a very  uneasy  and  unsettled 
condition.  But  so  many  false  alarms 
had  a tendency,  at  length,  to  lull  them 
into  a state  of  indilference,  or  to  allay 
their  apprehensions  so  much,  that  peo- 
ple had  resumed  their  avocations  in 
comparative  quiet. 

“ But  at  last  the  event  burst  upon  us, 
with  all  the  dreaded  realities  of  blood- 
shed and  war  ! The  scene  was  suffi- 
ciently distant  to  prevent  immediate 
danger,  yet  all  knew  that  their  future 
security  hung  on  the  result , and  every 
eye  was  strained,  and  every  heart  beat 
with  deep  anxiety,  for  the  sequel. 

“ It  was  a peaceful  sabbath  morning  i. 
the  sun  had  risen  with  its  accustomed 
splendor,  and  nature  wore  the  stillness 
peculiar  to  the  sacred  day.  But  alas  ! 
it  was  a strange  sabbath  with  man.  The 
booming  sounds  of  guns  came  across  the 
water,  in  such  quick  and  rapid  succes- 
sion, *^hat  they  shook  the  earth,  and 
sounded  like  heavy  and  deep-toned 
thunder.  The  engagement  lasted  two 


hours  and  twenty  minutes  ; and  we 
knew  the  work  of  death  was  going  on 
at  every  new  report.  Such  a sabbath 
may  this  land  never  see  again  ! It  was 
not  a ‘ day  of  rest,’  or  of  worship,  but 
one  to  be  remembered  with  feelings  of 
horror  and  dread.  A few  gathered  in 
the  morning,  aged  men,  women,  and 
children,  in  a lonely  group,  for  worship; 
but,  as  the  excitement  increased,  every 
man  fled  from  the  village,  and,  in  short, 
almost  every  one  had  climbed  to  some 
height  on  the  hills,  or  in  the  steeple  of 
the  church,  to  read,  in  the  progress  of 
events,  our  consequent  destiny.  When 
the  British  ships  struck  their  colors,  and 
victory  was  the  cry,  there  was  great  re- 
joicing, in  the  sure  and  delightful  feel- 
ing of  safety,  far  more  than  in  that  of 
success. 

“ Men  and  boys  had  nearly  all  crossed 
over  the  lake  to  witness  the  scene,  from 
the  hills  about  the  village,  and  were 
spectators  of  the  bloody  affray.  One  of 
my  brothers  went  aboard  one  of  the 
vanquished  ships,  soon  after  the  action 
ceased.  The  deck  was  strewed  with 
the  dead  and  dying,  weltering  in  gore. 
The  gallant  Downie,  who  had  command- 
ed the  British  forces,  lay  on  a large  iron 
chest,  just  as  he  was  slain.  Victory  was 
the  theme  and  the  cry  of  the  conquer- 
ors ; but  grief  and  dismay  were  the  feel- 
ings of  the  vanquished. 

“ The  officers  who  fell  in  these  en- 
counters, both  by  land  and  water,  were 
buried  side  by  side  in  the  graveyard  at 
Plattsburgh.  Monuments  have  been 
erected  to  all.  Friends  and  foes  sleep 
as  quietly  as  if  they  had  never  had  col- 
lision here  on  earth.  Commodore  Dow- 
nie, though  slain  in  the  invasion  of  our 
country,  as  the  officer  of  the  highest 
rank,  is  placed  in  the  centre  ; and  a tab- 
let, erected  to  his  memory,  bears  the 
following  inscription  : — 

I “ ‘ Sacred  to  the  memory  of  George 
Downie,  Esq.,  a post-captain  in  the  Brit- 
ish navy,  who  gloriously  fell  on  board 
his  B.  M.  ship  Confiance,  while  leading 
the  vessels  under  his  command  to  the 
attack  of  the  American  flotilla,  at  anchor 
in  Cumberland  bay,  off  Plattsburgh,  on 
the  11th  of  September,  1814. — To  mark 
the  spot  where  the  remains  of  a gallant 


— ; f — * 1 

186  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

officer  and  sincere  friend  were  honora- 
bly interred,  this  stone  has  been  erected 
by  his  affectionate  sister-in-law,  Mary 
Downied 

“ The  family  of  Dr.  Davidson  were 
residents  of  Plattsburgh  at  this  time; 
and  Mrs.  Davidson,  in  a work  of  hers 
called  ‘ Selections,’  has  given  an  inter- 
esting sketch  of  events  that  occurred  in 
her  own  family  during  the  scene  of 
those  eventful  days. 

“ After  some  months,  the  vessels  were 
taken  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  at  White- 
hall. Circumstances  of  travelling  just  j 
at  that  time  gave  me  an  opportunity,  in  j 
the  impressible  season  of  childhood,  to 
see  from  the  tall  masts  the  British  and 
American  flags  floating  lazily  in  the 
breeze,  the  conquered  ‘ lion’  looking 
just  as  fierce  and  terrible  as  if  he  had 
not  been  a captive  among  Americans. 
We  were  invited  on  board,  and  saw  the 
mutilated  ships  of  war.  They  were 
making  preparations  to  sink  them  in 
the  lake,  which  was  afterward  done,  for 
preservation,  and  the  soldiers  were 
rolling  cannon-balls  into  their  holds,  as 
weights. 

“ Commodore  M‘Donough  was  pres- 
ent— a man  of  middle  stature  ; but  there 
was  nothing  in  his  looks  or  manner  which 
indicated  aught  of  the  exciting  scenes 
through  which  he  had  passed.  It  is  said 
of  him  that,  after  the  enemy’s  fleet  hove 
in  sight,  the  men  of  his  ship  were  as- 
sembled on  the  quarter-deck,  when  he 
kneeled  down,  .and,  in  humble  and  fer- 
vent prayer,  commended  himself,  his 
men,  and  the  cause  in  which  they  were 
engaged,  to  the  ‘ Grod  of  battles,’  and 
arose  from  that  posture  with  a calmness 
and  serenity  on  his  brow  which  showed 
that  he  had  received  comfort  and  assu- 
rance from  above. 

“ The  dead  of  both  armies  were  tak«n 
to  the  small  islands  near  the  scene  of 
action,  and  there  buried.  Those  waters* 
now  look  as  blue  and  as  beautiful  as  it 
never  disturbed  with  war ; and  those 
islands  are  as  green  and  verdant  as  if 
never  broken  with  new-made  graves.” 

New  York  City. — The  site  of  this 
city,  which  was  first  occupied  by  Euro- 
peans in  1614,  or  1615,  and  then  only 
by  the  erection  of  a blockhouse  near  its 

southern  extremity,  is  now  the  most 
populous,  as  well  as  the  most  important, 
on  the  western  continent,  and  vies,  in 
commercial  rank,  with  many  6f  the  prin- 
cipal ones  of  the  old  world.  It  now  oc- 
cupies the  whole  of  Manhattan  island, 
being  conterminous  with  the  county  of 
NewYork.  Its  limits,  therefore,  extend 
to  the  narrow  channel  between  the  Hud- 
son and  East  rivers,  called  Harlem  river ; 
a distance  of  14^  miles,  with  a breadth 
varying  up  to  two  miles,  and  an  area  of 
21|  square  miles.  The  southern  por- 
tion, forming  about  one  sixth  of  the 
whole,  is  occupied  by  the  main  body  of 
the  population,  amounting,  in  1840,  to 
312,710,  and  in  1850  to  515,547.  The 
number  of  buildings,  in  1850,  in  the  com- 
pact part  of  the  city,  was  37,730  ; the 
valuation  of  real  estate,  $227,000,000, 
and  of  personal  estate,  $93,000,000. 

The  harbor  is  very  capacious,  with 
good  anchorage  for  the  largest  ships, 
almost  wholly  free  from  shoals,  and  with 
currents  strong  enough  to  keep  it  usu- 
ally free  from  ice  in  the  winter,  even 
when  more  southern  ports  are  obstruct- 
ed. Governor’s  and  Bedlow’s  islands 
are  strongly  fortified ; and  the  entrance 
to  the  lower  bay  is  defended  by  Fort 
Hamilton,  on  Long  island,  Fort  Lafay- 
ette, on  a rock  in  the  water,  and  batte- 
ries on  Staten  island,  opposite.  The 
Hudson  river  opens  a natural  navigable 
channel  of  150  miles  to  Albany,  and 
with  the  various  canals  and  railroads 
heretofore  mentioned  ; while  the  East 
river  communicates  with  Long  Island 
sound,  which  pours  much  trade  into  this 
city.  Lines  of  the  most  capacious  and 
splendid  steamboats  lead  daily,  and  al- 
most hourly,  in  all  directions ; and  new 
channels  of  communication  are  now  in 
| preparation,  which  will  still  further  fa-  , 
cilitate  and  extend  the  great  commer- 
cial relations  of  New  YTork. 

■ The  streets  in  the  lower  and  oldest 
part  of  the  city  are  generally  narrow  and 
crooked ; but  in  the  upper  portion,  to 
which  many  of  the  inhabitants  have 
changed  their  residences  within  a few 
years,  they  are  straight,  broad,  well 
built,  and  more  agreeable.  j 

The  number  of  churches  is  245:  Of 
these  there  are— baptist,  31 ; congrega- 

View  of  New  York  City 


188  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tional,  9 ; Dutch  reformed,  17  ; friends, 
4;  Jewish,  11;  Lutheran,  5;  methodist 
episcopal,  31  ; methodist  protestant,  2; 
presbyterian,  35  ; associate  presbyterian, 

4 ; associate  reformed  presbyterian,  2 ; 
reformed  presbyterian,  4 ; jprotestant 
episcopal,  47 ; Roman  catholic,  21 ; Uni- 
tarian, 2 ; universalist,  4 ; Welsh,  3 ; 
miscellaneous,  16. 

There  are  about  forty  banks,  exclu- 
sive of  eleven  for  savings.  There  are 
asylums  for  lunatics,  at  Bloomingdale ; 
colored,  indigent,  and  aged,  at  42d  street ; 
deaf  and  dumb,  50th  street ; blind,  9th 
avenue;  orphans,  117th  street,  and  71st 
street,  6th  avenue,  Prince  street,  11th 
street,  and  colored  orphans,  12th  street; 
lying-in  women,  Marion  street ; old  la- 
dies, 20th  street. 

Schools. — Ward  schools,  19;  primary, 
3 ; schools  of  the  Public  School  Society, 
18,  and  primary,  59.  Both  the  ward 
and  the  public  schools  are  free  to  chil- 
dren of  all  classes,  and  wholly  gratui- 
tous, even  to  the  books  used  by  the  chil- 
dren. The  latter  were  commenced  about 
thirty  years  ago,  through  the  exertions 
of  a few  benevolent  individuals,  at  a 
time  when  public  education  was  neg- 
lected; and,  under  the  charge  of  a very 
faithful  and  intelligent  board  of  trustees, 
and  superintended  by  Mr.  Seton,  a de- 
voted friend  of  the  poor  and  ignorant, 
they  rose  to  a high  eminence,  under  the 
liberal  patronage  of  the  state. 

The  eighteen  schoolhouses  of  this  so- 
ciety, above-mentioned,  are  fine  brick 
buildings,  usually  about  eighty  by  forty 
feet,  and  two  or  three  stories  high,  able 
to  contain  from  five  to  twelve  hundred 
children  each.  The  monitorial  system 
is  practised. 

The  ward  schools  have  since  been 
established,  in  which  that  system  is  not 
used.  The  trustees  and  other  officers 
are  chosen  annually  by  the  people,  and 
their  schools  are  multiplying. 

The  Institution  for  the  Education  of 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb.. — This  institution  is 
situated  near  33d  street  and  4th  avenue. 
The  building  is  110  by  60  feet,  and  con- 
tains about  two  hundred  pupils,  from  all 
parts  of  the  state,  many  of  whom  are 
supported  and  instructed  at  the  public 
expense.  The  building  affords  sleeping 


and  dining-rooms,  with  apartments  for 
recitation,  the  family  of  the  superintend- 
ent, and  the  eight  instructors,  the  kitch- 
en, &c.  The  system  of  instruction  re- 
sembles that  practised  in  the  other  deaf 
and  dumb  asylums  in  the  United  States, 
being  founded  on  the  principles  of  the 
Abbe  De  l’Epee  and  the  Abbe  Sicard, 
introduced  into  this  country  by  Mr.  Gal- 
laudet,  at  the  expense  of  the  American 
asylum  at  Hartford,  about  the  year  1815. 

The  Institution  for  the  Education  of 
the  Blind,  is  erected  on  land  presented 
by  James  Boorman,  Esq.,  at  the  expense 
of  the  state,  aided*  by  a gift  of  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  from  Mr.  Burke,  and 
other  donations.  The  building  faces  the 
Hudson  river,  at  a short  distance  from 
the  bank,  and  contains  lodgings  for  a 
large  number  of  pupils,  most  of  whom 
are  supported  by  the  state.  They  are 
taught  the  common  branches  of  learn- 
ing, with  vocal  and  instrumental  music, 
and  several  useful  handicrafts  best  adapt- 
ed to  their  abilities,  chiefly  the  manu- 
facture of  baskets,  rugs,  bandboxes,  and 
carpets. 

The  Croton  Aqueduct. — The  city  of 
New  York  is  abundantly  supplied  with 
pure  and  wholesome  water,  by  a work 
of  greater  length  than  any  other  in  the 
country,  and  at  a greater  expense.  The 
supply  is  derived  from  the  Croton  river, 
in  Westchester  county,  at  a point  about 
forty  miles  from  the  city.  That  stream 
is  dammed,  and  is  capable  of  affording 
a much  greater  quantity  than  can  be 
needed  in  a long  course  of  years.  The 
aqueduct  passes  most  of  the  way  under  * 
ground,  through  a pipe  of  masonwork, 
constructed  in  the  most  skilful  manner, 
but  crosses  several  streams,  the  broad- 
est of  which  is  Harlem  river.  The 
bridge  thrown  across  is  one  of  the  most 
important  constructions  on  the  line.  It 
is  1,450  feet  long,  with  fifteen  arches — 
eight  of  them  eighty  feet  span,  and  sev- 
en of  fifty  feet  span,  114  feet  above  tide- 
water at  the  top. 

The  receiving  reservoir  is  at  86th 
street,  about  five  and  a half  miles  from 
the  city-hall.  It  covers  thirty-five  acres, 
and  contains  one  hundred  and  fifty  mill- 
ions of  gallons.  There  the  water  is  re- 
| ceived,  and  allowed  to  stand  long  enough 


Merchants’  Exchange,  Wall  Street,  New  York. 


/ 


n 

I 


190  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


to  deposite  the  particles  of  sand  and 
clay  it  has  brought  down,  and  then  it  is 
drawn  off  into  the  second  or  distributing 
reservoir. 

This  reservoir  is  situated  at  42d  street, 
on  the  height  of  ground  about  three 
miles  from  the  city-hall.  It  is  an  im- 
mense structure  of  hewn  stone,  resem- 
bling a modern  fortress  of  the  first  class, 
covei'ing  four  acres,  and  capable  of 
containing  twenty  millions  of  gallons. 
From  this  iron  pipes  lead  off,  gradually 
branching  in  different  directions,  with 
stops,  hydrants,  &c. 

Many  houses  are  now  supplied  with 
this  excellent  water,  not  merely  for  cu- 
linary purposes  and  drinking,  but  also 
for  bathing,  &c.  There  is  also  reserved 
a supply  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires, 
of  inestimable  value  to  the  city,  which 
has  heretofore  suffered  most  severely  for 
the  want  of  it. 

Several  of  the  public  squares  are 
adorned  with  beautiful  fountains,  some 
of  which  throw  the  water  nearly  a hun- 
dred feet  perpendicularly,  not,  as  at 
Versailles,  after  being  raised  by  ma- 
chinery, but  by  the  force  of  the  natural 
head. 

Public  Squares.. — The  Battery , named 
from  the  use  made  of  it  in  early  times, 
is  a fine  public  walk  on  the  southern  \ 
extremity  of  the  island,  shaded  with 
trees,  and  commanding  a delightful  view 
upon  the  bay.  Being  exposed  to  the 
sea-breezes,  and  in  full  view  of  the  nu- 
merous boats  and  vessels  of  all  descrip- 
tions, continually  passing,  the  Battery  is 
a favorite  resort  in  warm  weather. 
Castle-Garden  is  a place  of  amusement, 
formed  in  an  old  fort,  connected  with 
the  Battery  by  a short  bridge,  near  which 
floating-baths  are  moored  in  the  bathing 
season. 

The  Bowling-Green , just  north  of  the 
Battery,  is  a small  circular  green,  sur- 
rounded with  an  iron  railing,  shaded 
I with  lofty  trees,  and  ornamented  with  a 
beautiful  fountain,  where  a stream  of 
Croton  water  is  thrown  about  ninety 
feet  into  the  air,  and  falls  upon  a beau- 
tiful structure  of  marble,  and  thence 
into  a basin.  The  Washington,  1 Broad- 
way, was  the  headquarters  of  Lord 
Howe,  in  the  Revolution,  and,  after  the 


close  of  the  war,  was  occupied  by  Gen- 
eral Washington.  The  Atlantic,  and 
several  other  hotels,  stand  opposite  or 
near  this  favorite  square. 

The  Park. — This  is  the  most  central 
and  important  of  the  public  squares,  at 
the  junction  of  two  grand  avenues  of 
the  city,  Broadway  and  Chatham  street, 
containing  the  city-hall,  the  new  city- 
hall,  and  the  hall  of  records,  and  is 
surrounded  by  many  other  important 
edifices,  such  as  the  Astor  house,  Tam- 
many hall,  Stewart’s  store,  museum,  &c. 

It  contains,  also,  a public  fountain,  with- 
in a basin  about  one  hundred  feet  in  j 
diameter,  which  has  a variety  of  jets, 
that  are  occasionally  changed.  When 
the  water  is  throwfl  in  a single  stream, 
it  ascends  to  the  height  of  seventy  feet, 
presenting  a majestic  appearance. 

St.  John' s Park,  in  the  western  part 
of  the  city,  is  private,  being  accessible 
only  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  surround- 
ing houses.  It  is  closely  planted  with 
trees,  and  has  St.  John’s  church  fronting 
it  on  the  east. 

Washington  Square,  between  4th  and 
6th  streets,  just  west  of  Broadway,  lies 
in  front  of  the  university,  and  one  of  the 
reformed  Dutch  churches. 

Union  Place,  at  the  northern  termi- 
nation of  Broadway,  is  in  an  elliptical 
form,  enclosed  with  a fine  iron  fence, 
having  a public  fountain  in  the  centre-, 
with  ornamental  jets,  and  is  a delightful 
place  of  resort  to  the  inhabitants. 

Further  up  the  city  are  other  public 
squares,  as  Madison  square,  Hamilton 
square,  and  others,  not  yet  regulated.  ; 
On  the  east  are  Tompkins  square  and 
Bellevue,  the  latter  the  seat  of  the  alms- 
‘house. 

Wall  Street,  the  central  point  of  the 
banks,  insurance  offices,  & c.,  contains 
the  exchange  and  the  customhouse.  The 
exchange  is  of  Quincy  granite,  three  sto- 
ries high,  and  a basement,  covering  a 
block  between  four  streets,  and  is  197 
feet  '7  inches  on  Wall  street,  144  on  one 
side,  and  170  on  the  other,  with  a large 
dome  above,  100  feet  high. 

The  customhouse,  at  the  corner  of 
Nassau  street,  is  of  white  marble  from 
Sing-Sing,  and  in  the  form  of  a Grecian  # 
temple,  with  a colonnade  at  each  end, 


The  Old  Billop  House,  at  Bentley,  west  end  of  Staten  Island. 


!; ' — . ,i 

192  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

and  pilasters  on  the  sides.  The  interior 
is  almost  wholly  of  hewn  stone.  The 
principal  hall  is  in  the  centre  ; and  all 
the  departments  are  well  arranged,  with 
ample  accommodations  for  the  numerous 
offices  and  clerks. 

The  City-Hall.— This  fine  and  spa- 
cious edifice  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
park,  facing  the  south,  and  presents  a 
beautiful  Grecian  front,  of  216  feet  in 
length,  rising  from  a broad  terrace.  A 
flight  of  wide  steps  leads  up"  to  arched 
entrances,  above  which  is  a balcony  on 
the  second  story.  The  two  wings  have 
halls  in  front,  devoted  to  the  common 
council,  the  superior  court,  &c.,  while 
other  courts  and  offices  are  accommoda- 
ted in  other  parts  of  the  building.  On 
the  top  is  the  great  fire-bell,  which  in- 
dicates, by  the  number  of  strokes,  the 
districts  of  the  city  in  which  fires  are 
burning,  for  the  direction  of  the  fire- 
companies.  A view  from  the  cupola 
affords  one  of  the  finest  prospects  of  the 
city. 

Trinity  Church , on  Broadway,  oppo- 
site the  head  of  Wall  street,  occupies 
the  site  of  the  first  episcopal  church 
erected  in  the  city,  in  1696,  except  the 
chapel  in  the  front.  It  is  of  sandstone, 
in  the  Gothic  style,  137  feet  long,  36 
feet  wide,  and  67  feet  high,  with  a tower 
30  feet  square,  and  a steeple  whose  top 
is  283  feet  from  the  ground.  In  the 
rear  is  a vestry,  72  feet  long.  The 
church  contains  an  organ,  which  cost 
$10,000.  In  the  burial-ground  surround- 
ing the  church,  lie  interred  many  distin- 
guished persons,  particularly  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  Captain  James  Lawrence. 

Prisons. — The  Halls  of  Justice  is  the 
city  prison  popularly  known  «as  the 
“ Tqpibs,”  and  is  situated  a little  north 
of  the  park.  It  was  built,  about  ten 
years  ago,  to  obviate  the  evils  of  the 
bridewell,  which  was  constructed  on  the 
defective  principles  of  the  old  system. 
The  building  is  200  by  253  feet,  of 
granite,  in  the  Egyptian  style,  and  con- 
tains various  court-rooms.  The  cells  are 
solitary,  to  prevent  communication  be- 
tween the  prisoners,  but  provision  is 
made  for  ventilation  and  warming  the 
cells,  by  openings  in  the  wall.  Meas- 
ures are  taken  for  the  religious  instruc- 

tion  and  moral  improvement  of  those 
confined. 

The  Penitentiary,  on  Blackwell’s 
island,  in  the  East  river,  is  an  immense 
stone  structure,  on  the  Auburn  plan^, 
with  a chapel,  keepers’  rooms,  &c.,  in 
the  centre,  the  cells  for  females  in  the 
south  wing,  and  for  men  in  the  north. 
Each  wing  is  more  than  200  feet  long. 

Brooklyn.  — This  city  is  on  Long 
Island,  opposite  New  York  city,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  ferries,  upon 
which  steamboats  ply,  every  few  minutes, 
day  and  night.  Its  beautiful  and  elevated 
situation  has  made  it  a favorite  residence 
of  many  persons  doing  business  in  New 
York.  It  contains  a city-hall,  thirty 
churches,  several  banks  and  insurance 
companies  and  over  seventy  thousand  in- 
habitants. The  Lyceum  is  a fine  building 
of  granite,  with  a spacious  lecture-room. 
The  City  Library  of  3,000  volumes, has 
a fine  building  and  reading-room. 

The  Navy-  Yard  has  extensive  grounds 
enclosed,  with  an  arsenal,  stores,  ship- 
houses,  docks,  the  naval  lyceum,  &c. 
The  nava1  hospital,  at  a little  distance, 
is  a fine,  large  building. 

Greenwood  Cemetery  is  an  extensive 
tract  of  ground,  about  three  miles  below 
Brooklyn,  and  situated  on  the  bay.  It 
has  an  undulated  surface,  and  is  laid  out 
in  lots,  the  access  to  which  is  by  pleas- 
.ant,  winding  carriage-roads.  The  for- 
est-trees are  left  standing  in  many  places, 
shading  the  little  lakes,  or  covering  the 
hills,  and,  in  others,  those  of  various  fo- 
liage are  intermingled  by  art ; while 
tombs  and  monuments,  usually  planned 
and  executed  with  taste,  are  already 
scattered  in  all  parts. 

Staten  Island,  with  an  elevated  and 
varied  surface,  offers  many  fine  sites  for 
villages  and  country-houses,  and  is  the  ] 
resort  of  many  citizens,  access  being 
made  frequent  and  convenient  by  nu- 
merous steamboats.  The  quarantine 
hospitals  are  situated  on  the  northeast- 
ern side  ; and  a little  below  is  the  “sea- 
men’s retreat,”  a noble  institution,  sup- 
ported by  the  “ hospital  money”  paid  by 
sailors. 

Hoboken  and  Weehawken,  on  the  j 
shore  of  New  Jersey,  opposite  the  city, 
are  pleasant  retreats. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  193 


History  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty 
in  the  olden  time. — The  American 
Revolution,  which  has  produced  such 
extraordinary  results  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  which  is  destined  to  cause 
still  greater  changes  in  the  European 
world,  will  elevate  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury beyond  that  of  any  of  its  predeces- 
sors in  the  annals  of  history.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  great  struggle  for  liberty, 
whieh  was  by  the  many  supposed  hope- 
less, and  which  present  historians  deem 
almost  miraculous,  was  brought  about 
by  the  courage  and  perseverance  of  a 
few  indomitable  spirits,  whom  no  labor 
could  weary  or  danger  appal;  and  it  was 
by  their  moral  courage,  perseverance, 
and  intrepidity,  that  this  great  Revolu- 
tion was  begun,  continued,  and  ended. 

.Many  of  those  who  figured  largely  in 
the  history  of  the  times,  and  some  even 
who  swayed  the  councils  of  the  nation 
after  the  struggle  was  successfully  begun, 
were  content  with  encouraging  the  re- 
volt of  others,  without  committing  them- 
selves, and  kept  within  the  pale  of  safety 
until  they  could  embark  without  fear 
upon  the  perilous  sea.  But  there  were 
others  who  were  not  only  the  principal 
agitators,  but  actors  themselves  in  the 
most  daring  exploits;  and  who  threw 
themselves  into  the  breach  in  the  most 
dangerous  conjunctures.  Had  it  not 
been  for  these,  who  took  upon  them- 
selves the  fearful  responsibility  of  di- 
recting and  participating  in  overt  acts 
of  rebellion,  the  studied  arguments  of 
others  who  wished  to  bring  on  a crisis, 
but  blenched  from  its  dangerous  concom- 
itants would  have  been  unavailing. 

In  the  year  1765  Isaac  Sears,  after- 
ward better  known  by  the  name  of  King 
Sears,  a man  of  great  personal  intre- 
pidity, forward  in  dangerous  enterprises, 
and  ready  at  all  times  to  carry  out  the 
boldest  measures,  became  the  origina- 
tor and  leader  of  a patriotic  band,  who 
associated  themselves  together  under 
the  name  of  the  “ Sons  of  Liberty.” 
Their  organization  soon  pervaded  every 
part  of  the  colonies,  and  was  the  germ 
of  the  Revolution.  By  their  intrepidity 
the  spirit  of  the  masses  was  aroused, 
and  by  their  persevering  industry  and 
zeal  the  people  were  excited  to  oppose 


all  efforts  to  enslave  them.  These  bold 
spirits  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  future 
armies  of  the  Revolution;  and  it  is  to 
the  moral  courage  which  they  displayed, 
and  the  indomitable  resolution  with  which 
they  braved  all  danger,  that  the  world 
is  indebted  for  the  illustrious  example 
set  by  the  infant  colonies  to  Europe,  and 
the  foundation  of  a great  and  glorious 
republic. 

The  influence  of  these  patriotic  men, 
and  the  successful  issue  of  the  struggle 
begun  by  their  boldness  and  sustained 
by  their  energies,  has  scattered  abroad 
the  seeds  of  freedom,  which  have  borne 
fruit,  in  encouraging  a spirit  of  inquiry 
throughout  the  civilized  world,  which 
has  reformed  despotic  governments,  and 
regenerated  the  fairest  empires  of  the 
Old  World. 

If  the  successful  issue  of  the  Revolu- 
tion has  solved  the  problem  of  the  pos- 
sible existence  of  a free  yet  powerful 
government,  it  is,  first,  to  the  devoted 
individuals  who,  despising  the  dangers 
and  disgraces  to  which  they  were  ex- 
posed, set  at  naught  the  penalties  and 
disqualifications  of  conspiracy  and  trea- 
son, and  entered  intp  the  contest  with  a 
full  knowledge  of  all  its  hazards,  and  a 
determination  to  persist  to  the  death  to 
effect  their  emancipation — secondly,  to 
those  brave  men  who  bore  arms  in  the 
subsequent  struggle — that  the  great  meed 
of  applause  is  due.  To  all  these,  how- 
ever obscure  their  names  or  imperfect 
their  efforts,  the  nation  at  large  owes  a 
deep  and  lasting  debt  of  gratitude. 

The  task  of  perpetuating  the  fame  of 
many  of  the  great  leaders  of  the  Revo- 
lution has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  able 
historians,  who  have  well  performed 
that  duty.  To  rescue  from  oblivion  and 
to  do  justice  to  the  founders  of  our  lib- 
erties, whose  deeds,  active  or  passive, 
whose  personal  or  moral  courage  was  J 
instrumental  in  producing  great  and  uni- 
versal benefits  to  mankind,  is  peculiarly 
the  duty  of  the  present  age.  Now, 
when  the  present  race,  who  first  opened 
their  eyes  to  an  emancipated  country,  to 
enjoy  -the  blessings  purchased  by  the 
blood  of  their  fathers,  are  fast  verging 
to  the  grave,  it  is  incumbent  on  all  who 
have  the  means  of  elucidating  past  trans- 


13 


194 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


actions,  or  the  power  to  do  justice  to  the 
actors  in  the  scenes  which  have  preceded 
them,  to  lend  their  efforts  before  they 
are  called  to  their  own  exit,  lest  the 
deeds  of  their  ancestors  be  forgotten. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  by  histo- 
rians as  a duty  every  true  patriot  owes 
to  the  public  and  posterity,  to  bring  to 
light  whatever  can  be  collected  from  the 
perishing  materials  of  former  .days. 
There  are  ancient  manuscripts  in  every 
part  of  our  country,  which  are  thrown 
aside  as  waste-paper  in  families  not 
aware  of  its  value.  This  kind  of  knowl- 
edge deals  much,  to  be  sure,  in  dry  de- 
tail ; but  facts , upon  which  historians 
can  afterward  enlarge  and  philosophize, 
are  what  are  chiefly  important.  We 
deem  it  a matter  of  such  consequence 
that,  if  the  exertions  of  individuals  be 
not  sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  collect- 
ing and  preserving  these  materials,  pub- 
lic authority  should  lend  its  aid  to  accom- 
plish this  object,  which  is,  in  a peculiar 
degree,  of  public  concern  and  interest. 
In  this  way  are  preserved  to  posterity 
the  undoubted  records  of  our  early  his- 
tory. 

The  intent  of  the  first  association  of 
the  “ Sons  of  Liberty”  was  to  put  down 
the  stamp-act ; and  when  this  was  effected 
the  objects  of  the  society  appeared  to  be 
accomplished.  But  the  acts  of  parlia- 
ment, simultaneous  with  and  subsequent 
to  the  repeal,  gave  to  the  more  sagacious 
a cause  for  alarm  greater  than  the  ob- 
noxious bill  which  had  been  rescinded. 
The  billeting  act,  or  mutiny  bill,  by  es- 
tablishing a standing  army  in  the  colo- 
nies at  their  own  charge,  was  intended 
to  strengthen  the  arm  of  the  royal  au- 
thority, to  overaw’e  the  assembly,  and  to 
coerce  the  people  to  acquiesce  in  the 
impositions  of  the  parliament. 

History  is  full  of  the  resistance  to  the 
enormous  assumptions  of  the  mother- 
country  by  New  England  and  at  the 
south  ; but  little  is  said  of  the  attitude 
of  New  York  in  that  dangerous  crisis. 
And  yet  in  that  colony,  where  the  power 
of  the  sovereign  was  almost  omnipo- 
tent, notwithstanding  the  exertions  of 
the  most  wealthy  inhabitants  whose  large 
estates  were  held  by  grants  from  the 
crown  and  whose  subservience  to  the 


royal  mandates  influenced  the  assembly, 
and  all  those  who  subsisted  by  the  royal 
bounty,  there  was  found  a chosen  few 
who  remained  constant  to  the  last ; and 
who,  when  all  seemed  lost,  kept  alive 
the  spirit  of  resistance,  until  from  a 
feeble  and  hopeless  minority  they  were 
enabled  to  triumph  over  the  power  of 
the  colonial  government  and  prostrate 
th#e  royal  authority  for  ever. 

The  association  of  the  “ Sons  of  Lib- 
erty” was  organized  in  1765,  soon  after 
the  passage  of  the  stamp-act,  and  ex- 
tended throughout  the  colonies,  from 
Massachusetts  to  South  Carolina.  It 
appears  that  New  York  was  the  central 
post  from  which  communications  were 
despatched  to  and  from  the  east,  and  to 
the  south  as  far  as  Maryland  ; which 
province  was  the  channel  of  communi- 
cation to  and  from  its  neighbors  of  Vir- 
ginia and  the  Carolinas. 

As  the  postoffices  were  under  the 
control  of  the  government,  and  the  riders 
not  at  all  times  reliable,  the  committee 
of  New  York  (and  probably  the  other 
provinces  adopted  the  same  course), 
upon  extraordinary  occasions,  despatch- 
ed intelligence  by  special  messengers; 
and  if  need  were,  a part  of  their  mem- 
bers visited  in  person  the  neighboring 
associations  to  insure  the  perfect  organ- 
ization of  the  patriotic  league. 

The  New  York  association  had  a cor- 
respondent in  London,  to  whom  an  ac- 
count was  given  of  their  proceedings, 
and  from  whom  intelligence  was  from 
time  to  time  transmitted  of  their  pro- 
ceedings and  the  supposed  designs  of 
the  ministry,  which  in  its  turn  was  dis- 
seminated among  the  people  by  the  as- 
sociation at  home.  A record  of  the 
names  of  the  most  active  of  their  leaders 
would  be  a desirable  document,  but  as 
this  would  be  difficult  to  be  obtained 
without  great  labor,  and,  perhaps,  by  a 
single  individual  impossible,  a list  of 
the  committees  in  the  different  provinces, 
so  far  as  they  can  be  ascertained,  from 
the  remaining  papers  of  the  committee 
of  New  York,  might  be  the  means  of 
initiating  inquiry  in  other  quarters  tow- 
ard producing  the  desired  result. 

Those  from  Maryland  will  appear 
from  the  following  extract* from  the  pro- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  195 


ceedings  of  the  “ Sons  of  Liberty,” 
March  1,  1766. 

“ The  Sons  of  Liberty  of  Baltimore 
county,  and  Anne  Arundel  county,  met 
at  the  courthouse  of  the  city  of  Annap- 
olis, the  first  day  of  March,  1766. 

“ On  motion  of  a Son  of  Liberty  to 
appoint  a moderator  and  secretary,  the 
Rev.  Andrew  Londrum  was  chosen 
moderator,  and  William  Paca,  secre- 
tary. 

“Joseph  Nicholson,  of  Kent  county, 
presented  an  address  from  that  county, 
signed  William  Ringgold,  William  Ste- 
phenson, Thomas  Ringgold,  jr.,  Joseph 
M'Hard,  Gideon  M‘Cauley,  Daniel  Fox, 
Benjamin  Binning,  William  Bordley, 
Jarvis  James,  William  Stukely,  Joseph 
Nicholson,  jr.,  James  Porter,  Thomas 
Ringgold,  James  Anderson,  Thomas 
Smyth,  William  Murray,  Joseph  Nichol- 
son, George  Garnet,  S.  Boardley,  jr., 
Peroy.  Frisby,  Henry  Vandike,  and 
John  Bolton.” 

William  Paca,  Samuel  Chase,  and 
Thomas  B.  Hands,  were  the  Anne 
Arundel  county  committee. 

John  Hall,  Robert  Alexander,  Corbin 
Lee,  James  Heath,  John  Moale,  and 
William  Lux,  were  the  Baltimore  county 
committee. 

Thomas  Chase,  D.  Chamier,  Robert 
Adair,  Patrick  Allison,  and  W.  Smith, 
were  the  Baltimore  town  committee. 

Pennsylvania. — William  Bradford  and 
Isaac  Howell  were  the  correspondents 
at  Philadelphia. 

New  Jersey.  — Daniel  Hendrickson, 
minister,  Peter  Imlay,  jr.,  Jos.  Holmes, 
jr.,  Peter  Covenhoven,  jr.,  and  Elisha 
Lawrence,  jr.,  were  the  committee  of 
Upper  Freehold  — Richard  Smith,  of 
Burlington,  and  Henry  Bickers  of  New 
Brunswick. 

Connecticut.  — Jo.  Burrowes  ; Jona- 
than Sturgis,  Fairfield;  John  Durker, 
Norwich  ; Hugh  Leollie,  Windham. 

New  York. — Isaac  Sears,  John  Lamb, 
William  Wiley,  Edward  Laight,  Thos. 
Robinson,  Flores  Bancker,  Chas.  Nicoll, 
Joseph  Allicoke,  and  Gersham  Mott. 

Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  Mynhard 
Roseboom,  Robert  Henry,  and  Thomas 
Young,  Albany. 

John  S.  Hobart,  Gilbert  Potter,  Thos. 


Brush,  Cornelius  Conklin,  and  Nathan- 
iel Williams,  Huntington,  Long  Island. 

George  Townsend,  Barack  Sneetliing, 
Benjamin  Townsend,  George  Weeks, 
Michael  Weeks,  and  Rowland  Cham- 
bers, Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island. 

The  first  organization  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  was  dissolved  at  the  repeal  of 
the  stamp-act;  and  while  the  hope  was 
strong  that  similar  associations  would 
no  longer  be  necessary,  the  committee 
received  a letter  from  their  faithful  cor- 
respondent in  London,  of  the  following 
import : — 

London,  28 th  July,  1766. 

Gentlemen  : I flattered  myself  to  have 
heard  from  you  by  the  last  ships,  but 
am  informed  your  society  is  dissolved, 
which  I am  glad  to  hear,  as  the  cause 
of  your  complaint  is  removed.  But  I 
think  it  necessary  to  assure  you  that 
the  continual  account  we  had  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty,  through  all  North 
America,  had  its  proper  weight  and  ef- 
fect. 

As  our  gracious  sovereign  rules  over 
none  but  free  men,  and  in  which  he 
glories,  it  therefore  can  not  offend  him 
that  his  numerous  and  faithful  sub- 
jects in  America  claim  the  appellation 
of  Sons  of  Liberty.  Permit  me,  there- 
fore, to  recommend  ten  or  twenty  of  the 
principal  of  you,  to  form  yourselves 
into  a club,  to  meet  once  a week,  under 
the  name  of  Liberty  Club;  and  for  ever, 
on  the  18th  of  March,  or  first  day  of 
May,  give  notice  to  the  whole  body  to 
commemorate  your  deliverance,  spend- 
ing such  day  in  festivity  and  joy.  I beg 
pardon  for  taking  the  liberty  to  advise 
you ; but  I am  firmly  of  opinion  it  will 
have  such  effect  as  you  wish. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 
your  most  humble  servant, 

Nicholas  Ray. 

P.  S. — The  commercial  acts  and  free 
ports  which  we  lately  sent  to  all  the 
colonies  I believe  will  give  you  pleas- 
ure. 

To  the  Sbns  of  Liberty,  New  York. 

To  this  letter  the  committee  returned 
the  following  reply  : — 


290  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 

New  York,  October  10 th,  1766. 

SiR  : Your  esteemed  favor  of  the  28th 
July  last,  we  have  duly  received  ; and 
observe  with  the  greatest  regret  your 
disappointment  at  not  hearing  from  us, 
agreeably  to  your  expectations,  which, 
permit  us  to  assure  you,  was  not  owing 
to  any  remissness  on  our  part,  or  want 
of  respect ; but  to  the  dissolution  of 
our  society,  which  happened  immedi- 
ately upon  the  repeal  of  the  stamp-act. 

Your  proposal  with  regard  to  a num- 
ber of  us  forming  ourselves  into  a club, 
we  have  already  had  under  considera- 
tion. But  as  it  is  imagined  that  some 
inconveniences  would  arise,  should  such 
a club  be  established  just  at  this  time, 
we  must  postpone  the  same  till  it  may 
appear  more  eligible  ; at  the  same  time 
we  take  the  liberty  to  assure  you,  and 
all  our  good  friends  on  your  side  of  the 
water,  who  so  nobly  exerted  themselves 
in  behalf  of  us,  and  the  expiring  liber- 
ties of  their  country,  that  we  still  do, 
and  ever  shall,  retain  the  most  grateful 
sense  of  the  favors  we  have  received ; 
and  that  we  shall  use  our  utmost  en- 
deavors, consistent  with  loyalty,  to  keep 
up  that  glorious  spirit  of  liberty  which 
was  so  rapidly  and  so  generally  kindled 
throughout  this  extensive  continent.  In 
order  to  which,  we  shall  not  fail  here- 
after to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the 
repeal,  with  every  demonstration  of 
gratitude  and  joy,  on  the  memorable 
eighteenth  day  of  March. 

We  have  the  honor  to  be,  in  behalf 
of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  sir,  your  most 
obedient  and  obliged  humble  servants, 

Isaac  Sears,  Edward  Laight, 

Flores  Bancker,  John  Lamb, 

Chas.  Nicoll,  Joseph  Allicoke. 

To  Mr.  Nicholas  Ray,  merchant,  London. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  necessity 
for  reorganization  became  apparent,  and 
most  of  the  committee,  who  had  acted 
with  so  much  vigor  and  zeal,  were  found 
equally  vigilant  on  every  emergency. 
Of  the  persons  before  named  of  the 
New  York  association,  Mr.  Allicoke 
alone  is  known  to  the  writer  to  have 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  king.  But 
with  the  exception  of  Messrs.  Nicoll 
and  Bancker,  whose  names  do  not  ap- 

L 

pear  on  any  of  the  subsequent  commit- 
tees, the  others  were  the  most  deter- 
mined opposers  of  the  crown  and  stead- 
fast adherents  to  the  revolutionary  party. 

Biography  of  Colonel  Isaac  Sears. 

— Among  those  who  originated  the  op- 
position to  the  stamp-act,  and  who  band- 
ed themselves  together  at  the  first  en- 
croachments of  the  mother-country,  un- 
der the  designation  of  associated  Sons 
of  Liberty,  there  existed,  of  course,  a 
great  diversity  of  intellectual  endow- 
ments ; nor  did  all  render  to  their 
country  in  those  perilous  days  the  same 
important  services.  Like  the  luminaries 
of  heaven,  each  contributed  his  portion 
of  influence ; but,  like  them,  they  dif- 
fered, as  star  differs  from  star  in  glory. 

In  the  constellation  of  great  men  which 
adorned  that  era,  whose  united  boldness 
and  constancy  drove  the  ministeral  par- 
ty to  abandon  their  open  attempts,  and 
to  mask  their  resolved  purposes  under 
measures  less  palpable  to  the  general 
perception,  few  shone  with  more  bril- 
liancy, or  exercised  a more  powerful  in- 
fluence, than  the  subject  of  this  brief 
memoir. 

This  gentleman  was  born  at  Nor- 
walk, Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  in 
the  year  1729.  From  the  records  of  his 
native  town,  we  learn  that  his  parent 
Joshua  Sears  came  from  Harwich, 
Barnstable  county,  Massachusetts,  and 
bought  lands  in  South  Norwalk  in  1720, 
from  his  brother-in-law,  Josiah  Thatch- 
er. By  the  Harwich  records,  after  care- 
ful researches  made  by  Amos  Otis,  Esq., 
a distinguished  antiquarian,  it  appears 
that  Joshua  was  a resident  of  Harwich, 
and  married  Mercy  Thatcher,  in  1719, 
and  removed  to  Connecticut.  His  pil- 
grim ancestor,  Richard  Sears,  originally 
of  Colchester,  England,  stands  inscribed 
— one  of  eighty-nine  names — on  the  first 
rate-list,  in  the  old  colony  records.  He 
came  from  Holland,  with  sixty  persons, 
and  landed  at  Plymouth  on  the  Sth  of 
May,  in  1630,  the  last,  or  among  the  last, 
of  Robinson’s  congregation  at  Leyden. 

Colonel  Sears  was  engaged  for  sever- 
al years  in  an  extensive  and  profitable 
business,  as  a dealer  in  European  and 
India  goods,  at  New  York,  New  Ha- 
ven, and  Boston.  But  in  1763,  when  it 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK.  197 


was  announced  that  the  British  minis- 
try had  in  view  to  tax  the  colonies  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  a revenue,  which 
was  to  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
crown,  his  mind  was  turned  to  politics, 
and  became  in  a great  measure  detached 
from  mercantile  pursuits.  The  cause 
of  freedom  at  once  became  an  all-en- 
grossing subject  with  him.  He  felt  its 
inspiration.  It  occupied  his  warmest 
thoughts,  enlivened  his  conversation,  and 
employed  his  pen.  In  respect  to  his 
private  affairs,  this  was  an  unfortunate 
trait  of  character  ; but  most  fortunate  for 
his  country,  since  he  thus  acquired  an 
extensive  knowledge  of  those  principles 
of  rational  liberty  which  he  afterward 
asserted  and  maintained  with  so  much 
energy. 

At  a public  meeting  held  on  the  6th  of 
November,  1765,  Sears  and  four  others 
were  appointed  the  committee  of  corre- 
spondence with  the  other  colonies.  Bot- 
ta,  in  his  history  of  the  United  States, 
says  that  it  was  difficult  to  fill  the  com- 
mittee ; but  that  Sears  first  volunteered, 
and  was  joined  by  four  others,  whose 
names,  he  regrets,  are  not  known.* 

On  the  26th  of  December,  1765,  this 
committee  notified  the  public  that  they 
would  soon  be  called  upon.  Informa- 
tion had  been  received  that  a further 
importation  of  stamps  was  expected. 
On  the  7th  of  January,  1766,  they  ar- 
rived, were  seized  and  destroyed,  and 
notice  sent  to  Philadelphia.  The  an- 
swer to  that  despatch  is  directed  to 
Messrs.  Sears,  Lamb,  Robinson,  Wily, 
and  Mott.  No  other  committee  is 
known  to  have  existed  at  that  time,  and 
that  committee  managed  the  correspond- 
ence with  the  different  colonies,  and 
with  the  interior  of  the  state.  They 
framed  articles  of  union  for  the  differ- 
ent colonies,  which  were  sent  to  the  east- 
ward for  concurrence,  and  after  it  was 
obtained,  despatched  them  to  Baltimore 
to  be  approved,  and  sent  further  south 
for  adoption.  Of  this,  proof  is  to  be 
found  in  the  original  draughts  of  letters 
(or  copies)  and  replies  that  were  ad- 
dressed to  those  gentlemen. 

It  is  believed  that  the  principal  let- 

* They  were  John  Lamb,  Gershom  Mott,  Wil- 
liam Wily,  and  Thomas  Robinson. 


ters,  instructions,  &c.,  forwarded  to  the 
sister-colonies,  were  prepared  by  Mr. 
Sears,  as  the  chairman  of  the  associa- 
tion. In  various  ways  his  appeals  made 
the  most  powerful  remonstrances  against 
the  injustice  of  England,  in  debasing 
Americans  from  the  character  of  free 
subjects  to  the  state  of  tributary  slaves. 
The  “ Sons  of  Liberty”  were  among 
the  first  who  urged  the  necessity  of 
that  mutual  understanding  and  corre- 
spondence among  them,  which  laid  the 
foundation  of  their  future  confederacy  ; 
led  to  the  first  continental  congress  at 
New  York,  in  1766;  prepared  the  way 
for  the  continental  congress  which  as- 
sembled in  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of 
September,  1774  ; and  eventually  re- 
sulted in  the  public  and  explicit  decla- 
ration of  independence  on  the  ever- 
memorable  4th  of  July,  1776. 

Apart  from  the  higher,  the  epochal 
incidents  in  the  life  of  humanity,  the 
epitomes  of  years,  deeds,  and  nations, 
there  are  events  which  do  not  claim  to 
be  inscribed  upon  the  page  of  general 
history ; and  yet,  from  the  deep  local 
influence  they  once  exercised,  still  pre- 
serve a commemorative  interest,  and 
convey  an  impressive  lesson.  The  great 
war  of  our  independence  is  rife  with 
such  illustrations.  Its  memories  and 
heroes  crowd  so  thickly  upon  us,  that  its 
history  can  not  yet  be  written.  But  as 
each  day  adds  to  the  legendary  store, 
and  we  draw  nigh  the  hour  when  it  may 
be  traced,  time  silently  distils  the  mass 
of  events,  and  the  mingled  vapors  which 
ascend  from  the  alembic,  will  be  con- 
densed by  impartiality  into  truth. 

The  events  we  are  about  to  recall, 
occurred  in  New  York  and  its  vicinity, 
between  the  months  of  September,  1775, 
and  September,  1776. 

The  revolution  was  hardly  three 
months  old.  But  already  from  the  cra- 
dle of  liberty  it  had  strangled  its  ser- 
pents at  Lexington  and  Bunker’s  hill. 
Tlfe  American  army,  encamped  around 
Boston,  owned  Washington’s  command, 
and  held  at  bay  the  beleagured  British. 
In  the  oppressed  colonies,  a spirit  of  re- 
sistance had  organized  the  resolute  yeo- 
manry ; and  with  the  victories  inscribed 
upon  the  national  escutcheon,  the  patri- 


J 


198  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


otic  chord  was  vibrating  in  every  heart. 
War  had  not  yet  disturbed  our  goodly 
city,  which  lay  in  unconscious  repose, 
on  the  mellow  night  of  the  23d  of  Au- 
gust, 1775.  One  or  two  riots,  the  re- 
sult. of  political  faction,  rather  than  of 
unadulterated  rebellion,  alone  gave  to- 
kens of  a turbulent  spirit.  The  Eng- 
lish governor,  Tryon,  still  dwelt  here, 
an  object  of  courtesy,  though  of  mis- 
trust. In  the  North  river,  off  the  fort, 
lay  the  Asia,  a British  man-of-vvar,  with 
whose  presence  people  had  become  fa- 
miliar. The  public  mind  was  in  a state 
of  vague  apprehension.  It  remained  for 
its  hopes  and  fears  to  assume  a definite 
shape. 

Toward  midnight,  our  forefathers 
were  aroused  from  their  first  slumbers 
by  the  thunder  of  artillery.  At  that 
silent  hour,  the  ominous  sounds  were 
unwelcome  visitants.  The  cannon  peals 
were  relieved  by  the  sharp  discharge  of 
musketry ; and  the  stillness  that  ensued 
was  occasionally  broken  by  the  hasty 
footsteps  of  one  summoned  to  his  duty, 
with  unbuckled  sabre  trailing  on  the 
ground,  or  by  the  agitated  cry  of  a help- 
less woman,  fleeing  from  the  audible 
danger.  Drums  beat  to  arms  ; volley 
after  volley  announced  the  continuation 
of  the  strife  ; and  the  half-waked  dream- 
er no  longer  mistook  these  cries  of  war 
for  the  echoes  of  eastern  battles.  As  the 
night  advanced,  one  body  of  men  suc- 
ceeding another  was  revealed  by  the 
blaze  of  torches,  and  the  cumbrous 
wheels  of  the  field-piece  they  were 
dragging,  seemed  to  leave  reluctantly 
the  scene  of  conflict.  By-and-by,  troops 
of  dwellers  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
town  escaped  through  the  streets,  from 
their  menaced  or  shattered  abodes,  in 
confusion  and  fear.  Was  the  enemy  in 
the  city?  the  Battery  taken?  Were 
the  troops  forced  to  retreat  before  a vic- 
torious foe  ? These  interrogatories  were 
breathed  rather  than  spoken,  or  if  put, 
were  not  answered.  It  was  a memora- 
ble night,  and  something  seemed  to 
have  delayed  the  approach  of  morning. 

The  town  was  early  astir.  At  break 
of  day,  many  inhabitants  were  seen  is- 
suing from  their  dwellings,  and  wend- 
ing their  way  to  the  Battery.  To  those 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


already  assembled  there,  when  night  up- 
rolleji  her  curtain  of  clouds,  the  glowing 
dawn  that  shot  over  our  noble  bay,  dis- 
closed traces  of  disorder,  and  ravages 
of  the  cannon-ball,  on  the  one  hand  and 
on  the  other,  the  smoke  still  ascending 
from  the  angry  artillery  to  the  powder- 
stained  rigging  of  the  Asia.  Moreover, 
the  field-pieces,  which  but  yesterday 
guarded  the  Battery,  were  gone.  These 
the  timid  received  as  tokens  of  danger, 
and  prepared  to  depart  ; the  intrepid 
hailed  them  as  auspicious  omens  of  fu- 
ture victories. 

The  twenty-one  pieces  of  ordnance  had 
been  removed  by  order  of  the  provincial 
congress.  Col.  John  Lamb’s  artillery 
corps,  and  the  “ Sons  of  Liberty,”  head- 
ed by  Colonel  Sears,  were  the  heroes 
of  the  adventure.  The  efforts  of  the 
enemy  to  protect  these  royal  stores,  had 
proved  unavailing.  Warned  of  the  in- 
tended movement,  Captain  Vandeput, 
of  the  Asia,  detached  an  armed  barge 
to  watch,  and  if  needful,  interfere  with, 
its  execution.  A musket  fired  from  this 
boat,  drew  Colonel  Lamb’s  volley,  and 
a man  on  board  was  killed.  The  Asia 
fired  three  cannon.  The  drum  beat  to 
arms  in  the  city.  The  man-of-war  sus- 
tained the  cannonade.  Three  citizens 
were  wounded,  and  the  upper  parts  of 
various  houses  near  Whitehall  and  the 
fort,  received  much  injury.  A son  of 
Colonel  Lamb,  whose  regiment  covered 
the  cannons’  retreat,  is  now  living  in 
this  city,  and  in  the  rooms  of  the  “ His- 
torical Society”  may  be  seen  one  of  the 
very  balls  fired  into  New  York  that 
night. 

James  Rivington  was,  then,  the  edito- 
rial and  proprietary  publisher  of  the 
“ New  York  Gazette,”*  and  as  the  oppo- 

* This  Gazette  attained  the  greatest  notoriety  du- 
ring the  revolutionary  war,  and  was  at  first  entitled, 
Rivington' s New  York  Gazetteer ; or,  The  Connec- 
ticut, New  Jersey,  Hudson's  River,  and  Quebec 
Weekly  Advertiser. 

This  Gazettk  commenced  its  career  April  22, 
1773,  on  a large  medium  sheet  folio.  It  was  print- 
ed, weekly,  on  Thursday  ; and  when  it  had  been  es- 
tablished one  year,  this  imprint  followed  the  title, 
“Printed  at  his  ever  open  and  uninfluenced  press, 
fronting  Hanover  square.”  A large  cut  of  a ship  un- 
der sail  was  at  first  introduced  into  the  title,  under 
which  were  the  words  “ New  York  Packet.”  This 
cut  soon  gave  place  to  one  of  a smaller  size.  In  No- 
vember, 1774,  the  ship  was  removed,  and  the  king’s 
arms  took  the  place  of  it.  In  August,  1775,  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK  199 


site  party  subsided  in  the  expression  of 
its  political  sentiments,  and  loyalism  was 
no  longer  in  terror  of  a Sears,  he  not 
only  gave  free  vent  to  his  own  views, 
but  so  far  forgot  himself,  as  sadly  tc t 
abuse  those  of  his  radical  neighbors. 
Emboldened  by  their  quiet  reception  of  j 
his  denunciations,  he  expressed  these  in 
still  more  forcible  tones,  and  doubtless  i 
exulted  in  this  victory  over  wjiig  opin- 
ions. 

It  was  high  noon,  on  Thursday,  the 
twenty-third  of  November.  The  Ga- 
zette had  been  issued  that  morning,  and 
the  worthy  editor  was  seated  in  his  cabi- 
net, examining  the  new-born  sheet,  just 
like  any  gentleman  of  the  press  in  our 
day,  when  the  sound  of  hoofs  on  the 
* pavement  beneath,  drew  his  attention 
to  the  window.  Looking  out  into  the 
street,  he  beheld,  with  dismay,  his  old 
enemy,  Col.  Sears,  at  the  head  of  an 
arm^d  troop  of  horsemen,  drawn  up 
before  his  door.  The  men  and  their 
leader  dismounted  with  the  utmost  de- 
liberation, and  a part  of  them  entered 
the  printer’s  abode.  A few  moments 
after,  he  saw  his  beloved  printing-press 
, cast  into  the  street,  and  heard  the  tu- 
mult raised  in  the  compositors’  room 
above  him,  by  those  engaged  in  the 
work  of  demolition.  To  his  despair, 
the  materials  thrown  upon  the  pave- 
ment were  speedily  transferred  to  the 
dock,  and  the  invaders  sallied  forth  with 

words  “ Ever  open  and  uninfluenced”  were  omitted 
in  the  imprint. 

The  Gazetteer  was  patronized  in  all  the  principal 
towns  by  the  advocates  of  the  British  administration 
who  approved  the  measures  adopted  toward  the  col- 
onies; and  it  undoubtedly  had  some  support  from 
“ his  majesty’s  government.”  The  paper  obtained 
an  extensive  circulation,  but  eventually  paid  very  lit- 
tle respect  to  “ the  majesty  of  the  people  and,  in 
consequence,  the  paper  and  its  publisher  soon  be- 
came obnoxious  to  the  whigs. 

While  in  England,  Rivington  supplied  himself 
| with  a new  printing  apparatus,  and  was  appointed 
i king’s  printer  for  New  York.  After  the  British 
gained  possession  of  the  city,  he  returned  ; and,  on 
October  4,  1777,  recommenced  the  publication  of  his 
Gazette  under  the  original  title,  but  in  two  weeks  he 
exchanged  that  title  for  the  following  : “ Rivington’s 
New  York  Loyal  Gazette  and  on  the  13th  of  De- 
cember following,  he  called  his  paper,  “ The  Royal 
Gazette.”  Imprint:  “ Published  by  James  Riving- 
ton, Printer  to  the  King’s  Most  Excellent  Majesty.” 
The  Royal  Gazette  was  numbered  as  a continua- 
j tion  of  the  Gazetteer,  and  Loyal  Gazette,  an<^  was 
j published  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays;  printed 
| ou  a sheet  of  royal  size,  with  the  royal  arms  in  the 
. ! title. 


many  a pound  of  precious  types  in  their 
pockets  and  handkerchiefs.  A large 
crowd,  collected  by  so  unusual  an  event, 
stood  aloof,  quiet  spectators  of  the  Ecene. 
The  cavaliers  remounted  their  steeds, 
and  rode  off  toward  Connecticut,  whence 
they  came,  and  where,  as  was  subse- 
quently ascertained,  the  offending  types 
were  melted  down  to  bullets.  Thus 
liberty  assailed  the  freedom  of  the  press, 
and  the  balls  whilom  cast  with  joy  into 
types,  reassumed  their  pristine  shape 
and  destination  ; the  ploughshare  was 
reconverted  to  the  sword. 

Although  no  opposition  was  offered 
to  these  proceedings,  by  the  body  of 
citizens  assembled  near  Rivington’s  door, 
there  stood  upon  a neighboring  stoop  a 
lad  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  with  an 
eye  of  fire,  and  an  angry  arm,  harangu- 
ing the  multitude  in  a tone  of  earnest 
eloquence.  He  urged  that  order  should 
be  preserved  ; appealing  warmly  to  the 
dignity  of  citizenship,  “ which,”  said  he, 
“ should  not  brook  an  encroachment  of 
unlicensed  troops  from  another  colony,” 
and  offering  to  join  in  checking  the  in- 
truders’ progress.  The*sins  of  Riving- 
ton could  not  be  forgiven  ; but  the 
youthful  orator  was  listened  to  with  re- 
spectful deference  by  that  crowd  which 
already  recognised  the  genius  and  fer- 
vor of  Alexander  Hamilton. 

A detailed  account  of  all  the  important 
exploits  in  which  Sears  was  either  the 
leader,  or  bore  a distinguished  part,  would 
far  exceed  our  prescribed  limits.  He 
was  elected  to  the  New  York  provin- 
cial congress,  which  met  in  October, 
1765  ; and  was  the  first  person  who 
made  a motion  to  erect  fortifications  on 
the  island.  They  were  projected  on  a 
comprehensive  scale.  With  an  intelli- 
gent eye,  he  embraced  the  extensive  lo- 
calities to  be  defended,  and  detected 
their  vulnerable  points.  He  also  acted 
a conspicuous  part  in  the  excitement  oc- 
casioned by  the  Boston  port  bill ; and 
was  warmly  recommended  by  General 
Washington  to  Major  General  Lee,  for 
his  zeal  and  fidelity.* 

* Tbe  following  letter  from  General  W ashington, 
dated  Cambridge,  February  26,  1776,  to  bis  aid-de- 
camp  and  secretary,  General  Joseph  Reed,  will  be 
read  with  interest : — 

“ You  must  know,  my  dear  sir,  that  Colonel  Sears 


200 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Owing,  probably,  to  bis  exclusive  at- 
tention to  politics,  he  lost  his  entire  capi- 
tal, a few  years  after  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  had  freely  expended  his 
wealth,  and  the  best  portion  of  his  life, 
in  the  service  of  his  country,  from  1765 
to  the  successful  termination  of  the  rev- 
olutionary struggle.  The  knowledge 
of  facts  like  these  diminishes  the  won- 
der which  has  sometimes  been  expres- 
sed, that  America  should  have  success- 
fully contended  with  Great  Britain.  Her 
physical  strength  was  comparatively 
weak  ; but  the  moral  courage  of  her 
early  patriots  was  to  her  instead  of  num- 
bers, of  wealth,  or  of  fortifications. 

We  close  this  imperfect  sketch  with 
a short  extract  from  the  journals  of  Ma- 
jor Samuel  Shaw,  of  Boston,  the  first 
American  consul  at  Canton,*  being  the 
only  authentic  account  we  haVe  of  the 
last  days  of  this  brave  man  : — 

“ Toward  the  close  of  November, 
1785,  proposals  were  made  to  me  by 
Colonel  Isaac  Sears,  and  other  gentle- 
men in  New  York,  to  take  a concern 
with  them  in  a voyage  to  Canton,  with 
Mr.  Sears  to  superintend  the  business. 
A suitable  cargo  having  been  provided, 
we  sailed  from  New  York,  on  the  4th  of 
February,  1786,  bound  to  Batavia  and 
Canton.  * * * On  the  4th  of  July  we 
anchored  in  the  road  of  Batavia.  Hav- 
ing transacted  our  business  there,  we 
left  for  Canton  on  the  23d  of  the  same 
month, — Mr.  Sears  and  the  captain  be- 
ing confined  to  their  beds  with  a fever, 

was  here,  with  some  other  gentlemen  from  Connec- 
ticut, when  the  intelligence  of  Clinton’s  embarkation 
came  to  hand.  * * * What,  then,  was  to  be  done  ? 
Why,  Col.  Sears  and  the  other  gentlemen  assured 
me,  that  if  the  necessity  of  the  case  was  signified  by 
me,  and  that  Gen.  Lee  should  be  sent,  one  thousand 
volunteers  (requiring  no  pay,  but  supplied  with  pro- 
visions only)  would  march  immediately  to  New  York, 
and  defend  the  place  until  congress  should  deter- 
mine what  should  be  done  ; awd  that  a line  from  me 
to  Governor  Trumbull  would  facilitate  the  measure." 

* Boston:  published  by  Crosby  and  Nichols,  1847, 
a valuable  contribution  to  oar  revolutionary  history. 


which  had  attacked  them  two  days  be- 
fore. * * * We  arrived  at  Canton  on  the 
10th  of  August,  Mr.  Sears  still  remain- 
ing very  sick.  After  remaining  there 
Miree  days,  he  began  to  recover  slowly  ; 
and  at  one  period  he  had  so  far  got  the 
better  of  his  disorder  as  to  leave  the 
vessel,  and  pass  two  days  with  us  at  the 
factory;  when,  finding  the  air  did  not 
agree  wkh  him,  he  returned  on  board 
ship.  There,  at  first,  he  continued  to 
gain  strength  daily ; but  in  a short  time 
after  he  relapsed,  and  a flux  setting  in 
with  his  fever,  the  disease  baffled  the 
efforts  of  medicine,  and  carried  him  off 
on  the  28th  of  October,  in  the  fifty-sev- 
enth year  of  his  age.  His  remains  were 
interred  the  next  day,  on  French  island, 
with  the  usual  solemnities  ; and  previ- 
ous to  our  ship  leaving  Whampoa,  a tomb 
was  erected  over  him,  and  a suitable  in- 
scription placed  upon  it.  To  give  his 
character  in  a few  words  : he  was  an 
honest  man,  an  agreeable  acquaintance, 
and  a warm  friend.”  pp.  219  and  227. 

Dunlap,  in  his  useful  history,  has  done 
much  to  perpetuate  the  names  of  many 
of  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  He  speaks 
of  Sears,  M‘Dougall,  and  Willett,  as 
composing  the  most  efficient  and  deter- 
mined committees,  from  1765  to  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  who  were 
in  active  correspondence  with  the  patri- 
ots of  the  other  colonies,  and  aided  by 
their  labors  to  keep  up  the  ardor  of 
opposition  to  the  encroachments  of  the 
ministry.  It  is  matter  of  much  regret, 
that  more  ample  materials  do  not  re- 
main to  do  justice  to  these  and  others 
of  the  fraternity. 

It  may  safely  be  said,  that  wherever 
danger  was  to  be  encountered,  or  re- 
sponsibility to  be  incurred,  Isaac  Sears 
was  to  be  found  ; and  with  him  was  in- 
dissolubly associated  his  efficient  coad- 
jutor, John  Lamb.  These  were  em- 
phatically the  tribunes  of  the  people. 


Facsimile  of  the  Signature  of  Isaac  Sears. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY.  201 


NEW  JERSEY. 

The  situation  of  this  state  is  in 
some  respects  quite  peculiar.  It 
is  long  and  narrow^  and  lies  be- 
tween two  of  the  largest  and  most 
important  states  in  the  Union. 
While,  on  the  one  hand,  its  terri- 
tory is  thus  rendered  highly  im: 
portant,  as  the  only  direct  thor- 
oughfare between  them,  on  the 
other,  strong  influences,  oppose 
the  existence  of  a single,  united 
spirit  among  the  people.  The 
Hudson  and  New  York  city  at- 
tract the  business  of  East  Jersey, 
as  the  Delaware  and  Philadelphia 
do  that  of  West  Jersey. 

In  several  respects,  however,  this  state  has  points  of  interest  equal  to  any  of 
her  sisters  of  the  Union,  which  will  be  in  some  measure  exhibited,  even  in  the 
few  pages  which  we  have  to  devote  to  the  following  description. 

New  Jersey  possesses  a considerable  variety  of  climate,  for  a country  of  so 
small  a surface,  as  its  length  is  two  or  three  times  greater  than  its  breadth,  and  it 
stretches  directly  north  and  south,  while  there  is  a considerable  difference  of  ele- 
vation between,  the  low,  sandy  regions  in  the  southern  parts,  and  the  hilly  and 
almost  mountainous  northern  counties.  Much  of  the  former  district  also  lies  near 
the  sea,  while  the  latter  is  removed  to  a distance  from  it. 

The  Allegany  range,  crossing  the  northwestern  parts,  gives  them  the  character 
just  alluded  to ; and,  while  it  affects  the  soil  and  vegetable  productions,  yields 
rich  mineral  products,  several  mines  of  copper  and  iron  being  wrought — the  lat- 
ter to  much  advantage.  The  proportion  of  good  land  is  not  large,  as  the  “ piny 
woods”  in  the  south  too  nearly  resemble  the  “ pine  barrens”  of  the  southern  At- 
lantic border,  of  which  they  appear  to  be  the  beginning ; while  through  the  ele- 
vated districts  are  considerable  tracts  inconvenient  of  access,  or  incapable  of 
cultivation.  The  railroads  and  canals,  however,  which  cross  the  state  in  several 
places,  afford  important  facilities  for  transportation  as  well  as  for  travelling. 


202 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


History. — Henry  Hudson  entered  ! 
Delaware  bay  on  the  28th  of  August,  j 
1609,  and  made  an  attempt  to  penetrate 
by  it  into  the  continent,  a short  time  be- 
fore  he  discovered  the  harbor  of  New 
York  (namely,  September  3),  and  the 
river  which  bears  his  name.  The  first 
settlements  made  by  Europeans  on  the 
soil  of  this  state  yvere  but  a little  subse- 
quent to  the  first  occupation  of  Manhat- 
tan island.  The  first  Dutch  vessel  came 
out  to  trade  in  the  Hudson  in  1610,  and 
the  fort  was  erected  at  the  Battery  in 
1614.  In  the  latter  year  a redoubt  ap- 
pears to  have  been  thrown  up  on  the 
Jersey  shore.  About  the  year  1618,  a 
colony  of  Danes  or  Norwegians,  who 
had  come  out  with  the  Dutch,  made  a 
settlement  at  Bergen,  opposite  New 
York.  The  first  settlement  in  West  Jer- 
sey is  believed  to  have  been  made  in 
1623,  by  Cornelius  Jacobse  Mey,  whose 
name  is  commemorated  in  Cape  May. 
He  proceeded  up  Delaware  bay  to 
Timber  creel£,  a little  above  Camden, 
where  he  built  Fort  Nassau.  He  sailed 
in  the  employment  of  the  Dutch  West 
India  company,  which  had  been  formed 
in  1621.  Individuals  obtained  charters 
from  that  association,  to  large  tracts  of 
land,  subject  only  to  the  Indian  claim, 
one  of  which,  opposite  New  York,  ex- 
tended thirty-two  miles  by  two.  One 
man  thus  obtained  a tract  sixteen  miles 
square,  at  Cape  May,  bought  of  nine  In- 
dian chiefs.  Some  of  these  great  land- 
holders associated,  and  sent  out  David 
Petersen  de  Vries  in  a ship,  to  make  a 
settlement  on  the  Delaware,  in  1630. 
He  found  Fort  Nassau  in  the  possession 
of  the  Indians,  and  no  traces  of  its  for- 
mer occupants.  He  built  another  fort, 
and  left  it  to  return  to  Holland  ; but  the 
garrison  were  soon  massacred  to  a man. 
After  another  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
plant  a colony,  the  treachery  of  the  na- 
tives discouraged  the  company,  and  the 
enterprise  was  abandoned. 

In  1637,  two  Swedish  vessels  arrived 
in  the  Delaware,  and  settlements  were 
commenced  on  the  western  side,  but 
land^were  occupied  only  on  the  eastern. 
In  1642,  Printz  Hall  came  over  as  gov- 
ernor, under  the  appointment  of  the 
queen  of  Sweden,  and  established  his 


residence  on  Tinnicum  island,  building 
a fort,  laying  out  a garden,  and  erecting 
a church  and  several  houses.  Among 
his  companions  were  John  Campanius 
Holm,  afterward  the  historian  of  the 
colony,  and  an  engineer  named  Lind- 
strom,  who  published  a map  of  the  Del- 
aware and  its  borders.  There  has  been 
much  doubt  respecting  the  grounds  on 
which  the  Swedes  rested  their  claim  to 
this  part  of  the  country;  and  they  soon 
found  it  contested  by  the  Dutch,  who, 
having  reoccupied  Fort  Nassau  and  sev- 
eral other  points,  were  called  upon  to 
surrender  them,  and,  on  their  refusal, 
compelled  to  submit  by  force.  Govern- 
or Stuyvesant,  of  New  York,  soon  in- 
terfered, and  regained  the  Dutch  posi- 
tions, and  easily  reduced  the  Swedish 
posts,  finally  capturing  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment at  Tinnicum  island.  This  blow 
terminated  the  Swedish  power  on  the 
Delaware,  called  by  them  New  Sweden. 

In  1640,  a number  of  English  colo- 
nists arrived  from  New  Haven,  claiming 
a right  to  occupy  the  soil  under  British 
authority  ; and  thus  the  foundation  was 
laid  of  disputes,  which  from  time  to  time 
caused  considerable  difficulty.  The  tra- 
dinghouse  which  they  erected  was  de- 
stroyed in  one  case;  and  in  others  their 
goods  were  confiscated,  and  some  of  the 
men  imprisoned.  The  British  and  the 
Dutch  governments  had  some  warm  al- 
tercations on  the  question  of  right  to  this 
part  of  the  country.  It  is  reported  that 
some  of  the  descendants  of  the  early 
New  Haven  colonists  still  remain  in  Sa- 
lem, Cumberland,  and  Cape  May. 

The  year  1664  was  the  epoch  of  the 
reduction  of  the  New  Netherlands  (now 
New  York),  by  Colonel  Nichols,  at  the 
command  of  Charles  II.  Sir  Robert 
Carr  soon  after  obtained  possession  of 
the  posts  and  colonies  on  the  Delaware, 

| having  entered  the  bay  with  two  frig- 
ates, and  expended  “two  barrels  of  gun- 
powder and  twenty  shot.”  The  same 
year,  Charles,  by  a royal  patent,  con- 
ferred it  upon  the  Duke  of  York;  and 
lie  conveyed  a large  tract,  named  “Nova 
.Caesarea”  (New  Jersey),  to  Lord  Berke- 
ley and  Sir  George  Carteret.  The  najne 
then  bestowed,  and  which  is  still  retain- 
ed, is  said  to  have  been  chosen  in  com- 


I 


DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OP  NEW  JERSEY.  203 

pliment  to  Carteret,  because  he  had  de- 
fended the  island  of  Jersey  against  the 
“ long  parliament”  in  the  civil  wars. 

Berkeley  and  Carteret  conferred  a 
constitution  on  the  colony,  securing  to 
all  equal  rights  and  privileges,  including 
liberty  of  conscience  ; and  the  latter  was 
appointed  governor,  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  Elizabethtown,  in  1665. 
Having  purchased  land  from  the  Indi- 
ans, he  sent  an  invitation  to  Connecticut 
for  settlers,  on  such  favorable  terms  that 
many  accepted  it,  and  the  population  of 
the  colony  rapidly  increased. 

But  in  1672,  difficulties,  which  had 
arisen  between  some  of  the  older  set- 
tlers and  the  proprietors,  proceeded  so 
far  that  an  insurrection  broke  out,  in 
consequence  of  the  demand  of  the  latter 
of  rents  for  lands  purchased  by  the  for- 
mer before  the  date  of  the  charter  of 
King  Charles.  The  result  was,  that  the 
governor  was  driven  from  the  colony ; 
and  he  repaired  to  England  for  redress, 
while  his  officers  were  resisted,  deposed, 
and  imprisoned  by  the  people. 

The  New  Netherlands  being  recov- 
ered, in  1673,  by  the  Dutch,  New  Jer- 
sey passed  with  her  again  under  her  for- 
mer proprietor.  But  this  change  was 
followed,  the  next  spring,  by  a more 
permanent  arrangement  by  treaty,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  English  were 
restored  to  the  possession.  The  duke 
of  York,  to  prevent  any  exposure  of  his 
title  to  question,  on  account  of  the  in- 
tervention of  the  late  Dutch  conquest, 
procured  a new  patent ; and,  in  1664, 
Sir  Edmund  Andross  arrived,  with  the 
authority  of  governor  of  the  province 
of  New  York,  claiming  jurisdiction  over 
New  Jersey  also,  under  pretence  that 
the  proprietors  had  lost  their  property 
by  the  Dutch  conquest.  This  arbitrary 
man,  whose  injustice  and  oppression 
caused  so  much  evil  in  New  England, 
gave  place  to  Philip  Carteret,  in  1675, 
who  resumed  the  government  of  East 
Jersey,  and  so  conciliated  the  colonists 
that  order  was  restored.  He  postponed 
the  demand  of  the  payment  of  quitrents, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  in  a list  of  “ con- 
cessions-” which  he  published,  he  laid 
some  restrictions  on  political  freedom. 
He  attempted  to  open  a trade  with  New 

England  ; but  Andross,  still  governor 
of  New  York,  opposed  him,  pretending 
that  it  would  injure  his  colony.  At 
length  Andross  sent  to  Elizabethtown, 
to  seize  Carteret  and  take  him  to  New 
York. 

Lord  Berkeley  about  this  time  offered 
his  share  of  the  province  for  sale,  as  its 
prospects  were  not  flattering;  and  it  was 
conveyed  to  John  Fenwick,  in  trust  for 
Edward  Byllinge,  members  of  the  soci- 
ety of  friends,  for  one  thousand  pounds. 
The  part  sold  was  afterward  called  West 
Jersey,  a designation  often  used  at  the 
present  day.  In  1675,  the  first  English 
vessel  arrived  in  the  Delaware  which 
ever  visited  West  Jersey,  and  it  brought 
over  Fenwick  and  his  two  daughters, 
with  a number  of  servants,  and  a com- 
pany of  settlers.  He  selected  a pleas- 
ant and  fertile  spot,  which  he  named 
Salem,  and  there  planted  his  colony. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  some 
of  the  colonists  : Edward  Champness, 
Edward  Wade,  Samuel  Wade,  John 
Smith  and  his  wife,  Samuel  Nichols, 
Richard  Guy,  Richard  Noble,  Richard 
Hancock,  John  Pledger,  Hippolite  Le- 
fevre,  and  John  Matlock.  These  men, 
and  others  whose  names  are  not  given, 
were  heads  of  families.  It  was  two 
years,  however,  before  another  ship  ar- 
rived, probably  in  consequence  of  a dif- 
ference which  arose  between  Fenwick 
and  Byllinge.  Byllinge  was  sharer  to 
much  the  greater  amount,  having  ninety 
out  of  a hundred  shares,  while  Fenwick 
had  but  ten.  Byllinge,  however,  failed 
in  his  business,  which  was  that  of  a mer- 
chant ; and  the  management  of  his  prop- 
erty here  was  intrusted  to  William  Penn, 
and  his  quaker  friends,  Gowen  and  Lu- 
cas, by  whom  much  of  it  was  sold  to 
different  purchasers.  These  proprietors 
published  a plan  of  government,  under 
the  name  of  “ concessions,”  by  which 
“the  proprietors,  freeholders,  and  inhab- 
itants of  each  of  the  ten  proprieties, 
were  authorized  to  meet  annually,  and 
choose  by  ballot  one  man  each,  to  act  as 
commissioners.”  A deed  was  then  made 
between  Sir  George  Carteret  and  the 
trustees  of  Byllinge,  dated  July  1,  1676, 
fixing  the  boundary-lines  as  follows : 

“ We  have  all  that  side  on  the  Delaware 

204  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


river,  from  one  end  to  the  other : the 
line  of  partition  is  on  the  east  side  of 
Little  Egg  harbor,  straight  north,  through 
the  country,  to  the  utmost  branch  of 
Delaware  river,  with  all  powers,  priv- 
ileges, and  immunities,  whatsoever. 
Ours  is  called  New  West  Jersey  ; yours 
is  called  New  East  Jersey .” 

Two  companies  of  London  and  York- 
shire friends  were  among  the  purchasers 
of  lands  in  New  West  Jersey;  and,  in 
1677,  commissioners  came  out  to  pur- 
chase land  of  the  Indians,  &c.  The 
ship  in  which  they  came  out  arrived  at 
New  Castle  on  the  16th  day  of  the  6th 
month,  old  style,  bringing  also  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  passengers  as  colonists. 
They  were  glad,  for  a time,  to  land  at 
Rackoon  creek,  and  take  up  with  such 
poor  accommodations  as  they  could  find 
in  the  houses  and  cowsheds  of  the  few 
Swedes  whom  they  found  occupying  the 
spot,  and  found  snakes  numerous,  creep- 
ing about  the  buildings.  After  making 
purchases  of  the  Indians,  who  were  nu- 
merous, the  settlement  of  Burlington 
was  commenced,  and  first  called  New 
Beverley,  and  afterward  Bridlington ; 
soon  after  which  it  received  its  present 
name.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
masters  of  families  who  formed  this  set- 
tlement : Thomas  Olive,  Daniel  Wills, 
William  Peachy,  William  Clayton,  John 
Crips,  xhomas  Eves,  Thomas  Harding, 
Thomas  Nositer,  Thomas  Fairnsworth, 
Morgan  Drewit,  William  Renton,  Hen- 
ry Jenings,  William  Hibes,  Samuel 
Lovett,  John  Woolston,  William  Wood- 
mancy,  and  Christopher  Saunders  ; Rob- 
ert Powell,  William  Wilkinson,  and  Wil- 
liam Perkins,  died  on  the  passage,  but 
left  families. 

In  1679,  George  Carteret  died,  and, 
according  to  his  will,  East  Jersey  was 
sold,  to  pay  his  debts.  The  indenture 
of  lease  and  release  is  dated  February 
1 and  2,  1681-  82,  and  conveys  the 
property  to  AYilliam  Penn  and  eleven 
others,  who,  in  the  following  year,  pub- 
lished a description  of  the  country,  with 
a plan  of  a town.  These  men  were 
called  the  “ twelve  proprietors.”  Each 
of  thes^  took  a partner ; and  to  these 
“ twenty-four  proprietors”  the  duke  of 
York  made  a new  grant  of  East  New 


Jersey,  on  the  14th  of  March,  1682 ; at 
which  time  about  seven  hundred  fami- 
lies were  supposed  to  be  residing  in  that 
part  of  the  country. 

A brief  notice  of  important  epochs  is 
all  we  have  room  to  give  after  this  pe- 
riod. In  1702, in  consequence  of  pro- 
longed disputes  and  difficulties,  the  pro- 
prietors resigned  the  government  of  the 
colonies  to  Queen  Anne,  who,  on  the 
17th  of  April,  1702,  accepted  the  offer, 
and  reunited  the  East  and  West  into  one 
province,  appointing  her  kinsman,  Ed- 
ward Hyde  (Lord  Cornbury),  the  gov- 
ernor. He  was  grandson  of  the  chan- 
cellor, Earl  of  Clarendon.  The  com- 
mission and  instructions  then  given  him 
remained  as  the  constitution  of  New 
Jersey  until  the  Revolution.  The  gov- 
ernor and  twelve  councillors  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  crown ; and  twenty-four 
members  of  assembly,  elected  by  the 
people  for  an  indefinite  term,  met  at 
Burlington  and  Perth  Amboy  alternate- 
ly. Among  these  instructions  was  one 
allowing  liberty  of  conscience  to  all,  ex- 
cept papists,  and  pne  prohibiting  print- 
ing in  the  colony. 

In  1702,  the  period  when  New  J ersey 
became  a colony  of  the  crown,  the  pop- 
ulation was  estimated  at  twenty  thou- 
sand ; of  which  twelve  thousand  were 
set  down  for  East,  and  eight  thousand  , 
for  West  Jersey.  Lord  Cornbury  was  j 
kept  in  prison,  for  debt,  from  1703  till 
the  death  of  his  father,  when  he  was 
raised  to  the  peerage,  and  was  released  j 
by  law.  He  is  said  to  have  been  more 
detested  by  the  people  than  any  other 
governor  the  province  had  ever  had. 
Governor  Lovelace,  Lieut.  Governor  In- 
goldsby,  and  Governor  Hunter,  were  in 
turn  at  the  head  of  the  colony ; under 
the  second  of  whom  paper-currency  was 
first  introduced  into  New  Jersey,  with 
its  long  train  of  evils.  One  of  the  pre- 
texts for  it  was  to  raise  funds  for  an 
expedition  against  Canada.  William 
Burnet,  son  of  the  celebrated  Bishop 
Burnet,  was  appointed  governor  in 
1710,  and  held  the  office  ten  years,  and  1 
afterward  was  governor  of  New  York 
and  New  Jersey  until  1727.  The  last 
of  the  royal  governors  was  William 
| Franklin,  son  of  the  celebrated  Benja- 


— 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY.  205 


min.  He  entered  upon  his  office  in  1763, 
the  epoch  signalized  by  the  treaty  by 
( which  France  ceded  Canada  to  Great 
Britain,  and  thus  terminated  the  harass- 
ing wars  which  for  half  a century  had 
caused  great  evil  to  the  colonies.  New 
Jersey  contributed  liberally  to  the  expe- 
ditions marched  against  Canada  in  1758, 
1759,  and  1760  ; for,  although  her  quota 
was  but  five  hundred  men,  she  raised 
and  supported  a thousand,  and,  in  1761, 
and  1762,  six  hundred  men,  and  incurred 
a debt  of  forty  thousand  pounds. 

As  the  Revolution  approached,  New 
Jersey  was  among  the  foremost  oppo- 
sers  of  British  oppression.  In  July, 

1774,  the  people  of  the  different  coun- 
ties held  meetings  to  express  their  con- 
demnation of  the  closing  of  the  port  of 
Boston,  &c.,  &c.  Delegates  went  to  the 
congress  in  Philadelphia,  who  reported 
to  the  assembly,  on  the  11th  of  January, 

1775. 

The  governor,  however,  who  was  op- 
posed to  resistance,  endeavored  to  de- 
feat the  wishes  of  the  people  and  legis- 
lature, particularly  by  refusing  to  con- 
voke the  latter.  The  delegates  were, 
therefore,  appointed  by  a convention. 
On  the  23d  of  May,  1775,  the  second 
convention  assembled  at  Trenton,  and 
laid  a tax  of  ten  thousand  pounds,  to 
support  a company  or  more,  which  it 
ordered  to  be  raised  in  each  of  the  town- 
ships and  corporations.  This  was  con- 
firmed by  the  provincial  congress,  which 
met  in  August  following,  and  directed 
the  organization  of  fifty-four  companies, 
of  sixty-four  minute-men  each.  Ten 
battalions  were  accordingly  formed : 
one  in  each  of  the  counties  of  Bergen, 
Essex,  Middlesex,  Monmouth,  Somer- 
set, Morris,  Sussex,  Hunterdon,  and 
Burlington,  and  one  in  Gloucester  and 
Salem  together.  Independent  light-in- 
fantry and  rangers  were  raised  in  Cum- 
berland and  Cape  May. 

At  the  same  meeting,  a resolution  was 
adopted  which  rendered  the  people  and 
thei#representatives  less  dependent  on 
the  will  of  the  governor.  It  provided 
that,  during  the  controversy  with  the 
mother-country,  the  voters  should  annu- 
ally meet  and  choose  deputies  to  the 
provincial  congress  ; and  this  body  was 


invested  with  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment. In  vain  the  governor  made  an- 
other effort  at  resistance.  He  held  one 
more  meeting  of  the  legislature ; but  it 
was  the  last.  They  would  not  consent 
to  declare  that  they  had  no  intentions  to 
proclaim  independence.  The  body  was 
prorogued  till  January,  3,  1776;  but  it 
never  met  again. 

The  provincial  congress  assembled 
again  on  the  10th  of  June  ; and,  on  the 
I8th  of  July,  a few  days  after  the  dec- 
laration of  independence  at  Philadel- 
phia, New  Jersey  assumed  the  title  of  a 
state.  The  seal  which  was  then  adopted 
and  made  is  still  in  use,  though  much 
worn.  A copy  of  parts  of  it  is  under 
the  vignette  at  the  head  of  this  descrip- 
tion. The  head  of  a horse  over  a globe 
is  supported  by  figures  of  Liberty  and 
Ceres,  while  three  ploughs  are  placed 
between  them,  and  the  following  legend 
surrounds  the  whole  : “ The  great  seal 
of  the  state  of  New  Jersey : mdcclxxvi.” 
It  is  made  of  silver,  two  and  a half  inch- 
es long,  and  three  eighths  in  thickness. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  Governor  Frank- 
lin was  made  prisoner,  by  the  command 
of  the  provincial  congress,  as  an  enemy 
to  the  liberties  of  the  country,  and  sent 
to  Connecticut,  under  a guard,  to  be  kept 
under  the  charge  of  Governor  Trumbull, 
who  placed  him,  with  several  other  ad- 
vocates of  British  authority,  in  Middle- 
town.  When  released,  after  a consid- 
erable time,  he  went  to  England,  where 
he  enjoyed  a pension. 

William  Livingston  was  appointed 
governor  of  New  Jersey,  by  the  new 
legislature,  on  the  31st  of  August ; and 
he  was  annually  re-elected  for  fourteen 
years.  And  now  commenced  the  long 
course  of  trials  which  the  Revolution 
brought  in  its  train,  and  in  which  this 
state  suffered  most  severely.  Her  pe- 
culiar situation,  which  renders  it,  during 
peace,  the  thoroughfare  of  important 
commerce  and  travel,  exposed  her,  in 
the  war,  to  the  passage  and  the  occupa- 
tion of  armies,  and  as  the  theatre  of 
incursions.  The  navigable  waters  von 
her  boundaries,  so  convenient  and  safe 
to  the  hundreds  of  merchant-ships  and 
steamboats,  by  which  they  are  crowded 
in  our  day,  then  gave  too  easy  access  to 


■■  ■ " — - ' T1 

206  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


the  enemy’s  fleets  and  squadrons.  Her 
plains,  now  covered  with  fields  and  vil- 
lages, churches,  schoolhouses,  and  coun- 
try-seats, and  crossed  by  canals  and  rail- 
roads, which  science  has  marked  out, 
and  which  industry  employs,  were  then 
traversed  by  armed  troops,  and  often 
stained  with  blood.  On  the  heights 
where  the  husbandman  or  the  citizen 
comes  to  erect  his  rural  residence,  are 
often  found  traces  of  entrenchments, 
thrown  up  at  the  command  of  Lord 
Howe  or  of  General  Washington.  In 
the  following  pages  will, be  found  brief 
notices  of  some  of  the  principal  military 
movements  and  events  which  took  place 
in  the  course  of  the  war. 

New  Jersey  has  the  honor  of  being  a 
very  early  and  decided  advocate  of  tem- 
perance ; the  value  of  which  our  coun- 
try has  been  solemnly  taught  by  a long 
course  of  bitter  experience.  The  mod- 
ern practice  of  opposing  intemperance 
by  association  is  extensively  adopted  in 
this  state. 

The  first  laws  of  the  colony  imposed 
fines  of  a shilling  and  two  shillings 
and  sixpence  for  what  they  denominate 
“ the  beastly  vice,  drunkenness  and, 
in  1682,  the  sum  was  raised  to  five  shil- 
lings, and  sitting  in  the  stocks  for  six 
hours  was  substituted  when  that  was 
not  paid.  Liquors,  however,  were  then 
allowed  to  be  sold  in  small  quantities, 
though  at  first  they  were  not.  In  1688, 
an  “ ordinary,”  or  tavern,  was  required 
by  law  to  be  kept  in  each  town  ; but  the 
keepers  were  restricted  in  the  *sale  of 
liquors  to  quantities  not  less  than  two 
gallons.  In  1677,  they  were  allowed  to 
sell  by  the  gallon,  and,  in  1683,  by  the 
quart. 

The  decent  observance  of  the  Lord’s 
day  was  required  by  law.  Swearing  was 
fined  one  shilling  in.  1668,  and,  in  1682, 
two  shillings  and  sixpence  for  each  oath. 
If  the  fine  was  not  paid,  the  culprit  was 
put  into  the  stocks,  if  under  twelve  years 
of  age,  or  whipped,  if  above  that  age. 
“All  prizes,  stage-plays,  revels,  games, 
masques,  bull-baitings,  and  cock-fight- 
ings, which  excite  the  people  to  wicked- 
ness, cruelty,  looseness,  and  irreligion,” 
were  to  be  discouraged  and  punished  by 
courts  of  justice ; and  night  walkers  and 


revellers  were  to  be  imprisoned  till 
morning,  examined,  and,  if  necessary, 
bound  over  to  appear  in  court.  From 
1675  to  1682,  “the  resistance  of  lawful 
authority  by  word  or  action,  or  the  ex- 
pression of  disrespectful  language  refer- 
ring to  those  in  office,”  was  punishable. 

In  1676,  all  liars  were  added  to  the  list, 
with  a fine  of  twenty  shillings  for  the 
second  offence. 

The  first  day  of  public  thanksgiving 
was  appointed  by  the  general  assembly 
on  Wednesday,  November  2,  1676  ; the 
second,  on  account  of  the  discovery  of 
the  gunpowder  plot,  November  26, 1679; 
the  third,  June  11,  1696,  for  the  defeat 
of  the  plot  against  King  William. 

Slavery  was  introduced  in  the  earliest 
days.  The  “ concessions,”  in  the  time 
of  Carteret,  offered  to  every  colonist  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  ; and, 
“for  each  weaker  servant  or  slave,” 
seventy-five  acres.  But  few,  if  any, 
slaves  were  then  brought  into  the  colo- 
ny. At  a subsequent  period,  however, 
they  were  imported  in  great  numbers  ; 
and  barracks  were  erected,  as  tradition 
relates,  at  Perth  Amboy,  to  receive  ne- 
groes from  slave-ships.  In.  1734,  an 
alarming  negro-rising  occurred  on  the 
Raritan,  the  object  of  which  was  to  ob- 
tain liberty  by  massacring  the  whites,  and 
joining  the  Indians  and  French.  From 
allusions  made  in  some  of  the  old  news- 
papers, it  appears  that  negroes  were  i 
sometimes  burnt  alive  for  certain  offen- 
ces. In  1750,  two  negroes  were  pun- 
ished in  this  manner,  for  the  murder  of 
their  mistress,  and  all  the  blacks  in  the 
neighborhood  were  required  to  be  pres- 
ent. The  faw  under  which  this  horrible 
punishment  was  inflicted  was  passed  in 
1714,  and  provided  for  capital  punish- 
ment for  murder,  &c.,  “ in  such  manner 
as  the  aggravation  or  enormity  of  their  . 
crimes  shall  merit  and  require.”  The 
mode  of  trial  was  changed  in  1768,  but 
the  manner  of  death  was  not  fixed.  In 
1778,  an  insurrection  was  apprehended. 

Early  attempts  were  made  a%the 
whale-fishery  on  the  coast ; but  De  v lies 
said  it  was  unprofitable  in  1633. 

Roads  and  other  channels  of  commu- 
nication, for  which  New  Jersey  is  now 
so  remarkable,  were  commenced  under 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY.  207 


the  direction  of  the  colonial  legislature, 
in  1676.  The  first  roads  were  those 
used  by  the  Dutch,  in  going  from  New 
York  to  their  settlements  on  the  Dela- 
ware. and  were  horse-tracks.  The  up- 
per road  extended  from  Elizabethtown 
point,  or  near  it,  to  New  Brunswick, 
probably  the  route  now  called  “ the  old 
road,”  crossing  the  Delaware,  by  fording, 
a little  above  Trenton.  The  lower  left 
the  upper  five  or  six  miles  from  the  Rar- 
itan, and  extended  to.  Burlington.  In 
1695,  the  innkeepers  at  Elizabethtown, 
* Piscataway,  and  Woodbridge,  were 
taxed  to  keep  this  road  in  repair ; but 
only  ten  pounds  were  expended  upon  it 
annually.  In  1744,  stage-wagons  ran 
twipe  a week  between  New  Brunswick 
and  Trenton.  In  1750,  a stage-boat  be- 
gan to  sail  from  New  York,  once  a week, 
for  Amboy,  and  a wagon  left  the  latter 
place  the  next  day  for  Philadelphia. 
The  next  year  an  opposition  boat  was 
advertised,  with  “ a fine,  commodious 
cabin,  fitted  up  with  a tea-table,”  &c., 
to  run  twice  a week.  In  1756,  a stage- 
line  began  to  run  between  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  in  three  days,  through 
Trenton  and  Amboy. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  colony  was 
the  “ New  Jersey  Gazette,”  begun  De- 
cember 5,  1777,  at  Burlington,  by  Isaac 
Collins,  which  cost  twenty-six  shillings 
a-year.  The  sheet  was  only  twelve  by 
eight  inches  ; and  the  paper  ceased  to 
appear  in  1786.  The  second  monthly 
i magazine  in  the  whole  country  was 
“ The  American  Magazine,”  published 
at  Burlington,  which  began  in  1758,  and 
expired  at  the  end  of  two  years.  Each 
number  contained  about  forty  pages  oc- 
tavo, and  the  matter  was  very  respecta- 
ble. The  printer  of  this  work  was  James 
Parker,  son  of  Samuel  Parker,  of  Wood- 
bridge.  He  was  apprenticed  to  William 
Bradford,  the  first  printer  in  New  York, 
in  1725,  and  was  advertised  by  him  as 
a runaway  in  1733.  But  nine  years  af- 
ter he  was  at  the  head  of  a respectable 
establishment : and  he  must  have  be- 
come reconciled  to  his  old  master,  for 
he  noticed  his  death,  in  1752,  in  a very 
respectful  printed  article.  He  brought 
the  first  printing-press  into  New  Jersey, 
in  1751,  and  printed  public  documents. 


Trenton,  the  capital  of  the  state,  is 
pleasantly  situated  at  the  falls  or  rapids 
of  the  Delaware,  and  the  mouth  of  As- 
sunpink  creek,  in  forty  degrees  and  thir- 
teen minutes  north  latitude,  and  two  de- 
grees and  sixteen  minutes  east  longitude 
from  Washington.  It  is  fifty-five  miles 
southwest  from  New  York,  thirty  miles 
northeast  from  Philadelphia,  and  ten 
miles  southwest  from  Princeton.  The 
population,  in  1850,  was  6,766,  or,  in- 
cluding the  borough  of  South  Trenton, 
more  than  9,000. 

The  Statehouse  stands  on  the  elevated 
bank  of  the  Delaware,  in  the  north  part 
of  the  city,  commanding  a pleasing  view 
down  a green  slope  to  the  level  borders 
of  the  stream,  which  here  is  shallow. 
The  building  is  of  stone,  plastered,  and 
is  one  hundred  feet  long,  sixty  wide,  and 
contains  halls  for  the  two  houses  of  the 
legislature,  offices,  committee-rooms, 
&c.  There  is  a spacious  yard  around 
it,  which  sets  off  the  building  to  advan- 
tage. 

The  city  contains,  also,  the  lyceum, 
the  city-hall,  and  seven  churches  ; and 
the  stateprison  is  at  a short  distance. 

The  bridge  is  of  wood,  eleven  hun- 
dred feet  long,  with  five  arches  resting 
on  four  piers  and  two 'abutments.  It 
was  commenced  in  1804,  and  constructed 
by  Mr.  Burr,  on  whose  skill  it  reflects 
much  honor,  as  it  has  lasted  nearly  half 
a century,  and  was  passed  uninjured  by 
the  flood  of  1841,  which  destroyed  others 
built  long  after  it.  It  serves  not  only 
for  the  purposes  of  ordinary  vehicles, 
horses,  and  footmen,  bi\t  sustains  the 
tracks  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Trenton 
railroad. 

The  County  Buildings. — These  are 
situated  in  South  Trenton.  The  court- 
house is  a neat  edifice,  with  six  Ionic 
columns  and  a cupola.  The  basement 
is  of  sandstone,  and  the  steps  of  granite. 
The  offices  of  the  clerk  and  surrogate 
stand  a little  in  the  rear.  All  are  neat- 
ly stuccoed. 

The  Stateprison  is  constructed  on  a 
singular  plan.  The  front  building  con- 
tains the  residence  of  the  keeper  and  his 
assistants  ; and  in  the  rear  are  two  long 
wings,  running  back  from  it,  diverging 
from  each  other  at  a right-angle,  with  a 


208  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


passage  leading  through  each,  between 
two  rows  of  cells.  The  whole  is  sur- 
rounded by  a stone-wall,  three  feet  thick, 
and  twenty  feet  high,  enclosing  a square 
of  four  acres.  Tubes  pass  through  the 
cells  to  warm  them  in  winter,  and  flues 
are  made  in  the  walls  for  ventilation. 

The  prisoners  are  kept  at  work,  ma- 
king chairs  and  shoes,  and  weaving.  By 
judicious  management,  with  cash  sales, 
the  income  has  been  made  to  defray  the 
expenses,  and  even  to  leave  a surplus. 
All  communication  is  prevented,  and  at- 
tention is  paid  to  the  moral  improvement 
of  the  inmates.  The  prison  contains  a 
library  for  their  use,  of  three  hundred 
volumes. 

The  Battle  of  Trenton.— This  place 
was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated of  Washington’s  master-strokes. 
He  excelled  most  commanders  in  stri- 
king an  unexpected  and  successful  blow, 
just  at  the  time  when  it  would  produce 
the  most  important  effects,  by  intimida- 
ting his  enemies,  and  encouraging  the 
country. 

In  December,  1776,  the  American 
army  had  long  been  on  the  defensive,  or 
rather  had  retired,  for  fear  of  the  enemy, 
beyond  their  reach.  After  the  capture 
of  New  York,  in  August,  Washington, 
with  the  remains  of  his  army,  after  un- 
successful attempts  to  make  a stand  at 
different  points,  had  been  driven  across 
New  Jersey,  and,  barely  escaping  cap- 
ture, retreated  into  Pennsylvania.  To 
many  the  war  seemed  already  at  an  end. 
The  British  troops  proceeded  to  occupy 
the  principal  joints  on  the  great  road 
through  the  state,  and  three  regiments 
of  Hessians,  under  General  Rahl,  and  a 
troop  of  light-horse,  were  quartered-  at 
Trenton.  On  the  evening  before  Christ- 
mas, December  25th,  there  was  not  an 
American  soldier  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Delaware,  and  the  stream  was  loaded 
with  floating  ice,  so  that  it  seemed  im- 
passable. The  Hessians,  in  security, 
engaged  in  their  accustomed  celebration 
of  the  night  with  immoderate  drinking; 
and  about  midnight  the  camp  was  in 
such  a state  as  Washington  had  calcula- 
ted on,  at  the  hour  of  his  premeditated 
assault.  A large  number  of  boats,  which 
he  had  collected  with  all  possible  secre 


sy,  came  silently  across  the  river,  in 
three  divisions,  nine  miles  above,  by 
pushing  their  way,  in  the  best  manner 
they  could,  through  the  ice.  It  was 
morning  before  they  reached  the  town, 
when  two  bodies  of  troops  fell  upon  the 
enemy  at  once,  from  different  quarters, 
pressing  immediately  toward  the  middle 
of  the  town,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
forming.  They  made  no  regular  stand, 
and  some  of  them  attempted  to  escape 
to  Princeton,  but  were  prevented  ; when 
the  whole  body  surrendered,  amounting 
to  twenty-three  officers  and  eighty-six 
men.  Only  twenty  or  thirty  were  killed, 
and  eight  wounded,  including  the  com- 
mander. On  the  American  side  were 
none  killed,  and  only  two  officers  and 
one  or  two  privates  wounded.  A few 
of  the  enemy  escaped  by  the  Bordentown 
road,  which  General  Ewing  was  to  have 
provided  against;  but  he  was  unable  to 
cross  the  river.  General  Cadwallader, 
with  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  was  like- 
wise unable  to  take  part  in  the  affair, 
as  only  a small  part' of  his  troops  could 
be  got  over.  Washington  had  intended 
to  capture  the  other  posts  on  the  Dela- 
ware ; but  he  thought  it  prutj^nt  to  re- 
cross  the  river  the  same  evening,  and 
thus  retired  to  Pennsylvania. 

The  Battle  of  Assunpinh  was  fought  a 
short  time  after  that  of  Trenton.  Wash- 
ington, finding  the  enemy  did  not  ad- 
vance, again  crossed  the  Delaware,  and 
took  post  on  the  south  bank  of  Assun- 
pink  creek.  On  the  2d  of  January,  four 
or  five  thousand  British  troops  marched 
from  Princeton  to  attack  him.  The  en- 
emy made  three  charges  upon  the  bridge, 
but  were  repulsed  by  his  cannon,  with 
about  150  killed.  When  night  came  on, 
Washington,  knowing  his  force  quite  in- 
sufficient, ordered  the  camp-fires  to  be 
well  fed,  and  drew  off  his  forces  with  so 
little  noise  that  the  enemy  did  not 
know  of  their  disappearance.  W ashing- 
ton  reached  Princeton  in  the  morning, 
which  was  occupied  by  a large  British 


force.  * 

Princeton. — This  pleasant  town  is 
distinguished  as  the  seat  of  the  principal 
literary  institution  in  the  state,  and  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  respectable  in  the 
country — the  college  of  New  Jersey. 


Alexander  s*  ChapeL.  Dr.  Hodos'b 

THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.  PRINCETON,  N J 


14 


Here  is  also  the  presbyterian  seminary. 
The  country  in  the  neighborhood  is 
agreeably  diversified,  with  a good  soil, 
peculiarly  favorable  to  apples.  . It  con- 
tains several  churches,  academies,  and 
schools.  There  are  several  handsome 
houses,  with  gardens  and  yards  arranged 
with  taste  ; but  the  college-green,  -with 
its  several  buildings,  is  the  principal  or- 
nament. In  the  rear  of  it,  but  fronting 
on  the  street,  is  Nassau  hall,  the  oldest 
college-building,  which  has  a venerable 
appearance.  It  has  four  low  stories, 
chiefly  appropriated  to  the  students. 
Before  the  battle  of  Princeton,  it  was 
used  for  barracks,  and  the  lower  story 
for  stables,  and  was  defended  by  a party 
of  the  British  troops,  and  stood  a sharp 
fire  from  Washington’s  soldiers.  A can- 
non-ball entered  the  chapel,  and  tore 
away  the  head  of  a picture  of  King 
George  II.  The  library  is  a building  a 
little  west ; and  on  the  east  is  a building 
devoted  to  recitation-rooms,  thechymi- 
cal  laboratory,  &c.  A little  in  its  rear 
is  a new  college-building  ; and  in  front, 
near  the  street,  and  near  both  extremi- 
ties of  the  grounds,  are  the  houses  of  the 
president  and  the  professors. 

The  college  was  founded  in  1742,  and 
owed  its  origin  to  a division  introduced 
into  the  presbyterian  church  in  the  days 
of  Wliitefield  ; from  which  two  synods 
arose — that  of  New  York  and  that  of 
Philadelphia. 

Nassau  hall,' the  principal  edifice,  was 
built  in  1757,  and  was  thus  named  in 
honor  of  King  William  IIP,  on  request 
of  Governor  Belcher,  who  had  presented  j 
his  valuable  library,  of  474  volumes,  to 
the  institution,  and  after  whom  the  true-  ; 
tees  proposed  to  call  it.  The  building 
was  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet 
lqng,  fifty  wide,  and  four  stories  high. 
The  governor’s  library  suffered  much  , 
from  the  British  and  American  soldiers, 
who  in  turn  occupied  the  building  ; and 
almost  all  the  remaining  volumes  were 
destroyed  by  fire,  which,  March  6,  1802, 
burnt  all  the  edifice  except  the  walls, 
which  still  remain. 

Elizabethtown,  on  a small  stream 
which  flows  into  Staten  island  sound,  four 
miles  from  Newark,  was  named  after. 
Lady  Elizabeth,  wife  and  executrix  of 


Lord  Carteret.  It»contains  four  church- 
es, a bank,  a courthouse,  a jail,  several 
public  and  private  schools,  and  about 
3,000  inhabitants.  It  is  situated  on  low, 
level  ground,  with  a good  soil.  By  steam- 
boat, it  has  a communication  with  New 
York  several  times  a day,  as  well  as  by 
the  New  Jersey  railroad,  which  forms  an 
important  link  in  the  great  line  of  rail- 
roads that  now  extends  along  almost 
the  whole  Atlantic  border  of  the  United 
States.  Elizabeth  port,  two  miles  from 
the  principal  village,  is  the  landing-place 
of  the  steamboats. 

• New  Brunswick. — This  city,  the  cap- 
ital of  Middlesex  county,  stands  on. the 
west  side  of  Raritan  river,  fourteen  miles 
from  its  mouth,  twenty-six  miles  north- 
east from  Trenton,  and  twenty-nine  from 
New  York.  It  lies  partly  in  Franklin, 
and  partly  in  North  Brunswick,  Albany 
street  being  the  dividing  line.  Near 
the  river  the  streets  are  narrow7,  and  the 
ground  low  ; but  on  the  hill,  which  rises 
behind,  everything  is  changed  for  the 
better.  Here  are  a’courthouse,  jail,  and 
eight  churches,  with  near  eight  thousand 
inhabitants.  Steamboats  ply  daily  to 
New  York.  The  New  Jersey  railroad 
passes  through  the  town  ; and  the  Dela- 
ware and  Raritan  canal  commences  here, 
which  extends  to  Bordentown,  forty-two 
miles.  It  is  seventy-five  feet  wide,  and 
seven  feet  deep,  allowing  sloops  to  pass 
of  from  75  to  100  tons.  It  is  supplied 
by  a feeder  from  the  Delaware,  twenty- 
three  miles  long;  including  which,  the 
cost  w7as  $2,500,000.  An  old  bridge, 
now  useless,  was  built  across  the  Rari- 
tan at  New  Brunswick,  in»1811,  at  an 
expense  of  $86,687.  There  is  another 
for  the  railroad. 

Rutgers  College  stands  on  the  high 
ground  in  the  northwestern  quarter  of 
the  town.  It  was  founded  in  1770,  with 
the  name  of  Queen’s  college  ; but  being 
unendowed,  it  did  not  go  into  operation 
until  1781.  In  1810,  it  was  connected 
with  the  general  synod  of  the  reformed 
Dutch  church,  and,  in  1825,  the  building 
was  purchased  by  the  synod,  and  the 
present  name  w7as  given  to  the  institu- 
tion, in  hoiior  of  Colonel  Rutgers,  of 
New  York,  a liberal  benefactor ; since 
which  time  it  has  flourished. 


Washington’s  Headquarters  at  Morristown, 


212 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


Newark,  the  most  populous  town  in 
the  state,  is  situated  on  a fine,  level  tract 
of  ground,  on  the  west  side  of  Passaic 
river,  nine  miles  west  from  New  York, 
and  forty-nine  northeast  from  Trenton. 
Vessels  of  one  hundred  tons  come  up  to 
the  wharves;  the  New  Jersey  railroad 
passes  through  the  town,  on  the  way  from 
New  York  to  Philadelphia  ; and  here  is 
the  commencement  of  the  Morris  and 
Essex  railroad.  The  Morris  canal  pass- 
es through  the  place,  which  opens  a chan- 
nel of  transportation  between  New  York 
and  the  Delaware  river. 

The  principal  streets  are  wide,  well 
built,  and  shaded  with  trees.  Two  large 
squares,  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  add 
much  to  its  beauty.  It  contains  three 
banks,  a courthouse,  twenty-five  church- 
es, an  apprentices’  and  a circulating  li- 
brary, a mechanics’  association,  and,  in 
1850,  3S,SS5  inhabitants.  The  coast- 
ing-trade is  considerable,  and  a whaling 
and  sealing  company  was  incorporated 
in  1S33.  Manufactures  of  several  kinds 
are  carried  on  to  a great  extent,  espe- 
cially in  leather,  carriages,  &c. 

Newark  was  first  settled  by  a colony 
from  Connecticut,  in  May,  1666,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  “ concessions”  sent  to 
New  England  by  Lord  Carteret.  Cap- 
tain Robert  Treat,  John  Curtis,  Jasper 
Crane,  and  John  Treat,  having  been  sent 
from  Guilford,  Branford,  and  Milton,  in 
that  state,  and  made  a favorable  report, 
especially  in  favor  of  this  place,  they 
were  sent  again,  and  laid  out  the  town, 
with  the  main  streets  and  squares.  Thir- 
ty families,  from  those  towns  and  New 
Haven,  at  length  arrived  ; but  the  Hack- 
ensack Indians  refused  to  let  them  land, 
until  they  had  satisfied  their  demands. 
They  soon  made  a purchase,  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  wild  men,  giving  them 
one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  New 
England  currency,  twelve  Indian  blan- 
kets, and  twelve  guns,  for  a tract  of  land 
now  including  the  townships  of  Spring- 
field,  Livingston,  Orange,  Caldwell,  and 
Bloomfield. 

Paterson. — This  town,  thirteen  miles 
north  of  Newark,  and  seventeen  north- 
west of  New  York,  is  situated  at  the 
falls  of  the  Passaic,  at  a spot  abounding 
in  romantic  scenes,  and  peculiarly  favor- 


I able  for  manufacturing  by  water-power. 
The  stream  makes  a perpendicular  de- 
scent of  seventy  feet  over  a precipice, 
in  a sheet  of  foam,  which  is  partly  con- 
cealed by  a projecting  rock.  A deep 
sluice,  cut  through  the  hard  bank,  draws 
off  the  water  for  the  numerous  manufac- 
tories below,  so  that  the  river  is  left  al- 
most dry  in  the  summer-season. 

The  town  contains  two  banks,- a phi- 
losophical society,  with  a library,  an 
academy,  fourteen  churches,  and  twenty 
two  thousand  inhabitants.  It  was  cho- 
sen for  the  site  of  a great  cotton  manu- 
facturing place  by  Alexander  Hamilton, 
who,  with  his  associates,  were  incorpora- 
ted, in  1791,  with  a capital  of  a million 
of  dollars.  The  early  period  at  which 
their  design  was  formed  testifies  to  their 
intelligence  and  foresight,  as  the  inven- 
tions of  Arkwright^  were  almost  un- 
known in  the  United  States.  A board 
of  directors  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  William  Duer,  John  Dewhurst,  Ben- 
jamin Walker,  Nicholas  Low,  Royal 
Flint,  Elisha  Boudinot,  John  Bayard, 
JohnNeilson,  Archibald  Mercer,  Thom- 
as Lowring,  George  Lewis,  More  Fur- 
man, and  Archibald  M‘Comb  ; and  WI1- 
liarn  Duer  was  made  the  principal  officer. 

I In  1792,  when  this  spot  was  selected, 

1 there  were  not  more  than  ten  houses  in 
I the  place,  which  was  named  in  honor 
! of  Governor  William  Paterson.  Major 
I L’Enfan  was  appointed  engineer,  and 
I began  to  cut  the  race  *on  a scale  unne- 
I cessary  large  and  expensive,  and  resign- 
! ed  in  a short  time.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Mr.  Colt,  who  adopted  a more  eco- 
I nomical  plan  ; and  the  first  factory  was 
I completed  in  1794.  It  was  ninety  by 
| forty  feet,  and  four  stories  high  ; and 
! yarn  was  spun  in  it  that  year  by  water. 
The  year  preceding,  the  operation  had 
! been  performed  by  ox-power.  In  1794, 

! calico-printing  was  done,  on  unbleached 
muslins  purchased  in  New  Y ork.  The 


society  at  the  same  time  directed  the 


superintendent  to  plant  mulberry-trees  ; 

I and,  at  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Colt,  a teach- 
er was  employed  to  instruct  the  work- 
children  gratuitously  on  the  sabbath. 
This  was,  no  doubt,  the  first  sabbath- 
| school  in  the  state,  if  not  in  the  Union. 
I It  differed,  however,  from  our  common 


Source  of  the  Passaic  River. 


214 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


sabbath-schools,  in  being  taught  by  a 
hired  teacher.  In  1796,  in  consequence 
of  losses  of  money  sent  to  England  for 
machinery,  the  misconduct  and  igno- 
rance of  foreign  workmen,  and  the  nov- 
elty of  the  undertaking,  the  company 
failed  ; a*nd  the  building  was  leased,  and 
used  for  spinning  candlewick  and  yarn, 
until  it  was  burnt,  in  1807.  In  1814, 
Mr.  Roswell  L.  Colt,  son  of  the  gentle- 
man above-named,  purchased  the  shares  | 
and  revived  the  company;  and  the  place  j 
has  longt>een  one  of  the  most  flourishing  j 
manufacturing  towns  in  this  country, 
though  it  suffered  a great  and  unavoida- 
ble interruption  after  the  war  of  1812. 
The  supply  of  watQr  is  very  valuable, 
and  has  been  enlarged  by  a dam,  four  and 
a half  feet  high,  erected  on  the  top  of  the 
fall  ; and  the  water  is  distributed  by 
three  short  canals,  at  different  elevations. 
The  Passaic  is  navigable  for  sloops  ; and 
it  not  only  has  good  common  roads,  but 
the  Morris  canal,  and  a railroad  to  J er- 
sey  city. 

Morristown. — This  is  the  capital  of 
Morris  county,  and  stands  on  a fine,  ele- 
vated plain,  in  the  midst  of  a varied  and 
picturesque  region.  It  is  distant  fifty 
miles  from  Trenton,  nineteen  from  New- 
ark, and  twenty-six  from  New  York. 
The  streets  are  wide,  straight,  and  laid 
out  at  right-angles  ; and  in  the  centre  of 
the  town  is  a large  square,  surrounded 
by  neat  dwellings,  and  several  churches 
and  other  public  buildings.  A large  and 
splendid  hotel  here,  erected  by  Mr.  Giv- 
ens, was  accidentally  burnt  in  1846.  An 
aqueduct,  about  a mile  in  length,  supplies 
the  village  with  water  ; and  there  are 
several  manufactories  at  Speedwell,  on 
a small  stream.  The  Morris  and  Essex 
railroad,  extending  hence  to  Newark, 
was  finished  in  1S38,  and  affords  impor- 
tant advantages  to  the  town. 

Washington  retreated  to  this  spot,  in 
177.7,  after  the  b Rtle  of  Princeton.  His 
headquarters  are  still  pointed  out,  as. well 
as  different  points  connected  with  inter- 
esting associations  of  that  important 
period.  Several  important  events,  and 
many  interesting  incidents,  occurred  in 
the  two  seasons  when  Morristown  was 
the  residence  of  Washington.  Hosack, 
in  his  “ Life  of  Clinton,”  mentions  that 


Washington  once  visited  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Jones,  pastor  of  the  presbyterian  church 
in  that  place,  to  inquire  whether  Chris- 
tians of  other  denominations  might  be 
admitted  to  partake  of  the  communion 
at  the  semi-annual  celebration  of  it  by 
his  people,  which  he  had  understood  was 
approaehing.  The  reply  was  : “ Most 
certainly  ; ours  is  not  the  presbyterian’s 
table,  general,  but  the  Lord’s.”  The 
general  replied  : “ I am  glad  of  it ; that 
is  as  it  ought  to  be.  I propose  to  join 
with  you  on  that  occasion,  though  a mem- 
ber of  the  church  of  England.” 

The  Source  of  the  Passaic. — The  pic- 
turesque scene  represented  in  the  ac- 
companying engraving,  is  at  the  head 
of  the  principal  stream  of  New  Jersey, 
on  whose  banks  are  situated  some  of  the 
most  important  towns  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  pages,  and  whose  waters  form 
the  picturesque  cascade,  and  turn  the 
busy  wheels  of  Paterson. 

The  Passaic  rises  in  Somerset  and 
Morris  counties,  and  makes  a remarka- 
ble bend  round  the  county  of  Essex,  so 
as  to  form  almost  its  entire  western, 
northern,  and  eastern  boundaries.  It 
has  several  tributaries,  the  principal  of 
which  are  the  Pompton  and  the  Rocka- 
way.  The  former  is  formed  by  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Pequannock  and  the  Ram- 
apo,  which  rise  in  New  York.  Most  of 
the  regions  watered  by  the  Passaic  and 
its  ^ranches  are  rough  and  wild,  abound- 
ing in  mines,  and  in  forests,  which  sup- 
ply fuel  for  reducing  them.  The  failure 
of  the  latter,  however,  has  been  the 
chief  cause  of  the  abandonment  of  some 
of  the  mines. 

Standing  at  the  source  of  the  Passaic, 
amid  the  romantic  and  solitary  scenery 
which  surrounds  him,  a spectator  may 
reflect  with  interest  on  the  peculiarities 
of  the  country  through  which  it  flows, 
and  the  various  useful  ends  to  which  its 
waters  are  applied,  during  its  short  but 
varied  course.  It  is  not  in  vain  that  it 
has  its  head  at  so  considerable  an  eleva- 
tion above  the  ocean.  In  its  short,  but 
busy  career,  it  performs  an  immense 
amount  of  labor,  in  turning  wheels  which 
move  a variety  of  machinery,  whose  prod- 
ucts are  so  valuable  as  to  add  materially 
to  the  wealth  of  the  state. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  215 


Head-Waters  of  the  Juniata  and  the  Allegany 
Mountains. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

This  state,  one  of  the  largest  of  the 
original  thirteen,  lies  between  New 
York  and  Virginia,  two  of  the  other 
most  extensive  of  that  number,  with 
Ohio  on  the  west,  the  most  populous 
and  flourishing  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers of-  the  Union  ; while  its  eastern 
boundary  divides  it  from  New  Jersey, 
and  it  adjoins  Maryland  for  a short 
distance  on  the  southeast.  Lake  Erie 
touches  it  on  the  northwest.  The  Al- 
legany ranges  divide  it  into  two  parts  : 
forming  three  distinct,  though  une- 
qual sections,  counting  the  mountainous  part  as  the  central  one.  These  mount- 
ains deviate  considerably  from  their  general  line  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. They  cross  the  boundary  of  Virginia  with  a course  nearly  northeast,  soon 
incline  northeasterly,  and  at  length  run  for  some  distance  eastwardly  : then 
stretching  again  more  northwardly,  cross  the  New  York  line  in  the  usual  course, 
northeast.  The  most  easterly  ridge  enters  the  state  in  York  county,  and  is  cut 
through  by  the  Susquehannah,  a river  which,  instead  of  conforming  its  direction 
to  that  of  the  mountains,  crosses  the  entire  range  nearly  at  right-angles. 

The  Delaware  river,  which  forms  the  whole  eastern  boundary,  rises  in  the 
state  of  New  York.  A system  of  canals  forms  an  important  line  of  navigation 
for  boats  and  arks  from  the  Lehigh  river  to  Philadelphia,  by  which  the  productive 
coal-mines  at  Mauch-Chunk  send  thousands  of  tons  to  that  city.  The  Delaware 
communicates,  also,  at  different  points,  with  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  canal,  the 
Morris  canal,  and  the  Delaware  and  Chesapeake  canal,  and,  through  the  Schuyl- 
kill, by  the  improved  navigation  of  that  river,  and  the  great  Western  can?.!  line, 
to  the  Ohio.  At  the  same  time,  the  numerous  and  long  lines  of  railroads,  cross- 
ing the  country  in  different  directions,  meet  the  Delaware  at  Philadelphia ; while 


216 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  navigation  of  that  noble  stream  by 
steamboats,  coasting  and  foreign  vessels, 
adds  another  very  important  branch  to 
the  extensive  commerce  of  the  state. 

The  Susquehannah,  though  flowing 
through  regions  abounding  in  various 
products,  is  naturally  so  much  broken 
by  the  irregularity  of  the  surface,  that  it 
was  navigable  only  for  boats,  and  at 
great  risk ; and,  at  the  same  time,  the 
more  important  agricultural  portion  of 
the  state,  west  of  the  mountains,  offered 
strong  inducements  to  the  opening  of  a 
channel  of  communication  between  it 
and  the  commercial  capital.  The  ex- 
ample of  New  York  encouraged  the  un-  ' 
dertaking ; and  Pennsylvania  embarked 
more  extensively  than  any  other  state  in 
the  construction  of  canals.  Immense 
labors  were  performed.  Railroads  were 
in  some  places  connected  with  them. 
But  the  first  results  proved  unfavorable, 
and  a general  depression  for  a time  suc- 
ceeded, so  great  that  the  legislature  at 
length  resorted  to  a temporary  suspen- 
sion of  payment  ; but  arrears  are  now 
paid,  and  prospects  improving. 

The  History  of  the  settlement  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  early  years  of  its 
colonial  existence,  have  ever  been  re- 
garded with  peculiar  interest,  on  account 
of  the  professions  and  character  of  the 
people,  and  especially  their  founder. 
The  earliest  European  colony  was  plant- 
ed in  this  state  by  Swedes,  in  1627,  or 
1628,  and  conquered  by  the  Dutch,  from 
New  York,  in  1655.  But  the  English 
having  taken  possession,  in  1681,  Wil- 
liam Penn  obtained  a grant  of  land  on 
the  Delaware,  landed  at  New  Castle, 
and  entered  upon  the  government  of 
about  3,000  inhabitants — Swedes,  Eng- 
lish, Dutch,  and  Finlanders. 

A place  called  by  the  Indians  Coa- 
quanock,  was  chosen  for  the  site  of  a 
city,  and  named  Philadelphia,  a name 
corresponding  with  the  pacific  principles 
of  the  society  of  Friends,  of  which  Penn 
was  so  distinguished  a member.  By  his 
mild,  just,  and  humane  treatment  of  the 
Indians,  he  set  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation,  and  gave  the  poor  savages,  so 
often  misunderstood,  abused,  and  mis- 
represented, opportunities  to  display  some 
of  the  virtues  of  which  they  have  too  i 


often  been  declared  to  be  destitute.  A 
characteristic  anecdote  is -told,  by  iradi- 
tion,  of  the  sagacity  and  Christian  liber- 
ality of  William  Penn,  which  forcibly 
illustrates  the  truth,  that  the  way  which 
is  right  is  usually  that  which  is  most 
profitable  in  the  end.  The  Indians  once 
came  to  him  with  a complaint  that  they 
had  been  under  some  misapprehension 
in  the  terms  of  a bargain  they  had  made 
with  the  white  men,  who  had  purchased 
of  them  a large  tract  of  land.  The  col- 
onists at  the  same  time  represented  that 
the  bargain,  though  hard  for  the  Indians, 
was  a fair  one,  and  that  they  were  ready 
to  fight  for  it.  Penn,  however,  in  con- 
sistency with  the  principles  of  the  gos- 
pel, which  he  professed,  inquired  of  the 
Indians  how  much  more  they  considered 
the  land  worth  than  they  were  to  re- 
ceive ; and,  on  being  informed,  made 
such  an  addition  of  the  articles  used  in 
trade  as  fully  satisfied  them,  though  re- 
ally of  trifling  value,  and  thus  not  only 
prevented  immediate  bloodshed,  and 
other  evils  attendant  oil  war,  but  con- 
firmed the  grateful  wildmen  in  their  pa- 
cific spirit  and  friendly  attachment  to  the 
colonists,  most  favorable  to  the  perma- 
nency of  a good  understanding  and  free 
trade  for  the  future. 

The  relations  between  Pennsylvania 
and  Connecticut  were  disturbed  for  a 
number  of  years,  after  the  settlement  of 
a colony  from  the  latter  in  the  valley  of 
Wyoming,  which  was  claimed  under  the 
patent  of  King  Charles,  as  it  lay  in  her 
territory,  as  marked  tiut  by  the  two 
parallels  extending  to  the  South  sea. 
The  encroachments  of  the*  French  in 
the  west,  on  the  Ohio  river,  threatened 
Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  Virginia;  but, 
until  the  Revolutionary  war,  her  inland 
position,  and  the  obstacles  presented  by 
her  mountains,  contributed  to  secure 
her  from  most  of  the  trials  through  which 
many  of  the  other  colonies  had  to  pass, 
in  the  early  stages  of  their  history. 
Having  no  internal  enemies,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  just  and  pacific  policy 
pursued  by  Penn,  she  had  litt:e  to  dis- 
turb the  peaceful  lives  of  her  inhabit- 
ants, until  the  Revolutionary  war  in- 
volved her  in  a full  share  of  the  public 
sufferings  and  losses.  Her  capital,  after 


Treaty  of  William  Penn  with  the  Indians. 


218 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


serving  as  the  seat  of  government,  sub- 
sequently to  the  capture  of  New  York, 
was  threatened  by  the  enemy,  in  1778.  A 
strong  expedition  having  been  sent  from 
New  York  to  the  Delaware,  succeeded 
in  maintaining  itself  in  Pennsylvania  for 
a time : after  several  battles,  W ashington 
j retreating  to  Valley  Forge.  The  ene- 
my were,  however,  ere  long,  compelled 
to  retreat,  and  evacuate  the  country  on 
the  west  of  the  bay  and  river. 

The  “ whiskey  rebellion,”  which  broke 
j out  in  a part  of  the  state,  soon  after 
! the  restoration  of  peace,  kept  the  coun- 
try for  a time  in  a state  of  alarm ; but, 
after  its  suppression,  Pennsylvania  soon 
began  to  share  with  other  members  of 
the  Union,  in  the  career  of  prosperity 
which  has  so  greatly  distinguished  our 
country,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  states  for  the  extent 
and  success  of  its  manufactures.  Her 
iron-mines  and  manufactories,  with  her 
coal-mines,  are  the  grand  sources  of  her 
wealth,  although  her  commerce  is  con- 
siderable. 

Coal-Mines. — Among  the  natural 
i productions  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania, 
those  of  the  coal-mines  take  the  most 
important  place.  On  both  sides  of  the 
Alleganies  lie  extensive  and  apparently 
inexhaustible  beds  of  excellent  coal,  ma- 
ny of  which  are  on  the  immediate  banks, 
or  near  to  the  sources  of  streams,  which 
have  been  rendered  navigable  where  the 
aid  of  art  and  science  have  been  required ; 
and  the  immense  and  increasing  sup- 
plies, annually  transported,  subserve  the 
convenience  and  comfort  of  millions  of 
people,  not  in  this  territory  alone,  but 
in  half  the  states  of  the  Union.  Nu- 
merous steamboats  and  railroad-cars,  as 
well  as  manufactories  of  different  kinds, 
borrow  their  motive-power  from  these 
mines  ; while  almost  entire  towns  and 
cities  derive  from  them  their  vast  sup- 
plies of  fuel. 

The  coals  of  Pennsylvania  are  of  two 
kinds  ; and  it  is  remarkable  that,  while 
that  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Allega- 
nies is  anthracite,  that  on  the  west  is 
bituminous.  The  latter  has  rendered 
■ Pittsburgh  the  Birmingham  of  America. 

Literary  Institutions,  &c. — Liter- 
ary publications  and  scientific  institutions 


were  established  in  Philadelphia  in  her 
colonial  days,  chiefly  by  the  labors  and 
example  of  Dr.  Franklin,  who  for  a long 
time  exercised  a great  influence  on  the 
country,  and  whose  fame  is  universal. 
Massachusetts,  however,  lays  a claim  to 
a considerable  share  of  the  honor  of  his 
character  and  life,  as  he  was  a native  of 
Boston,  and  there  received  his  appren- 
ticeship in  the  art  which  had  so  strong 
an  influence  in  directing  his  practical 
course  in  life. 

Printing  was  introduced  into  the 
bounds  of  the  present  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1687,  when  the  first  sheet,  an 
almanac,  was  published  by  William 
Bradford.  The  first  newspaper  issued, 
was  “ The  American  Weekly  Mercury,” 
a half-sheet  of  “ post-paper,”  by  Andrew 
Bradford,  dated  Dec.  22,  1719.  There 
was  at  that  time  only  one  other  in  the 
colonies,  viz.,  at  Boston.  The  second 
was  commenced  in  1728,  and  passed,  in 
a few  months,  into  the  hands  of  Benja- 
min Franklin.  It  existed  more  than  a 
century.  Several  others  were  published 
in  the  middle  and  latter  part  of  the  last 
century  ; and  the  first  German  paper 
appeared  at  Germantown,  in  1739. 
There  were  not  fewer  than  six  maga- 
zines before  the  Revolution.  “ The 
American  Daily  Advertiser”  was  the  first 
daily  paper  in  America,  and  commenced 
its  daily  appearance  in  1784.  “ The 

Pittsburgh  Gazette,”  the  first  newspaper 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  began 
about  1786.  “An  imperfect  list  of  the 
periodical  journals”  published  in  the 
state,  between  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  1828,  given  in  the  Amer- 
ican Almanac  for  1835,  names  thirty-six. 
The  number  has  since  greatly  increased, 
in  every  department. 

State-Government. — The  governor 
is  chosen  by  the  people  for  three  years, 
but  cannot  hold  the  office  over  six  years 
in  nine.  He  must  be  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  .have  resided  in  the  state  for  seven 
years.  The  senate  consists  of  thirty- 
three  members,  elected  by  the  people 
for  three  years,  one  third  being  chosen 
annually.  A member  must  be  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  have  resided  four 
years  in  the  state,  and  the  last  year  in 
the  district  in  which  he  is  chosen.  The 


View  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Navy  yard. 


i 

I 


220  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


house  of  representatives  consists  of  one 
hundred  members,  elected  annually  by 
the  people.  A member  must  be  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  have  resided  in  the 
state  three  years  next  preceding  his 
election,  and  ihe  last  year  in  the  district 
for  which  he  is  chosen. 

All  judicial  officers  are  elected  by 
the  people  at  the  regular  state  election. 
The  judges  of  the  supreme  court  hold 
their  offices  for  fifteen  years ; those  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas  hold  theirs 
for  ten  years;  and  the  associate  judges 
of  the  court  of  common  pleas  hold  theirs 
for  five  years.  The  secretary  of  state 
is  appointed  by  the  governor,  and  holds 
office  during  his  pleasure.  The  treas- 
urer is  elected  annually  by  the  joint- 
ballot  of  both  houses  of  the  legislature. 
The  legislature  meets  annually  at  Har- 
risburgh  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  January. 

The  Merchants’  Magazine,  just  quo- 
ted, well  describes  Pennsylvania  in  the 
following  figurative  language  : — 

“ She  is,  indeed,  the  keystone  state. 
While  one  arm  rests  on  the  Atlantic, 
she  lays  the  other  on  the  Ohio,  and  her 
hand  plays  with  the  waters  of  the  lake. 
Within  her  hills  is  stowed  the  fuel  of 
ages  ; and  iron,  the  world’s  civilizer,  to 
bind  the  continent,  and  insure  the  sta- 
bility of  this  great  government ; Erie, 
her  outlet  on  the  lake,  Pittsburgh,  the 
head  of  the  eastern  branch  of  the  mighty 
valley,  and  Philadelphia,  not  only  the 
beautiful  city  of  the  plain,  but  destined 
to  be  the  leading  city  of  the  north,  a city 
worthy  so  great  a state.  In  her  present 
competition,  her  rivals  are  east.  The 
mass  of  productions  of  the  forest,  agri- 
culture, and  the  mines,  are  derived  from 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and 
the  ascending  trade  of  the  Mississippi 
valley.” 

The  coal-mines  of  England,  it  has 
been  remarked  by  the  president  of  the 
British  Statistical  society,  have  yielded 
more  profits  than  were  ever  derived  from 
the  gold-mines  of  Peru  ; but,  without 
the  aid  of  steam,  they  would  have  been 
comparatively  worthless.  The  products 
of  the  Pennsylvania  coal-mines  are  al- 
ready so  great  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  estimate  them ; and  such  are  the  an- 
nual increase  of  the  demand,  and  the 


abilities  of  the  machinery  employed  in 
mining  and  transporting,  that  the  pros- 
pects of  the  business  are  almost  too  great 
to  be  mentioned.  Professor  Bakewell 
remarks,  that  the  proximity  of  coal- 
mines and  beds  of  iron  ore  afford  strong 
evidence  of  the  provision  made  by  the 
Almighty  for  the  benefit  of  man.  Penn- 
sylvania, says  the  Merchants’  Magazine, 
is  the  only  state  which  has  direct  access, 
by  water,  at  once  to  the  ocean,  the  lakes, 
and  the  Mississippi  : we  perceive  that 
her  position  justifies  high  anticipations 
of  her  future  wealth  and  prosperity. 
The  real  estate  of  Pennsylvania,  accord- 
ing to  the  same  work,  was  estimated,  in 
1846,  on  the  best  data,  at  one  thousand 
four  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  and 
the  personal  property  at  seven  hundred 
millions;  making  an  aggregate  of  two 
thousand  one  hundred  millions,  or  more 
than  three  times  that  of  New  York. 
Such  an  estimate  must  surprise  almost 
every  one ; but,  to  sustain  it,  the  writer 
gives  the  following  statements  : “Each 
of  the  three  vast  beds  of  anthracite  coal, 
in  this  state,  are  about  five  miles  in 
breadth,  and  sixty-five  in  length,  with 
an  area  of  325  square  miles,  or  208,000 
acres  ; that  is,  in  all,  975  square  miles, 
or  624,000  acres.  If  the  supply  of  coal 
from  anthracite  mines,  for  1847,  is  esti- 
mated at  2,800,000  tons,  at  four  dollars 
per  ton,  which  is  the  average  price  at 
tide-water,  we  have  an  amount  of  eleven 
millions  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
Most  of  the  mines  are  owned  by  citi- 
zens ; and  the  balance  of  trade  with 
other  cities  is  constantly  in  favor  of 
Philadelphia.” 

It  is  amusing  to  record  some  of  the 
anecdotes  related  of  the  coal-trade  in  its 
early  days.  Mr.  Charles  Miner,  of 
Wilkesbarre,  and  Mr.  Cist,  sent  off  the 
first  ark -load  of  coal  from  Mauch  Chunk, 
on  the  9th  of  August,  1814.  The  boat 
soon  ran  against  a rock,  which  broke  a 
hole  in  it.  The  men  prevented  the  leak 
from  sinking  it,  by  taking  off  their  coats 
and  stuffing  them  into  the  hole.  When 
a*  length  the  cargo  reached  Poiladel 
pbia,  the  expenses  amounted  to  fourteen 
dollars  a ton.  The  owners  then  found  \ 
it  necessary  to  call  at  houses,  black-  j 
smith-shops,  &c.,  and  urge  the  people  j 


Philadelphia  Exchange. 


222  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  try  the  coal  in  their  grates  and  fur- 
naces, and  even  to  hire  journeymen  to 
give  it  a fair  trial,  after  publishing  hand- 
bills, in  English  and  German,  with  a 
minute  description  of  the  manner  of 
kindling  and  treating  it.  In  1812,  Col. 
George  Shockmaker  took  nine  wagons, 
loaded  with  coal,  from  the  Schuylkill 
mines  to  Philadelphia,  and  succeeded  in 
selling-  two  of  them.  It  was  with  diffi- 
culty  that  he  could  persuade  any  per- 
sons to  try  the  remainder,  which  he  left 
without  selling. 

The  amount  of  foreign  coal  imported 
into  the  United  States,  in  1846,  was 
156,853  tons,  worth  $378,597  ; which  is 
very  small,  compared  with  the  above 
estimate  for  the  supply  of  anthracite 
from  the  mines  of  Pennsylvania. 

Philadelphia. — This  city  was  ori- 
ginally confined  to  a point  on  the  west- 
ern bank  of  the  Delaware,  five  miles 
above  its  confluence  with  the  Schuylkill, 
and  about  one  hundred  from  the  ocean. 
The  river  is  of  sufficient  depth  for  the 
free  admission  of  vessels  of  the  largest 
size  ; but  the  navigation  is  subject  to  a 
long  interruption,  by  ice,  during  the  j 
winter  months.  The  city  now  extends 
quite  across  the  broad,  level  space  to  the  ! 
Schuylkill,  a distance  of  about  two  miles, 
while  the  northern  and  southern  dis- 
tricts, and  several  adjacent  villages, 
having  received  portions  of  the  increas- 
ing population,  now  contain,  together,  a 
large,  compact  mass  of  houses,  with  a. 
population  inferior  to  no  city  in  the  Uni- 
ted States,  except  New  York. 

Almost  without  a single  exception, 
Philadelphia  is  laid  out  on  a plan  of 
perfect  regularity.  The  streets  are  per- 
fectly straight,  and  those  running  north 
and  south  are  crossed  at  right-angles  by 
those  running  east  and  west,  at  equal  j 
intervals.  The  former  are  distinguished 
by  the  cardinal  numbers — First,  Second,  I 
Third,  &c.,beginningnear  the  Delaware,  ! 
as  far  as  Independence  square,  in  the 
centre  of  the  city ; and  between  the 
western  limits  and  that  point,  by  the  des-  j 
ignation  of  Schuylkill — First,  Second,  J 
Third,  &c.  The  principal  cross-streets 
are  named  after  trees,  as  Walnut,  Chest- 
nut, &c.,  except  the  central,  which  is 
Market  street,  and  one  or  two  others. 


These  principal  streets  so  far  alluded  to, 
form  fine,  large  squares,  which  are  sub- 
divided by  streets  of  a second  class,  and 
inferior  breadth,  of  which  those  running 
east  and  west  bear  the  names  of  shrubs 
and  inferior  plants. 

Philadelphia  is  distinguished  by  its 
neatness,  as  well  as  uniformity,  and  con- 
tains many  institutions  of  science,  learn- 
ing, and  beneficence,  as  useful  as  they 
are  honorable  to  the  inhabitants. 

Philadelphia  is  remarkable  for  a neat 
and  pleasing  style  of  building.  Hun- 
dreds of  houses,  of  the  first  class,  have 
basements  and  steps,  of  white  marble; 
and  the  pavements,  which  are  generally 
wide,  are  carefully  washed  and  swept. 
Great  cleanliness  prevails  through  a 
large  part  of  the  city,  although  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground  is  so  fiat  as  to  be 
rather  unfavorable.  Sewers  have  been 
constructed  to  a considerable  extent, 
and  the  good  habits  of  the  people  are 
the  chief  cause  of  this  important  feature 
in  their  city,  which  is  favored  by  the 
absence  of  great  thoroughfares,  the  pas- 
sage of  carriages  being  confined  to  no 
particular  streets. 

Markets. — The  principal  markets  are 
concentrated  in  Market  street,  in  which 
a long  line  of  buildings,  well  planned, 
and  built  for  the  purpose,  extends  about 
a mile,  and  is  proverbial  for  convenience 
and  neatness.  Abundant  supplies  of 
the  best  articles  of  food  are  displayed, 
with  neatness  and  in  good  order,  while 
sufficient  room  is  allowed  to  buyers  and 
sellers.  For  good  meat,  butter,  and 
some  other  products  of  the  fine  agricul- 
tural districts  in  the  neighborhood, 
Philadelphia  has  long  been  celebrated. 
South  of  the  city  lies  an  extensive  tract 
of  fertile  meadow-land,  where  rich  pas- 
tures and  fine  gardens  abound  ; the  ben- 
efits of  which  are  enjoyed  by  the  inhab- 
itants. 

The  large  draught-horses,  reared  with 
great  care  by  the  Dutch  farmers,  for  use 
in  their  heavy  wagons,  are  seen  in  great 
numbers. 

The  Philadelphia  Library  is  one  of 
the  earliest,  most  extensive,  and  valua- 
ble, in  the  country,  and  was  founded  by 
the  exertions  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
about  the  year  1727,  when  a little 


The  Custom-House,  formerly  the  United  States  Bank,  Philadelphia. 


224  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


club  of  young  men  was  formed  by 
Franklin,  and  used  to  meet  in  Pewter- 
Platter  alley,  for  reading  and  debate, 
and  commenced  the  collection  by  giving 
their  own  books.  Several  of  the  mem-- 
bers  afterward  became  distinguished 
men,  particularly  Thomas  Godfrey,  the 
inventor  of  the  mariners’  quadrant. 
Fifty  new  members  were  added  in  1730, 
and,  in  1742,  Thomas  Penn  incorporated 
it.  The  colonial  legislature,  in  1769, 
comprehended  several  other  libraries 
with  it,  under  an  act  conferring  upon  it 
its  present  name.  “ This,”  says  Frank- 
lin, “was  the  mother  of  all  the  North 
American  subscription  libraries,  now  so 
common.” 

The  American  Philosophical  Society, 
opposite  the  Philadelphia  Library,  is 
another  of  the  principal  institutions  of 
the  city,  which  claims  Franklin  as  its 
founder.  In  1743,  he  formed  a small 
society  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  cu- 
rious experiments  and  inquiries ; and, 
after  its  decline,  and  that  of  a second, 
commenced  in  1750,  the  American  Phi- 
losophical Society,  and  the  American 
Society  for  the  Diffusion  of  Useful 
Knowledge.  These  two  societies  were 
combined,  in  1769,  under  a common 
title,  and  Franklin  was  elected  presi- 
dent. Provision  was  made,  by  David 
Rittenhouse,  to  observe  the  transit  of 
Venus.  Several  subjects  of  great  pub- 
lic importance  were  early  considered  by 
this  society,  which  show  the  science  and 
benevolence  of  the  members. 

The  American  Historical  Society, 
which  has  distinguished  itself  by  the 
publication  of  the  writings  of  their  late 
• president,  Mr.  Dupongeau,  was  formerly 
only  a department  of  the  Philosophical 
society. 

The  Exchange  is  situated  at  the  cor- 
ner of  South,  Third,  and  Walnut  streets, 
and  on  the  angle  formed  by  the  inter- 
section of  Dock  with  Walnut  and  Third 
streets.  It  was  built  in  1833,  by  the 
merchants  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia. 
It  is  constructed  entirely  of  marble — is 
a rectangular  parallelogram  in  form, 
ninety-five  feet  front  on  Third  street,  by 
one  hundred  and  fifty  on  Walnut  street. 
On  Dock  street,  however,  is  a semicir- 
cular projection,  ornamented  from  the 


top  of  the  basement  story  with  six  beau- 
tiful Corinthian  columns  ; the  capitals 
worked  by  the  best  Italian  artists.  This 
portico  is  of  the  height  of  two  stories, 
and  communicates  with  the  “ exchange- 
room,”  by  means  of  nine  separate  win- 
dows, which  may  be  used  as  doorways. 

A hall  passes  through  the  centre  of  the 
building,  from  Dock  to  Third  streets, 
and  another  likewise  communicates  with 
this  from  the  north  side.  The  basement 
story  is  fifteen  feet  in  height,  is  arched 
throughout,  and  has  twelve  doorways  on 
the  Third-street  front  and  flanks.  On 
the  right  or  north  side  of  the  hall,  is  the 
postoffice,  seventy-four  by  thirty-six  feet, 
and  on  the  left  are  several  insurance 
offices  and  banks,  and  the  session-room 
of  the  chamber  of  commerce.  Two 
flights  of  stairs,  one  on  each  side  of  the  , 
hall,  ascend  to  the  second  floor;  at  the 
head  of  these  is  the  entrance  to  the  ex- 
change-room, which  is  on  the  east  front, 
extending  across  the  whole  building, 
and  occupying  an  area  of  3,300  super- 
ficial feet.  The  ceiling,  extending  to 
the  roof,  is  of  the  form  of  a dome,  and 
supported  by  several  marble  columns. 
Its  pannels  are  ornamented  with  splen- 
did fresco  paintings,  representing  Com- 
merce, Wealth,  Liberty,  &c.,  beautifully 
executed,  appearing  to  have  as  striking 
a relief  as  sculptured  work.  The  roof 
of  the  building  is  oval,  and  surmounted 
by  a circular  lantern  that  rises  forty 
feet. 

The  Customhouse,  located  in  Chestnut 
street,  is  a splendid  edifice  of  white 
marble,  on  the  plan  of  the  Parthenon  of 
Athens,  except  that  the  side  colonnades 
are  wanting. 

The  Girard  Bank  is  a marble  build- 
ing, with  six  beautiful  Corinthian  col- 
umns. A portion  of  it  is  represented 
in  our  engraving  of  the  exchange. 

O O O 

The  Bank  of  Pennsylvania,  opposite 
the  Girard  bank,  has  two  fronts,  on 
Second  and  Dock  streets,  each  with  six 
Ionic  columns. 

The  Statehouse,  containing  the  halls 
of  the  old  Congress,  is  interesting  from 
its  associations  with  the  important  pe- 
riod of  the  Revolution,  and  especially 
with  its  commencement.  Independence 
hall,  the  apartment  east  of  the  entrance, 


Old  State  House,  or  independence  Hall,  Philadelphia. 


15 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


[F226 

11 

is  that  in  which  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence was  adopted  and  signed, 
and  in  which  Washington  was  appoint- 
ed commander-in-chief  of  the  army. 

The  large  square,  in  the  rear  of 
that  edifice,  is  shaded  by  many  fine  old 
trees  ; and  Washington  square,  just  be- 
yond it,  which  was  enclosed  but  a few 
years  ago,  has  several  elegant  churches 
around  it,  and  many  fine  houses.  But 
the  most  conspicuous  public  place  is 
Independence  square,  before  named,  sit- 
uated between  Chestnut  and  Walnut 
streets. 

Girard  College. — This  splendid  edi- 
fice strikes  the  eye  with  admiration  from 
a distance,  presenting  a noble  colonnade, 
of  white  marble,  of  great  size,  and  the 
elegant  proportions  of  the  most  celebra- 
ted Grecian  models.  It  has  been  erect- 
ed with  immense  sums  of  money  be- 
queathed by  the  late  Stephen  Girard, 
long  an  eminent  merchant  of  Philadel- 
phia, for  the  education  of  orphans.  The 
peculiar  restrictions  laid  on  the  execu- 
tion of  the  will,  in  several  particulars, 
threw  embarrassments  in  the  way  of  the 
speedy  execution  of  the  enterprise,  and 
the  institution  has  never  gone  into  op- 
eration. 

Schools. — Philadelphia  has  long  been 
supplied  with  schools,  in  much  greater 
proportion  than  the  state  at  large,  in 
which  they  were  neglected,  until  1809, 
and  were  but  little  extended  or  improved 
by  the  act  of  the  legislature  of  that  year. 
Within  a few  years  past,  exertions  have 
been  made  to  establish  a universal  sys- 
tem of  common  education,  and  great 
advances  have  been  made  in  some  parts 
of  the  state  ; but  a large  proportion  of 
the  inhabitants  being  indifferent  to  the 
claims  of  education,  has  presented  great 
obstacles  to  the  rapid  change  so  desira- 
ble. The  German  population,  distin- 
guished as  they  generally  are  for  indus- 
try and  frugality,  are  too  much  opposed 
to  the  improvements  desired  by  many 
of  their  fellow-citizens  ; and  all  attempts 
made  to  rival  the  noble  example  of  New 
York  and  some  other  states,  have  been 
disappointed.  I11  Philadelphia,  howev- 
er, the  public  schools  have  been  placed 
upon  a very  high  footing  within  a few 
years ; and  not  only  the  city,  but  the 


state  and  the  country  at  large,  are  likely  ! 
to  participate  in  the  advantages  of  so 
enlightened  a measure. 

The  practice  of  humanity  and  Chris-  ; 
tian  philanthropy,  which  is  made  so 
prominent  a feature  in  the  system  of 
the  friends,  or  quakers,  has  shown  its 
influence  in ‘various  important  depart-  i 
ments.  The  improvements  in  prison- 
discipline,  which  we  have  noticed  at 
some  length  in  the  description  of  New 
York,  in  which  state  the  plan  which  now 
prevails  in  this  country,  and,  to  a con- 
siderable extent,  in  Europe,  was  first 
brought  into  operation  at  Auburn,  have 
been  partially  adopted  in  this  city.  Dr. 
Rush,  of  Philadelphia,  however,  first 
recommended  radical  improvements, 
founded  on  somewhat  similar  grounds, 
in  1787,  at  a time  when  public  opinion 
was  so  unprepared  to  put  them  into  op- 
eration, and  even  to  appreciate  them, 
that  they  were  regarded  as  visionary. 

A prison  was  erected,  in  1790,  on  a plan 
corresponding  with  his  views,  which  was 
the  first  step  in  the  way  of  improvement.  J 
The  prisoners  were  treated  with  more  j 
humanity,  kept  clean,  and  subjected  to 
regular  hours,  labor,  and  silence,  being 
watched  day  and  night.  They  were 
credited  for  the  products  of  their  labor ; 
and  half  the  excess  of  the  amount,  after 
fines  and  expenses,  was  paid  on  the  ex-  \ 
piration  of  the  sentence.  Bqt  several  ] ; 
grand  defects  of  the  old  system  were 
retained  in  that  prison,  which  further 
experience  condemned.  One  of  the 
principal  of  these  was  the  common 
rooms,  in  which  numbers  of  convicts  j 
spent  their  time  together,  by  day  and 
by  night.  No  vigilance  was  sufficient 
to  prevent  demoralizing  intercourse  ; 
and  reformation — the  great  object  in 
view — was  not  satisfactorily  secured. 

The  prison  has  since  been  demolished, 
and  others  have  been  erected,  on  differ- 
ent plans,  on  the  northeastern  borders  !j 
of  the  city. 

The  Penitentiary,  near  Fairmount,  is 
an  immense  edifice  of  granite,  with  a 
large  yard,  650  feet  square,  surrounded 
by  a wall  forty  feet  high.  The  plan  of 
this  building  is  wholly  different  from 
any  before  erected.  It  is  designed  for 
solitary  confinement,  in  the  strictest  I 


Eastern  State  Penitentiary,  near  Fairmount. 


■ — 1 

228  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


sense  of  the  term.  Rows  of  cells,  on 
one  level,  are  arranged  in  seven  long 
lines,  radiating  from  an  octagonal  build- 
ing in  the  centre,  where  a single  senti- 
nel is  placed  to  watch  and  listen,  guard- 
ing several  hundred  convicts.  Objec- 
tions have  been  made  to  this  system,  on 
the  ground  of  expense,  and  the  difficulty 
of  finding  occupation  for  the  prisoners, 
useful  to  them,  or  profitable  to  the  insti- 
tution, as  well  as  to  the  evil  effects, 
physical,  mental,  and  moral,  sometimes 
resulting  from  uninterrupted  solitude. 
General  Lafayette  remarked,  facetious- 
ly, while  on  a visit  to  this  prison  during 
its  construction,  that  solitary  confine- 
ment had  been  tried  on  him  at  Olmutz, 
without  changing  his  character  or  hab- 
its. 

The  House  of  Refuge,  for  juvenile  de- 
linquents, in  the  same  vicinity,  is  con- 
ducted on  the  same  general  plan  as  other 
similar  institutions  at  New  York  and 
elsewhere,  and  with  similar  beneficial 
results.  Vagrant  and  convicted  boys 
and  girls  are  placed  there,  under  the 
charge  of  keepers  and  instructors,  and 
are  trained  in  good  schools  and  various 
kinds  of  useful  business,  and  then  ap- 
prenticed, chiefly  to  humane  persons  in 
distant  and  retired  country  situations. 
Some  of  the  boys  have  been  sent  to  sea; 
and  many  unfortunate  children  have 
been  rescued  from  ruin  by  such  humane 
I treatment. 

The  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  — This 
noble  institution  was  founded  by  Dr. 
Thomas  Bond,  in  1751,  aided  by  Frank- 
lin and  others.  The  grounds  are  fine, 
and  it  contains  a statue  of  William 
Penn,  with  West’s  celebrated  picture 
of  Christ  healing  the  sick,  presented  by 
its  author,  a native  of  this  state. 

The  University  of  Pennsylvania,  on 
Ninth  street,  has  two  fine  edifices,  one 
of  which  is  for  the  medical  department. 
The  origin  of  this  institution  is  traced 
back  to  1764,  when  a subscription  was 
opened  for  an  academy  and  charity- 
school,  in  which  English,  mathematics,  j 
and  Latin,  were  to  be  taught.  It  was 
incorporated  and  endowed  in  1753  ; and 
among  its  pupils  was  Lindley  Murray, 
author  of  the  English  grammar.  It  was 
incorporated  as  a college  in  1755. 


Medical  instruction  was  first  given 
by  Dr.  William  Shippen,  in  1764,  in 
a course  of  anatomical  lectures,  to  ten 
pupils.  Dr.  John  Morgan  was  his  as- 
sociate the  next  year — both  being  grad- 
uates of  Edinburgh.  Dr.  Kahn  was 
made  professor  of  botany  in  1768,  and 
in  1769  Dr.  Bush  of  chymistry,  while 
Dr.  Bond  was  clinical  lecturer  in  the 
Pennsylvania  hospital.  This  medical 
college  has  now  about  four  hundred  stu- 
dents. 

The  United  States  Mint  was  erected 
in  1830,  after  one  of  Mr.  Strickland’s 
designs.  It  is  entirely  of  white  marble, 
has  a front  on  Chestnut  street  of  122 
feet,  and  one  on  Centre  square.  The 
whole  process  of  making  money,  assay- 
ing, refining,  and  coining  the  metal,  is 
carried  on  in  this  building.  The  mint 
was  established  in  1790  ; and  in  1793, 
they  commenced  coining  in  the  building 
now  occupied  by  the  Apprentices’  Li- 
brary company,  in  Seventh  street.  Mr. 
R.  M.  Patterson  has  been  at  the  head 
of  this  establishment  for  several  years. 
Since  the  discoveries  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  amount  of  coinage  has  been 
largely  increased. 

The  Naval  Hospital  is  situated  about 
two  miles  southwest  from  the  centre  of 
the  city.  The  expense  is  defrayed  by 
funds  contributed  by  the  officers  and 
seamen  of  the  United  States  navy,  out 
of  their  pay.  The  building  is  on  an 
eminence,  commands  an  extensive  view, 
and  makes  a fine  appearance  from  a dis- 
tance. The  front  is  386  feet  in  length, 
three  stories  high,  and  it  is  large  enough 
to  lodge  three  or  four  hundred  persons. 
The  first  story  is  of  granite,  and  the 
second  and  third  of  marble,  both  of 
which  kinds  of  stone  are  found  in  abun- 
dance in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  . 

The  western  side  of  Philadelphia  is 
a scene  of  much  bustle  and  business. 
Several  fine  bridges  cross  the  Schuyl- 
kill, and  the  wharves  below  are  landing- 
places  for  vessels  coming  from  Delaware 
bay  and  the  ocean,  for  the  canal-boats 
of  the  Schuylkill  navigation,  and  the 
Union  canal,  which  leaves  that  line  at 
Reading  for  the  Susquehannah.  Above, 
a fine  stone  dam  crosses  from  bank  to 
bank,  and  shows  the  first  of  the  long 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


229 


and  expensive  series  of  works  which  form 
an  uninterrupted  channel  of  communica- 
tion between  the  Schuylkill  coal-mines 
and  the  city.  Fairmount,  a high,  steep 
eminence,  rises  near  the  same  spot,  on 
the  top  of  which  are  the  immense  reser- 
voirs for  the  supply  of  Philadelphia  with 
water,  which  is  raised  from  above  the 
milldam,  by  five  large  waterwheels,  and 
allowed  to  stand  for  a time  in  two  reser- 
voirs, of  the  capacity  of  eleven  millions 
of  gallons,  until  it  deposites  the  earthy 
particles.  It  is  then  distributed  through- 
out the  city,  through  pipes  more  than  a 
hundred  miles  in  extent. 

The  Wire  Suspension-Bridge. — This 
wonderful  and  beautiful  specimen  of  art 
was  erected  in  1842,  at  the  expense  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  by  Mr.  Charles 
Elliot,  for  the  city  and  county  of  Phila- 
delphia. It  occupies  the  site  of  the 
celebrated  Wernwag’s  wooden-arched 
bridge,  the  longest  in  the  world  (with 
an  arch  of  three  hundred  and  forty  feet 
span),  burnt  down  a short  time  previ- 
ously, and  connects  the  two  sides  of  the 
Schuylkill  at  a very  important  point. 

The  length,  from  one  abutment  to  the 
other,  is  343  feet,  and  from  one  of  the 
supporting  rollers  to  the  other,  at  the 
apex  of  the  columns,  357  feet,  while  the 
breadth,  including  the  floor  and  the  foot- 
ways, is  27  feet.  The  wire,  of  which  an 
immense  quantity  was  used  in  the  fab- 
ric, is  one  eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
This  is  formed  into  five  cables  for  each 
side  ; each  is  constituted  of  260  strands, 
two  inches  and  five  eighths  in  diameter, 
weighing  four  tons,  and  able  to  support 
eight  hundred  tons.  Seventeen  short 
and  smaller  cables,  hanging  from  each 
of  these,  to  support  the  floor-beams,  are 
made  of  smaller  wires,  and  able  to  sup- 
port two  tons  each. 

The  large  cables  pass  over  iron  roll- 
ers on  the  pillars,  by  which  the  tension 
is  equalized,  and  are  fastened  around 
many  strong  iron  bars,  transversely  im- 
bedded in  rocks  or  masonry.  The  tow- 
ers are  enormous  columns  of  granite, 
from  the  state  of  Maine.  The  iron  was 
quarried  at  Juniata,  and  manufactured 
at  Easton — all  in  this  state. 

The  arched  bridge  spoken  of  above, 
the  predecessor  of  the  wire-bridge,  was 


finished  in  1813,  at  an  expense  of  one 
j hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
and  exceeded  the  largest  of  all  others 
by  ninety-six  feet  in  the  span.  It  was 
fifty  feet  wide  at  the  abutments,  and 
thirty-five  in  the  centre,  being  by  this 
form  braced  against  lateral  pressure. 

The  Permanent  Bridge  was  erected, 
at  the  foot  of  Market  street,  by  a com- 
pany incorporated  in  1798,  and  cost 
$300,000,  including  the  land.  The  work 
was  a great  one,  at  that  early  day,  when 
no  such  structure  had  been  undertaken 
in  the  country;  but  it  was  successful. 
Indeed,  it  might  be  regarded  as  an  en- 
terprise of  magnitude  at  any  period,  as 
the  depth  of  the  river  presented  formi- 
dable obstacles  to  the  sinking  of  piers. 
The  western  one  was  founded  at  a depth 
of  forty-one  feet  below  high-water  level. 

Fountain  Park. — This  is  not  only  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  situations  in  the 
country,  in  point  of  picturesque  beauty, 
but  also  endeared  to  us  by  historical  as- 
sociations of  the  most  romantic  charac- 
ter. Here,  by  the  shore  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill (or  Manayone,  as  it  was  called  by 
the  aborigines),  occurred  some  of  the 
most  desperate  fights  recorded  in  the 
annals  of  Indian  warfare.  Here,  the 
axe  of  the  first  settler  under  Penn  awoke 
the  echoes  of  the  woods.  At  the  hour 
that  the  battle  of  Germantown  was  ra- 
ging around  Chew’s  house,  here,  at  least 
three  miles  from  that  celebrated  spot, 
the  Hessians  were  endeavoring  to  crush 
a band  of  continentals,  inferior  in  arms 
and  discipline,  but  not  in  iron  courage. 
After  twelve  bloody  onsets,  that  poured 
from  the  hill  into  the  valley,  the  conti- 
nentals drove  their  enemies  across  the 
river,  at  the  ford,  whose  traces  are  now 
obliterated  by  the  rising  of  the  waters, 
from  Fairmount  dam.  This  ford  is  sit- 
uated on  the  southern  verge  of  Laurel 
hill,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  on 
the  globe,  whose  spires  and  monuments 
are  now  visible  from  the  mansion. 

It  was  here  that  William  Penn  loved 
to  wander,  contemplating,  either  in  his 
walks  on  shore,  or  in  his  excursions  on 
the  river,  the  rise  and  progress  of  his 
much-beloved  colony.  In  those  wan- 
derings, perchance,  he  already  saw — for 
he  was  a deep  thinker — his  colony  rise 


New  Suspension  bridge  at  Fairmount. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  8TATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  231 


into  a state  : that  state  one  of  the  great 
nations  among  thirty  independent  com- 
monwealths. 

The  time  is  not  distinctly  marked 
when  the  original  fabric,  reared  some- 
time in  the  commencement  of  the  18th 
century,  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
beautiful  mansion — the  production  of 
the  princely  taste  and  spirit  of  Pennsyl- 
vania’s first  governor,  Thomas  Mifflin. 
Yet  it  is  a fact  distinctly  established, 
that  some  of  the  most  important  councils 
held  by  Washington  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, took  place  on  this  spot.  The  grass, 
spreading  greenly  before  the  porch,  has 
been  pressed  by  the  feet  of  a Frank- 
lin, a Volney,  a Priestley,  a Jefferson,  an 
Adams,  engaged  in  careless  converse,  or 
philosophical  discussions. 

The  ambassadors  of  kings  have  here 
met  the  republican  fathers  of  America. 
The  mind  wanders  back,  through  the 
arcades  of  time,  and  beholds  the  rich 
display  of  contrasts  which  were  exhib- 
ited in  the  olden  time — the  handsome 
apparel  of  counts,  dukes,  nay,  princes, 
contrasted  with  the  'plain  uniform  of 
Morgan,  the  rifleman,  or  the  modest 
costume  of  Jefferson,  the  author  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

When  Washington  was  president,  he 
was  wont  to  leave  his  country  residence, 
in  Germantown,  and  stroll  by  the  lake 
northward  of  the  mansion,  his  imposing 
form  reflected  in  its  waves  ; or,  seated 
on  the  porch,  he  would  gaze  on  the 
Schuylkill,  thinking  over  again  the  tri- 
als and  battles  of  his  life,  from  Brad- 
dock’s  defeat  to  the  fall  of  Yorktown. 

These  are  remarkable  associations. 
Among  other  memories,  we  must  not 
forget  that  the  singular  round,  or  sex- 
agonal  tower,  that  rises  a hundred  yards 
to  the  east  of  the  mansion,  was  once  the 
hermitage  of  religion  and  the  closet  of 
eloquence.  The  celebrated  clergyman, 
Dr.  Smith,  who  preached  those  stirring 
and  remarkable  sermons  during  the  war, 
built  this  tower,  filled  it  with  his  books, 
and  here  elaborated  his  most  finished 
productions.  The  doctor  was  a Scot  by 
birth,  but  an  American  in  feeling.  His 
grandson,  Richard  Penn  Smith,  now  re- 
sides  on  the  ground,  and  inherits  in  a 
great  degree  the  genius  of  his  ancestor. 


Perhaps  not  the  least  interesting  re- 
flection of  all  is  presented  in  the  fact 
that  the  old  mansion,  once  hallowed  by 
the  presence  of  Washing-ton,  Lafayette, 
and  Wayne — enlivened  by  the  visits  of 
noblemen  of  royal  blood,  is  now  the  do- 
main of  a gentleman  whose  only  herald- 
ry is  recorded  in  his  honest  rise  to  for- 
tune and  fame,  from  the  walks  of  toiling 
life  into  one  of  the  first  publishers  and 
literateurs  of  the  country.  We  need 
not  refer  to  Andrew  M‘Makin,  Esq., 
proprietor  of  the  “Courier,”  whose  de- 
lightful family  are  always  ready  to  ex- 
tend the  old-fashioned  rites  of  hospital- 
ity to  the  stranger,  and  render  a visit 
to  Fountain  Park  (or  Aromana,  as  the 
Indians  called  it  and  its  lakes)  a journey 
of  homeborn  pleasure.  It  is  rarely  that 
literary  labor  meets  with  a repose  like 
this — much  more  rarely  are  its  honors 
worn  so  well,  or  with  such  unpretending 
grace. 

Reading,  fifty-four  miles  from  Phila- 
delphia, is  a place  of  considerable  im- 
portance, and  contains  some  handsome 
public  buildings.  The  Union  canal  be- 
gins two  miles  below  Reading,  passes 
up  the  western  shore  of  the  river  to  the 
valley  of  the  Tulpehocken,  and  then  fol- 
lows that  valley  till  within  five  miles  of 
Lebanon,  where  begins  the  summit-lev- 
el. In  all  this  distance,  it  rises  311  feet, 
by  numerous  locks  of  four  and  eight  feet 
lift.  The  canal  is  twenty-four  feet  wide 
at  bottom,  four  deep,  and  thirty-six  oil 
the  surface.  On  this  part  of  the  canal  is 
the  tunnel,  an  excavation  bored  through 
a hill  for  a distance  of  729  feet,  25  feet 
being  first  cut  away.  This  dark  and 
gloomy  passage  is  eighteen  feet  in  width, 
and  fourteen  feet  high. 

Schuylkill  Water-Gap. — This  is  a 
narrow  gorge,  through  which  the  river 
runs  over  a steep  and  rocky  channel,  for 
four  or  five  miles,  leaving  no  room  upon 
its  banks,  which  rise  abruptly  on  each 
side  to  the  height  of  several  hundred 
feet.  The  road  has  been  cut  out  along 
the  face  of  one  of  these  ranges,  at  a great 
elevation,  where  the  surface  is  in  many 
places  of  such  a declivity  as  to  require 
it  to  be  supported  by  walls  of  stone. 
The  views  which  are  here  afforded  to 
the  traveller,  are  romantic  and  varied  in’ 


Fountain  Park,  the  Residence  of  Andrew  M’Makin.  Esq , Proprietor  ot  the  Philadelphia  American  Courier. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


233 


a high  degree.  This  interesting  scene 
somewhat  resembles  that  on  the  Dela- 
ware represented  in  the  vignette. 

The  Little  Schuylkill  River,  a branch 
of  the  principal  stream,  runs  through  a 
valley  of  the  same  general  description ; 
and  here  lies  the  road  to  Mount  Car- 
bon. 

The  Tunnel. — This  a place  where  a 
hill  has  been  bored  through  375  yards 
for  a canal,  about  three  miles  from  Or- 
wigsburgh. 

Mount  Carbon  is  near  several  coal- 
mines. The  coal-country  in  this  region 
begins  in  Luzerne,  on  the  upper  part 
of  the  Lackawana  river,  following  its 
course  to  the  Susquehannah,  and  along 
that  stream,  principally  on  the  eastern 
bank,  to  eighteen  miles  beyond  Wilkes- 
barre.  It  runs  south  to  the  Lehigh  river, 
and  thence  southwest,  through  Schuyl- 
kill county.  It  extends  about  one  hun- 
dred miles,  and  at  the  middle  of  the 
range  is  eight  or  nine  miles  wide,  but 
narrower  toward  each  end. 

At  Mount  Carbon  the  coal  occurs  in 
beds  of  four  or  five  feet  in  thickness, 
running  east  and  west,  and  dipping  to 
the  south  at  forty-five  degrees,  with  a 
slate-rock  immediately  over  it,  and  strata 
of  sandstone  and  earth  above.  The  slate 
presents  the  impressions  of  organized 
substances  imbedded  in  it,  as  the  leaves 
of  laurel,  fern,  &c. 

In  consequence  of  the  inclination,  of 
the  coal-veins  into  the  earth,  the  miners 
have,  in  some  places,  sunk  shafts  to  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  with 
lateral  excavations,  east  and  west,  of 
various  lengths  to  three  hundred  feet. 
Two  small  carriages,  called  “ trams, ” 
are  used  in  a sloping  shaft  to  bring  the 
coal  out,  teing  made  to  descend  by 
turns  ; but  in  the  horizontal  one,  which 
has  been  carried  in  several  hundred  feet, 
they  use  wheelbarrows. 

Pottsville. — This  is  the  capital  of 
Schuylkill  county,  and  the  centre  of  the 
coal-business,  on  the  western  part  of  the 
great  anthracite  region,  extending  east- 
ward to  Mauch  Chunk.  It  contains 
nearly  eight  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
enjoys  a romantic  situation  in  the  midst 
of  the  mountains,  whose  mineral  treas- 
ures, so  recently  brought  to  light,  em- 


ploy a large  population,  and  create  a 
scene  of  bustle  and  profitable  industry 
all  along  the  course  of  the  stream  below, 
and  powerfully  contribute  to  the  pros- 
perity of  many  distant  manufactories, 
and  to  the  movements  of  commerce. 

Lehigh  Coal-Mines. — The  first  discov- 
ery of  coal  at  Mauch  Chunk  is  said  to 
have  beeri  made  by  a hunter,  as  late  as 
1791.  The  first  indications  he  noticed 
were  bits  of  anthracite  adhering  to  the 
roots  of  a fallen  tree.  A company  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  mining  it  the 
following  year,  called  the  Lehigh  Coal- 
Mine  company,  who  secured  a tract  of 
land  embracing  the  present  mine,  made 
a rough  road  to  it  from  the  river,  and 
began  to  dig  the  coal,  and  transport  it 
to  the  stream.  But  the. navigation  was 
so  difficult  that  the  enterprise  failed. 

The  improvement  of  the  navigation 
of  the  Lehigh  was  commenced  by  the 
legislature  of  the  colony,  as  early  as  the 
year  1771.  Laws  for  the  same  object 
are  found  in  the  statute-book  of  the  state, 
under  the  dates  of  1791,  1794,  &c.  A 
company  undertook  to  clear  the  chan- 
nel, and,  after  spending  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  gave  up  the  attempt.  Different 
persons,  in  the  meantime,  who  had  ta- 
ken leases  from  the  coal-mine  company, 
made  unsuccessful  exertions  to  transport 
the  coal  to  Philadelphia;  the  last  of 
whom,  Messrs.  Cist,  Miner,  and  Robin- 
son, have  been  before  mentioned.  They 
abandoned  their  attempts  in  1815. 

Wonderful  as  it  now  appears,  the  dif- 
ficulty of  igniting  anthracite  coal  was 
sufficient  to  prevent  its  introduction  for 
many  years  ; and  the  incredulity  of  the 
public  continued  to  be  too  great  to  be 
overcome  by  the  exertions  made,  until 
the  year  1818,  when  twojnining  compa- 
nies were  formed  ; and,  in  1820,  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  tons  were  brought 
down,  and  sold  in  Philadelphia  at  eight 
and  a half  dollars  a ton,  delivered,  which 
fully  satisfied  the  demand.  Both  com- 
panies were  soon  formed  into  one;  since 
which  its  operations,  much  facilitated  by 
great  improvements  in  the  navigation, 
have  been  vast  and  beneficial.  By  means 
of  dams,  the  water  of  the  Lehigh,  which 
is  insufficient  for  continual  use,  is  stop- 
ped, and  occasionally  allowed  to  flow  for 


234  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


a short  time,  floating  down  at  once  nu- 
merous rude  boats  or  boxes,  called  arks, 
laden  with  coal,  from  sixteen  to  eighteen 
feet  wide,  and  twenty  to  twenty-five  in 
length.  It  was  soon  found  convenient  to 
connect  two  of  these,  and  afterward, 
three,  four,  and  more,  so  that  the  tem- 
porary flood  might  carry  them  down  to- 
gether, without  separating  them  or  stri- 
king them  against  each  other,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  would  conform  to 
the  rough  suiface  of  the  water,  as  no 
single  vessel  of  great  length  could  pos- 
sibly do,  and  might  be  navigated  and 
managed  separately  at  pleasure.  Inge- 
nuity devised  improvements  of  other 
kinds  also  ; for  machinery  was  soon 
brought  into  use,  by  which  planks  were 
joined  for  an  ark,  put  together,  and 
launched,  in  forty-five  minutes,  by  five 
men. 

A branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
was  finished  not  long  after,  along  the 
western  bank  of  the  Delaware  ; and  thus 
the  only  remaining  work,  necessary  to 
a convenient  and  uninterrupted  commu- 
nication between  the  mines  and  the  city, 
was  completed. 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
commences  at  Kingston,  on  the  Hudson 
river,  and  runs  over  to  the  Delaware 
river,  through  the  valley  of  the  Never- 
sink  creek,  thence  up  the  valley  of  the 
Delaware  to  the  Lackawaxen  creek,  and 
up  that  creek  to  the  foot  of  the  railway. 
This  is  a continuous  canal  of  117  miles 
in  length.  The  railway  commences  at 
the  termination  of  the  canal,  and  runs 
over  Moosick  mountain  to  the  coal-mines 
at  Carbondale,  on  the  Lackawana  creek, 
sixteen  and  a half  miles,  overcoming  an 
elevation  of  858  feet. 

At  Easton  is  the  dam  over  the  Dela- 
ware, at  the  termination  of  the  works 
for  improving  the  navigation  of  Lehigh 
river,  from  Mauch  Chunk  to  this  place. 

Bethlehem  is  a neatly-built  place,  in 
a romantic  and  delightful  situation,  along 
the  course  of  a swift-running  brook.  It 
is  inhabited  by  Germans.,  and  is  the  seat 
of  an  old  Moravian  school. 

The  works  on  the  Lehigh  river  are  on 
a large  scale.  The  river  descends  365 
feet,  and  requires  fifty-two  locks  and 
twenty-one  dams.  The  locks  are  in- 


tended for  steamboats  capable  of  carry- 
ing 150  tons  of  coal,  one  hundred  feet 
long  and  thirty  feet  wide. 

The  Lehigh  water-gap  is  twenty-five 
miles  from  Easton,  and  eleven  fiom  Le- 
highton,  six  miles  from  Mauch  Chunk. 
The  first  objects  that  attract  attention, 
near  the  village  of  Mauch  Chunk,  are 
the  lock  in  the  river,  and  the  chute,  or 
inclined  plane,  at  the  end  of  the  railway, 
down  which  the  loaded  coal-cars  slide 
to  the  wharf  on  the  river,  where  they 
load  the  boats  and  arks.  The  latter 
carry  about  ten  tons.  The  trains  of  cars 
coming  down  the  railway  will  often  be 
heard  rumbling  as  the  traveller  ap- 
proaches the  village. 

Mauch  Chunk,  ninety  miles  from  New 
York,  and  seventy  from  Philadelphia,  is 
shut  in  by  rude  mountains,  of  such  height 
that  the  sun  is  invisible  to  many  of  the 
inhabitants  during  the  short  days. 

The  railway  leads  from  near  the  coal- 
mines to  the  Lehigh  river.  This  was 
the  second  ever  constructed  in  the  Uni- 
ted States — the  Quincy  railway,  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, being  the  first.  It  extends 
a distance  of  nine  miles,  along  the  side 
of  a mountain. 

The  coal-mine  lies  a little  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  mountain  ; and  the 
coal -cars  are  first  made  to  ascend  to  the 
summit  of  the  railway  up  an  acclivity 
of  five  eighths  of  a mile.  The  summit 
is  982  feet  above  the  river.  The  aver- 
age rise  of  the  way  is  eighteen  inches 
per  one  hundred  feet,  which  is  scarcely 
perceptible  to  the  eye,  and  enables  a 
single  horse-power  to  draw  up  three 
empty  cars. 

The  cars  are  made  of  strong  oak  tim- 
bers, and  planked  up  on  three  sides, 
with  a swinging  door  in  the  rear.  They 
are  six  feet  four  inches  long,  three  feet 
wide  at  top  and  two  feet  at  bottom,  and 
about  three  feet  in  depth,  resting  on 
wheels  with  cast-iron  rims  or  felloes  two 
feet  in  diameter,  one  inch  thick,  and 
about  four  inches  in  breadth,  with  a 
strong  edge  or  flanch,  one  inch  in  thick- 
ness, and  about  two  inches  wide,  which 
prevents  them  from  slipping  off  the  rails. 

The  cars  may  be  stopped  immediate- 
ly, by  a long  lever,  which  brings  string 
bearers  against  two  of  the  wheels,  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


23b 


causes  great  friction.  The  guide  to  ev- 
ery brigade  of  eleven  cars  holds  a rope 
attached  to  all  the  levers.  Several  hun- 
dreds of  such  cars  are  in' use.  They  car- 
ry the  coal  to  the  chute  above  the  river, 
down  which  they  are  sent. 

At  the  end  of  the  railroad  is  a plat- 
form, on  the  bank  of  the  Lehigh  river, 
down  which  the  coal  is  let  over  one  of 
the  rails,  on  an  inclined  plane  of  750 
feet  (200  feet  perpendicular  height),  to 
the  stone-houses,  the  wharf,  and  the 
boats.  Each  loaded  car  is  connected  to 
an  empty  one,  which  it  draws  up,  by  a 
rope  that  passes  round  a large  cylinder 
or  drum.  A car  goes  down  in  about  one 
minute  and  twenty  seconds. 

The  mine  opens  upon  the  road  by 
passages  cut  in  the  earth.  These  con- 
duct into  an  area  formed  by  the  removal 
of  coal,  where  carts  drive  in,  load,  and 
then  pass  out  at  the  other  passage. 

Pittsburgh. — This  is  the  greatest 
manufacturing  town  of  the  west,  and 
has  furnished  a large  proportion  of  the 
steamboats  which  navigate  the  Missis- 
sippi and  its  branches.  It  occupies  a 
low  point  of  land,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Allegany  and  Monongahela  rivers,  whose 
united  stream  is  named  the  Ohio.  It  is 
three  hundred  miles  west  from  Philadel- 
phia, eleven  hundred  from  New  Orleans, 
by  land,  and  over  two  thousand  by  wa- 
ter, yet  has  almost  daily  communication 
with  it  by  steamboats.  A part  of  the 
city  now  covers  Ayres’  hill,  and  part  of 
the  sides  of  two  other  eminences ; while 
four  small  towns,  Allegany,  Sligo,  Man- 
chester, and  Birmingham,  at  short  dis- 
tances, occupy  points  on  the  banks. 

A bridge  of  eight  arches,  and  fifteen 
hundred  feet  long,  crosses  the  Monon- 
gahela, erected  in  1818,  at  an  expense 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  ; while 
four  bridges  cross  the  Allegany,  as  well 
as  the  noble  aqueduct  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia canal.  The  city  contains  about  sev- 
enty churches,  and  the  population,  in 
1850,  was  80,000. 

It  is  rare,  indeed,  to  find  so  many  ad- 
vantages concentrated  in  one  spot,  as 
those  which  combine  to  give  to  Pitts- 
burgh its  great  manufacturing  and  com- 
mercial importance.  It  not  only  occu- 
pies the  head  of  the  navigation  of  the  | 


Ohio,  but  it  is  the  radiating  point  of  the 
! great  western  system  of  canals  and  rail- 
roads : while  its  relation  to  extensive 


| and  fertile  regions  of  Virginia  and  New 
I York,  as  well  as  of  the  state  to  which  it 
belongs,  and  the  abundant  supplies  of 
coal  and  iron  at  its  command,  brought 
into  use  by  its  enterprising  inhabitants, 
have  given  it  the  highest  rank  among 
the  cities  of  the  west. 

The  fine  engraving  accompanying  this 
description  is  copied  from  one  of  Mr. 
Bartlett’s  correct  and  elegant  prints, 
and  gives  a just  picture  of  this  large  and 
flourishing  toWn  ; but  nothing  except  a 
visit  to  the  place  can  convey  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  amount  of  business  carried 
on  in  various  branches  of  manufacture. 

The  principal  manufactures  of  Pitts- 
burgh are  all  things  that  pertain  to  the 
construction  and  furnishing  of  steam- 
boats, especially  the  engines  for  their 
use,  and  such  as  are  employed  in  vari- 
ous mills,  &c.,  with  a great  variety  of 
machines,  implements,  and  tools,  of 
wood  as  well  as  of  iron,  including 
ploughs,  &c.,  &c.  Bar  and  rolled  iron 
are  made  in  large  quantities,  as  well  as 
nails,  glass,  cotton  cloths,  leather,  and 
boards.  The  steam-power  in  use  in 
these  and  various  other  branches  of 
manufacture,  amounts  to  several  thou- 
sand horse-power.  Several  steamboats 
arrive  and  depart  every  day,  with  many 
more  canal -boats. 

There  are  several  banks  and  insurance 
companies,  a board  of  trade,  with  an  ex- 
change-room and  a reading-room,  and 
about  a dozen  companies  managing 
freight  and  the  transport  of  passengers 
on  the  canal. 

The  Courthouse  occupies  the  summit 
of  Grant’s  hill,  where  it  makes  a con- 
spicuous appearance,  and  commands  an 
extensive  and  interesting  view  oyer  the 
city,  the  river,  the  neighboring  villages, 
and  the  surrounding  country.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  in  length, 
one  hundred  in  breadth,  and  has  the  jail 
in  its  rear.  The  rotunda,  a fine  hall, 
sixty  feet  in  diameter,  is  in  the  second 
story,  surrounded  by  court  and  jury- 
rooms.  The  structure  is  large,  substan- 
tial, elegant,  and  costly.  It  was  five 
years  in  building,  cost  two  hundred 


236  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


thousand  dollars,  and  is  creditable  to  the 
state,  both  on  account  of  its  style,  plan, 
and  execution.  Its  material  is  the  fine, 
gray  sandstone,  which  abounds  in  some 
parts  of  the  neighboring  hills. 

The  Western  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania is  situated  at  Pittsburgh.  The 
institution  commenced  operations  in 
1822,  and  the  buildings  were  erected 
on  Third  street,  in  1830.  The  edifice 
has  a high  basement  of  hewn  stone,  with 
arched  entrances,  and  two  stories  above, 
with  a portico  projecting  in  the  middle, 
having  four  Ionic  columns.  It  is  sur- 
mounted by  a cupola,  with  windows  on 
all  sides. 

The  Water-Works. — Pittsburgh  is 
supplied  with  water  from  the  Allegany 
river,  which  is  raised,  by  Steam-power, 
to  a reservoir  on  Grant’s  hill,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  feet  high.  The  reser- 
voir is  eleven  feet  in  depth,  and  capable 
of  containing  a million  of  gallons. 

The  Western  Theological  Seminary 
is  situated  at  Allegany  city.  It  is  under 
the  direction  of  the  general  assembly  of 
the  presbyterian  church,  by  whom  it  was 
founded  in  1825.  The  building  occu- 
pies a fine,  airy  position,  on  the  summit 
of  an  elevated  ridge,  rising  one  hundred 
feet  from  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  con- 
tains six  thousand  volumes  in  its  libra- 
ry. A workshop  was  connected  with  it, 
with  the  intention  of  employing  the  stu- 
dents in  manual  labor. 

The  theological  seminary  of  the  asso- 
ciate reformed  church,  which  was  found- 
ed in  1826,  is  also  situated  in  this  town. 

The  * Western  Penitentiary  of  Penn- 
sylvania.— This  extensive  prison  stands 
on  the  shore  of  the  Allegany,  at  the 
western  extremity  of  Allegany  city.  It 
was  completed  in  1827,  and  cost  $183,- 
092,  including  all  the  furniture,  &c. 
The  system  of  solitary  confinement  is 
here  in  practice  ; and  the  prisoners  are 
employed,  at  solitary  labor,  in  the  weav- 
ing of  carpets,  making  shoes,  and  pick- 
ing oakum. 

The  United  States  Arsenal  is  at  Law- 
renceville,  two  and  a half  miles  above 
Pittsburgh,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Al- 
legany, opposite  Wainwright’s  island. 
That  insular  spot  is  celebrated  as  the 
scene  where  Washington  was  driven  on 


shore  on  his  raft,  in  his  first  attempt  to 
cross  the  stream,  on  his  return  from  his 
mission  to  Venango.  Considerable  num- 
bers of  arms  afe  manufactured  in  the 
arsenal,  including  ordnance  ; and  here 
a large  supply  is  constantly  in  store. 
Here,  also,  equipments  are  made  and 
kept,  for  the  southern  and  western  mili- 
tary posts,  the  place  being  at  once  cen- 
tral, and  conveniently  situated  for  com- 
munication with  different  parts  of  the. 
country. 

History. — The  history  of  Pittsburgh 
is  highly  important,  as  it  was  the  first 
point  occupied,  in  all  this  western  re- 
gion, by  the  English,  and  was  the  scene 
of  contest  between  th&t  nation  and  the 
French.  Under  the  belief  that  “ the 
forks  of  the  Monongahela”  were  within 
the  bounds  of  Virginia,  George  Wash- 
ington was  sent,  in  1753,  to  select  a site 
for  a fort,  who  chose  this  spot ; and 
troops  were  soon  sent  to  occupy  it,  while 
Pennsylvania  despatched  a force  for  the 
same  purpose,  considering  the  place  a 
spot  witlhin  her  own'  territory.  But,  on 
the  7th  of  April,  1754,  while  Ensign 
Ward,  with  forty  men,  was  engaged  in 
building  a fort,  during  the  absence  of 
the  superior  officers,  sixty  batteaux  and 
three  hundred  canoes  appeared,  loaded 
with  one  thousand  of  the  enemy’s  troops 
and  Indians,  descending  the  Allegany. 
They  landed  and  demanded  a surrender; 
which  was  complied  with,  on  condition 
that  the  English  should  be  allowed  to 
depart  unmolested,  with  their  working- 
tools. 

The  capture  of  this  fort  was  the  first 
act  of  hostility  in  the  last  French  war, 
as  it  is  commonly  called  in  this  country, 
which  continued  for  seven  years.  The 
French  commander,  Gen.  Contrecceur, 
immediately  commenced  the  erection  of 
Fort  Duquesne  on  the  same  spot. 

In  1755,  General  Braddock,  at  the 
head  of  an  army,  consisting  of  British 
troops  and  American  militia,  after  many 
delays,  approached  this  place,  and  the 
army  threw  the  French  into  a state  of 
great  alarm.  Their  fort  was  a mere 
stockade,  quite  unfit  to  resist  artillery  ; 
and  Captain  Beaujeu,  with  great  diffi- 
culty, persuaded  some  of  the  Indians  to 
accompany  a portion  of  the  French  sol- 


238  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

diers  to  march  out  and  await  the  ap- 
proach of  their  enemies  in  an  ambush. 
The  plan,  however,  proved  successful, 
in  consequence  of  the  self-confidence  of 
the  British  general  ; for,  in  spite  of  the 
most  earnest  expostulations  of  Washing- 
ton, he  persisted  in  proceeding  without 
precaution,  and  would  not  allow  an  ad- 
vance guard  or  scouts  to  explore  the 
trackless  forest  before  and  around  them. 
The  consequence  was,  that,  after  cross- 
ing the  river  and  reaching  a piece  of 
smooth  ground,  up  an  acclivity,  where 
they  were  among  the  trees,  they  received 
a sudden  and  destructive  fire,  on  both 
sides,  from  large  bodies  of  the  enemy 
concealed  in  two  ravines  parallel  to  the 
line  of  march,  and,  after  three  hours’ 
fighting,  were  totally  defeated.  The 
British  commander,  and  many  officers 
and  men  of  the  two  regiments  of  regular 
troops,  with  a large  part  of  the  colonial 
militia,  were  killed.  Those  who  were 
finally  saved,  owed  their  lives  to  the  skill 
and  boldness  of  Washington,  who  here 
first  displayed  some  of*  those  peculiar 
qualities  which  afterward  proved  as  use- 
ful to  the  country  as  honorable  to  him- 
self. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  the  force  by  which 
that  powerful  expedition  was  defeated, 
was  quite  insignificant.  Washington 
wrote  to  his  mother,  nine  days  after  the 
battle,  that  he  was  persuaded  they  “did 
not  amount  to  three  hundred  men,  while 
ours  consisted  of  about  thirteen  hundred 
well-armed  troops,  chiefly  regular  sol- 
. diers,  who  were  struck  with  such  a panic 
that  they  behaved  with  more  cowardice 
than  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  The  of- 
ficers behaved  gallantly,  in  order  to  en- 
courage their  men,  for  which  they  suf- 
fered greatly.” 

Easton. — This  is  an  important  town, 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  Lehigh  river. 
The  canal-basin  and  locks,  with  the 
bridges  over  that  stream  and  the  Dela- 
ware, are  expensive  works.  The  coal- 
trade,  the  slate  quarries,  the  surround- 
ing grain-country,  and  the  manufactories 
of  the  place,  many  of  which  are  moved 
by  water-power,  combine  to  render  the 
town  one  of  much  business  and  prosper- 
ity. There  are  at  least  twenty  saw- 

mills,  several  oil-mills,  &c.,  within  a 
short  distance.  The  Delaware  bridge 
cost  sixty-five  thousand  dollars.  The 
Lehigh  bridge  is  of  wood,  in  the  place 
of  one  of  chains,  which  was  destroyed 
by  a flood  in  1841. 

Lafayette  College. — This  institution, 
established  in  1826,  for  a military  acad- 
emy, was  changed  to  one  of  a collegiate 
character  in  1832  ; and,  two  years  after- 
ward, the  building  was  erected,  which  is 
one  hundred  and  twelve  feet  by  forty- 
four,  and  contains  sixty  rooms.  It  is 
named  “ Brainard  hall.” 

Easton  was  an  important  place  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century,  as  it  was  a 
favorite  council-town  of  the  Delaware 
Indians.  During  the  F rench  wars,  great 
exertions  were  made  by  the  Jesuits  in 
Canada,  to  detach  this  powerful  nation 
from  the  English  interest  Important 
councils  were  held  here  in  1756,  1757, 
and  1758,  at  which  all  differences  were 
adjusted  between  the  Delawares  of  sev- 
eral tribes  and  the  Six  Nations  of  New 
York,  by  Teedyuscung,  chief  of  the  Del- 
awares, assisted  by  the  quakers,  in  op- 
position to  a strong  combination  of  men 
less  friendly  to  the  claims  of  the  red 
men. 

The  Valley  of  Wyoming. — This  nar- 
row tract  of  country  has  attained  melan- 
choly celebrity,  from  the  tragical  fate  of 
its  early  colonies,  which  has  been  re- 
corded, in  an  appropriate  style,  by  one 
of  the  most  chaste  and  popular  mod- 
ern British  poets.  This  beautiful  and 
secluded  region  is  shut  in 'by  the  ranges 
of  the  Shawnee  and  Lackawannock 
mountains  on  one  side,  and  the  Wyo- 
ming and  the  Moosic,  about  six  miles 
distant,  on  the  other.  It  is  watered  by 
the  Susquehannah  river,  which,  as  has 
been  before  remarked,  runs  in  a direc- 
tion across  the  rude  barriers  of  nature. 
On  reaching  this  valley,  however,  it  de- 
viates awhile  from  its  general  course  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  and  meanders, 
with  a gentle  current,  for  about  eighteen 
miles,  nearly  parallel  with  the  ridges  of. 
the  mountains.  It  then  bursts  its  way 
though  Wyoming  mountain,  and  pursues 
its  course  through  Columbia  county. 

The  first  settlers  here  were  from  Con- 
necticut, as  has  been  before  mentioned, 

The  Wyoming  Valley,  from  Prospect  Rock. 


— — 1 

240  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  several  towns  were  for  some  time 
represented  in  the  legislature  of  that 
colony,  by  deputies  elected  here,  who 
annually  performed  the  then  long  and 
toilsome  journey  to  Hartford.  The  man- 
ners and  habits  of  the  present  day  bear 
strong  traces  of  their  origin,  although 
considerable  additions  have  been  re- 
ceived to  the  population  from  the  Ger- 
mans andScotch-Irish  of  the  surrounding 
country,  with  many  miners  and  laborers, 
from  Wales  and  Ireland,  in  the  mining 
regions. 

“ Few  landscapes,”  says  Professor 
Silliman,  “ can  vie  with  the  valley  of 
Wyoming.  Excepting  some  rocky 
precipices  and  cliffs,  the  mountains  are 
wooded  from  the  summit  to  their  base ; 
natural  sections  furnish  avenues  for 
roads,  and  the  rapid  Susquehannah  rolls 
its  powerful  current  through  a mountain- 
gap  on  the  northeast,  and  immediately 
receives  the  Lackawanna,  which  flows 
down  the  narrower  valley  of  the  same 
name.  A similar  pass  between  the 
mountains  on  the  south  gives  the  Sus- 
quehannah an  exit ; and,  at  both  places, 
a slight  obliquity  in  the  position  of  the 
observer  presents  to  the  eye  a seeming 
lake  in  the  windings  of  the  river,  and  a 
barrier  of  mountains  apparently  impas- 
sable. F rom  the  foot  of  the  steep  mount- 
ain ridges,  particularly  on  the  eastern 
side,  the  valley  slopes  away,  with  broad, 
sweeping  undulations  in  the  surface, 
forming  numerous  swelling  hills  of  ara- 
ble and  grazing  land  ; and,  as  we  recede 
from  the  hills,  the  fine  flats  and  mead- 
ows, covered  with  the  richest  grass  and 
wheat,  complete  the  picture,  by  features 
of  the  gentlest  and  most  luxuriant  beau- 
ty.” 

The  lower  part  of  Wyoming  valley 
was  occupied  by  some  of  the  Shawnees, 
soon  after  the  arrival  of  William  Penn 
at  Philadelphia,  those  Indians  having 
received  permission  to  settle  there  from 
the  Six  Nations,  who  claimed  the  coun- 
try. When  some  of  the  Delawares,  not 
long  subsequently,  were  driven,  by  the 
encroaching  whites,  from  their  lands 
above  the  forks  of  the  Delaware  and 
Lehigh,  the  Six  Nations  allowed  them 
to  occupy  the  eastern  side  of  Wyoming 
valley,  where  they  built  a town  called 


Maughwaurame,  just  below  the  site  of 
Wilkesbarre.  This  was  done  in  1742; 
and  that  same  year  arrived  among  them 
the  celebrated  Moravian  missionary, 
Count  Zinzendorf,  accompanied  by  his 
friend  Mack,  with  his  wife.  The  Dela- 
wares, jealous  of  white  men  (in  conse- 
quence of  having  been  overreached  by 
an  artifice  in  a contract  for  the  sale  of  a 
portion  of  their  lands  on  the  Lehigh,  by 
which  they  had  been  deprived  of  the 
whole),  meditated  the  butchery  of  the 
man  who  had  forsaken  country  and  pos- 
sessions for  the  disinterested  love  of 
.mankind,  and  devoted  himself,  with  the 
evangelical  spirit  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity, to  the  trials  of  a missionary  among 
the  heathen.  His  life,  however,  was 
spared  ; and  he,  with  his.  companions 
and  followers,  lived  to  introduce  the 
gospel  among  that  nation  of  our  abori- 
ginal red  men.  The  mission  was  re- 
moved, a few  years  after,  to  Wyalusing, 
after  the  commencement  of  the  Connec- 
ticut colony.  The  Shawnees,  in  the  low- 
er part  of  the  valley,  had  been  invited 
by  the  French  on  the  Ohio  to  join  a part 
of  their  nation  who  resided  among  them, 
but  had  been  prevented  from  a compli- 
ance by  the  influence  of  the  Moravian 
missionaries.  An  accident,  however,  in- 
duced them  to  chajige  their  minds.  One 
day,  during  the  absence  of  the  Delaware  t 
warriors,  two  children,  from  the  different 
tribes,  while  at  play  on  the  banks  of  the 
Wyoming,  fell  into  a dispute  about  a 1 
grasshopper  which  one  of  them  had 
caught.  This  at  length  drew  in  their 
parents  and  friends,  until,  to  settle  a 
question  of  rights  and  boundaries  which 
was  raised,  it  led  to  a battle,  and  the 
defeat  and  expulsion  of  the  Shawnees. 
Thus  enmity  was  created  on  both  sides, 
which,  with  other  causes,  laid  the  way 
for  the  scenes  of  blood  which  ere  long 
ensued. 

The  charter  of  Pennsylvania  was  un- 
happily drawn  up  so  as  to  interfere  with 
that  of  Connecticut,  both  embracing  this 
region,  the  right  to  which  was  vested  by 
the  former  in  William  Penn,  and  by  the  I 
latter,  at  a time  long  anterior,  in  the  - 
people  of  Connecticut.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  first  settlers  from  that 
colony  arrived  in  1762,  to  the  number 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  241 


of  two  hundred ; and  a long  course  of  j 
remonstrances,  rivalry,  military  prepa-  , 
rations,  find  even  military  operations, 
commenced  between  them  and  the  Penn- 
sylvanians. 

In  1777,  at  a time  when  almost  all  the 
able-bodied  men  of  the  Connecticut  set- 
tlements were  absent  with  the  Revolu- 
tionary army,  a large  body  of  Indians 
came  down  the  Susquehannah,  led  by 
the  inhuman  Colonel  John  Butler,  whose 
savage  conduct  at  Cherry  valley  has 
been  noticed  in  the  description  of  New 
York.  His  force  consisted  of  his  own 
tory  rangers,  a detachment  from  Sir  John 
Johnson’s  Royal  Greens,  in  all  about  four 
hundred,  and  seven  hundred  Seneca  In- 
dians. To  meet  them,  only  four  hundred 
could  be  mustered,  consisting  chiefly  of 
old  men  and  boys,  and  these  undrilled, 
ill  provided  with  arms,  and  many  of  them 
unaccustomed  to  war,  and  ill-fitted  for 
the  field  by  their  youth  or  age.  Choos- 
ing for  their  leader  Colonel  Zebulun 
Butler,  who  happened  to  be  at  the  place, 
they  took  post  on  the  side  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah, with  the  steep  bank  on  their 
right,  and  a swamp  on  their  left,  and 
there  withstood  the  enemy,  until,  after 
a desperate  fight,  and  the  loss  of  two 
thirds  of  their  number,  the  invaders  tri- 
umphed. Many  of  the  prisoners  were 
butchered  in  cold  blood  after  the  sur- 
render; and  numbers  of  those  who  es- 
caped, were  barely  able  to  reach  their 
women  and  children,  left  in  the  stock- 
aded forts  below,  in  time  to  induce  them 
to  desert  the  valley  and  seek  safety  in 
flight.  Hundreds  of  weak  and  defence- 
less widows  and  orphans  were  soon  wan- 
dering over  the  mountains,  and  pursuing 
their  melancholy  way  to  distant  settle- 
ments, and  even  back  to  Connecticut. 
Some  parties  lived  for  several  days  on 
whortleberries  ; and  one,  consisting  of 
a hundred  persons,  had  but  a single 
man.  One  of  the  stockades,  called  Fort 
Forty,  having  received  a few  of  the  fu- 
gitive soldiers,  made  a show  of  defence 
on  the  approach  of  the  victorious  ene- 
my, and  obtained  an  honorable  capitu- 
lation, drawn  up  in  the  handwriting  of 
their  clergyman,  and  signed  by  Colonel 
Butler;  but,  no  sooner  had  the  tories 
entered  at  one  gate,  and  the  Indians  at 


the  other,  than  they  began  to  threaten 
and  rob  the  inmates,  whose  weakness 
they  had  now  discovered.  They,  how- 
ever, did  not  proceed  to  bloodshed  ; but 
as  it  was  perceptible  that  no  security 
could  be  enjoyed,  the  people  in  a few 
days  followed  the  example  of  their  pred- 
ecessors, and  set  out  on  foot  to  find  some 
place  of  safety.  For  several  days  and 
nights  the  houses  and  barns  were  burn- 
ing in  all  parts  of  the  valley,  while  hun- 
dreds of  corpses  lay  bleeding,  from  the 
weapons  of  the  white  and  the  red  men, 
who  seemed  to  rival  each  other  in  wan- 
ton barbarity,  thus  adding  another  to  the 
awful  lessons  which  history  has  so  often 
recorded,  on  the  diabolical  spirit  that 
war  can  enkindle  in  the  human  heart. 

In  1779,  Gen.  Sullivan  passed  through 
the  valley  with  his  army,  on  his  expedi- 
tion against  the  Six  Nations,  and,  in  Oc- 
tober, returned  to  Easton,  whence  he 
had  marched,  having  devastated  some 
of  the  richest  of  their  country. 

In  March,  1784,  after  the  valley  had 
again  become  populous,  on  the  breaking 
up  of  the  ice  in  the  river,  a dam  was 
formed,  by  its  stopping,  at  the  narrow 
gorge  through  which  it  leaves  this  beau- 
tiful region.  The  water  rapidly  rose 
over  the  land,  driving  the  inhabitants  to 
the  hills,  and  leaving,  after  subsiding, 
many  lands  injured,  and  much  property 
destroyed. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  violent  animosities  were  raised  be- 
tween the  “Pennamites”  and  the  “ Con- 
necticut boys,”  as  the  two  old  parties 
were  called,  and  were  carried  to  great 
lengths  ; bfit  *a  permanent  adjustment 
of  the  long  dispute  was  finally  made  by 
the  legislatures  of  the  two  states  inter- 
ested. 

Montgomery  County  is  apart  of  the 
state  most  abounding  in  iron-mines.  It 
is  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  central 
range  of  mountains,  and  is  exceedingly 
wild  and  rough,  with  small  valleys  in- 
terposed between  numerous  tall  and 
romantic  eminences,  such  as  Tuscarora 
mountain,  Black  Log,  Sideling  hill,  the 
Terrace,  Allegripus,  Tussey’s,  Black 
Eagle,  &c.  Near  tho  southwestern  ex- 
tremity of  the  county  rises  a very  con- 
spicuous and  remarkable  eminence,. 


16 


342 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


called  Broadtop  mountain,  which  con- 
tains a singular  coal-basin,  with  thin 
seams  of  bituminous  coal,  from  one  to 
four  feet  in  thickness.  The  Juniata 
river,  with  several  of  its  branches,  wa- 
ters different  parts  of  this  wild,  Alpine 
region. 

Montgomery  county  lies  along  the 
Schuylkill  river,  and  formerly  belonged 
to  Philadelphia  county.  It  comprehends 
some  of  the  earliest  settlements,  with 
remains  of  the  first  colonists,  and  evi- 
dences of  their  substantial  habits,  as 
well  as  some  of  the  more  modern  works 
of  internal  improvement.  The  surface  is 
agreeably  varied,  with  much  picturesque 
scenery,  whose  beauties  are  enhanced 
by  the  hand  of  persevering  and  success- 
ful culture,  as  well  as  by  the  works  of 
science,  enlisted  in  the  service  of  an  en- 
lightened public  spirit. 

The  southeastern  extremity  of  the 
county  is  traversed  by  a belt  of  primi- 
tive rocks.  The  primitive  limestone  of 
the  Great  valley  crosses  the  Schuylkill 
at  Swedesford  and  Conshohocken,  af- 
fording valuable  quarries  for  the  supply 
of  white  marble  to  Philadelphia  ; and 
red  shale  constitutes  the  rocks  of  other 
parts,  whose  debris  forms  a productive 
soil,  while  sandstones  prevail  in  some 
places.  Stone  turnpikes,  and  other  good 
roads,  are  numerous.  The  Reading  rail- 
road and  the  Norristown  and  Philadel- 
phia railroad  pursue  the  course  of  the 
Schuylkill  for  some  distance,  while  the 
works  of  the  Navigation  company,  be- 
fore mentioned,  afford  another  important 
channel  of  transportation.  Qn  these  are 
several  bridges,  and  other  works,  worthy 
of  particular  attention.  Copper-mines 
are  believed  to  have  been  formerly  open- 
ed in  different  parts  of  this  county,  and 
there  are  reports  of  silver  and  lead-mines 
having  been  known.  Numerous  mills 
and  manufactories  are  kept  in  operation 
by  the  water-power  provided  at  the  vari- 
ous dams  on  the  river. 

The  first  settlements  were  made  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  Montgomery 
county  by  Swedes  and  Welsh,  and  in 
the  north  by  Germans,  all  of  whom  long 
retained  their  appropriate  languages. 
But  of  these,  only  the  German  remains 
at  the  present  day.  Religious  services 


were  first  held  by  the  friends,  or  qua- 
kers,  in  Oxford,  in  1683,  and  in  Hors- 
ham in  1716.  The  first  meetfnghouse 
of  the  Welsh  friends  was  built  in  North 
Wales  in  1700,  and  the  second  in  1712. 
In  lower  Merion  township,  a friends’ 
meetinghouse  was  erected  as  early  as 
1695,  which  is  still  standing  and  in  use, 
having  been  lately  repaired. 

The  first  Swedish  church  was  erected 
at  Swedesford  in  1763,  the  Swedes  hav- 
ing come  into  the  county,  as  it  appears, 
some  time  after  the  Welsh.  The  Swe- 
dish churches,  in  different  towns  in  this 
county,  were  incorporated  together,  by 
John  Penn,  in  1765,  and  this  charter 
was  renewed  in  1787,  by  the  state  legis- 
lature. Remains  of  old  Swedish  cus- 
toms, as  well  as  families,  are  still  found, 
especially  about  Norristown. 

A few  Germans,  having  early  come 
over  from  Europe  to  join  the  colonists 
of  William  Penn,  and  settled  German- 
town, near  Philadelphia,  sent  back  to 
their  countrymen  such  favorable  ac- 
counts that  they  had  numerous  follow- 
ers, especially  from  the  Palatinate,  be- 
tween 1700  and  1730.  They  occupied 
the  territory  about  the  head-waters  of 
Perkiomen  creek,  and  Lutheran  and 
German  reformed  churches  were  after- 
ward founded.  In  1741,  however,  al- 
though there  were  about  a hundred  Lu- 
theran communicants  at  New  Hanover, 
or  the  Swamp,  the  only  place  of  worship 
was  a log-hut,  and  it  was  not  until  1767 
that  a church  was  built  of  stone,  which 
is  still  in  use  by  a congregation  of  five 
hundred  members.  The  German  re- 
formed congregation  was  formed  about 
the  year  1747,  and  their  present  brick 
edifice  was  erected  in  1790.  Numerous 
Lutheran  congregations  are  now  con- 
centrated about  Latrappe,  extending 
among  the  neighboring  towns  in  Bucks 
county,  where  the  German  language  is 
still  generally  spoken.  The  old  church 
standing  in  the  village  of  Trappe,  was 
erected  in  1743,  by  Rev.  Henry  Melchior 
Muhlenberg,  who  is  called  the  father  of 
the  Lutheran  church  in  the  United  States. 

: Every  pew  in  the  building,  and  every 
seat  in  each,  has  its  number  branded 
into  the  wood  with  a hot  iron  ; and  a 
i tablet  over  the  door  bears  a Latin  in- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


243 


scription,  now  almost  illegible,  bearing 
the  above  date  and  the  name  of  its 
founder,  whose  remains  lie  interred  in 
the  churchyard. 

Several  congregations  of  German  bap- 
tists, or  Mennonists,  are  also  found  in 
this  neighborhood,  whose  ancestors  came 
to  this  country  about  the  period  included 
between  the  years  1706  and  1717.  In 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  county, 
near  Goschenhoppen,  is  a small  body  of 
Schwenckfelders,  named  after  Gaspar 
de  Schwenckfeldt,  a Silesian  nobleman, 
born  in  1490,  who  taught  doctrines  con- 
demned by  Rome,  and  incurred  perse- 
cution for  them,  yet  differed  essentially 
from  Luther.  His  followers  were  pro- 
tected by  Count  Zinzendorf  for  eight 
years,  when  they  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  arrived  some  time  before 
1740. 

Valley  Forge,  a wild  and  secluded 
valley  in  the  mountainous  region  of  this 
county,  is  associated  with  one  of  the 
most  gloomy  and  desperate  periods  of 
the  American  revolution.  The  British 
army,  after  landing  on  the  Delaware, 
gained  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1777,  and  Washington  re- 
treated, with  his  feeble  army,  to  Ger- 
mantown, and,  after  one  day’s  rest, 
crossed  the  Schuylkill,  and  advanced  on 
the  Lancaster  road,  to  endeavor  to  stop 
the  progress  of  the  enemy,  but  was  pre- 
vented by  the  injury  of  his  ammunition, 
caused  by  a severe  rain.  The  enemy 
then  taking  the  road  toward  SwedesfM'd, 
induced  Washington  to  leave  that  lo 
Philadelphia  open,  and,  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunity,  entered  that 
city ; to  guard  which,  he  occupied  Ger- 
mantown with  the  largest  body  of  troops. 
This  was  one  of  the  great  epochs  in  the 
history  of  the  Revolution,  when  to  most, 
even  of  the  friends  of  American  inde- 
pendence, the  cause  was  regarded  as 
hopeless.  But  not  so  with  Washington. 
He  drew  off  the  remains  of  his  army  to 
this  wild,  inhospitable  spot,  and  here 
struggled  through  a severe  winter,  under 
the  most  trying  privations,  awaiting  an 
opportunity,  which  at  length  arrived,  for 
the  striking  of  an  unexpected  blow.  He 
once  wrote  to  congress  : “ For  some 
days  there  has  been  little  less  than  a 


famine  in  the  camp.  A part  of  the  army 
have  been  a week  without  any  kind  of 
flesh,  and  the  rest  three  or  four  days.” 
Strong  exertions  were  at  this  time  made 
to  supersede'  him  in  command,  but"  with- 
out success. 

Mrs.  Washington  visited  him  in  this 
dreary  retreat ; and  the  house  is  still 
remaining  which  served  as  his  head- 
quarters. It  is  the  substantial  stone- 
mansion  of  Mr.  Isaac  Potts,  owner  of  the 
forge,  from  which  the  place  has  derived 
its  name. 

The  Mount  Carbon  railroad  was  com- 
menced in  1829.  It  is  supported,  for 
some  distance  along  several  landings,  on 
thirty-one  piers  of  masonry,  and  passes 
through  the  gap  of  Sharp  mountain, 
down  the  Schuylkill  valley  to  Morris- 
ville,  where  are  coal-mines  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  At  that  place  it  leaves  the 
bank  of  the  stream,  and  follows  the  val- 
ley of  Norwegian  creek  to  Potts ville,  a 
distance  of  6,208  feet  from  its  com- 
mencement. A branch,  14,200  feet  in 
length,  leads  to  the  Centreville  mines, 
which  belong  to  the  North  American 
coal  company,  and  affords  access  to  the 
celebrated  Peach  mountain  and  other 
mines.  The  west  branch  is  16,400  feet 
long,  and  reaches  to  Marysville,  with 
the  Diamond  and  Oak-hili  coal-mines 
and  others. 

Several  other  local  railroads  are  now 
in  us<?;  and  the  long  one  to  Reading  and 
Philadelphia  has  greatly  increased  the 
facility  of  transportation.  The  Danville 
road,  an  immense  work,  from  the  great 
natural  obstructions  to  be  overcome,  was 
proposed  in  1826,  and  in  1834  was  com- 
pleted as  far  as  Girards  ville,  ten  miles, 
with  a tunnel  seven  hundred  feet  long, 
and  four  inclined  planes.  But  another 
tunnel,  of  twenty-five  hundred  feet,  ne- 
cessary to  open  a passage  into  the  Gi- 
rard mines,  has  not  been  completed. 

As  the  beds  of  coal  near  the  surface 
of  the  earth  become  exhausted,  the  mi- 
ners dig  deeper,  or  abandon  the  old 
mines  for  new  ones.  In  the  former  case, 
wide  passages  are  cut  into  the  earth,  at 
a declining  angle  of  about  forty  degrees, 
which  serve  for  the  entrance  of  empty 
cars  on  one  rail-track,  and  the  exit  of 
the  loaded  ones  on  another.  Steam-en- 


244  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


gines  are  employed  to  pump  out  the 
water,  as  well  as  to  draw  up  the  coal. 
Some  of  these  mines  are  worked  under 
the  very  town  of  Pottsville,  and  extend 
several  hundred  feet.  The  deeper  the 
mines  are  sunk,  the  more  pure  and  val- 
uable is  the  coal  usually  found. 

Port  Carbon  is  the  village  at  the 
landing,  at  the  head  of  navigation,  on  the 
main  branch  of  the  Schuylkill,  two  miles 
northeast  from  Pottsville.  At  the  bot- 
tom of  a deep  and  wild  valley  are  seen 
long  ranges  of  building,  with  several 
short  railroad  lines  concentrating  from 
the  valley  of  Mill  creek,  and  the  mines 
wrought  along  its  romantic  borders,  and 
the  villages  of  Patterson,  Middleport, 
New  Philadelphia,  and  Tuscarora,  whose 
existence  dates  back  only  to  the  year 
1828. 

Minersville,  the  principal  mining 
village  on  the  western  branch  of  the' 
Schuylkill,  has  a railroad,  several  mills 
and  manufactories,  and  two  churches ; 
and  numerous  other  villages  are  found 
in  this  region.  Population,  1850,  2,984. 

The  position  of  the  coal-beds  in  the 
Schuylkill  valley  being  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground,  requires  mining  in 
the  usual  way,  while  at  Mauch  Chunk 
the  anthracite  is  dug  and  removed,  like 
stone  from  a surface-quarry.  A sudden, 
terrific,  and  fatal  accident  occurred  at 
one  of  the  great  mines  in  1845,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  insufficient  supports  left 
by  the  workmen  in  digging  away  the 
coal,  when  the  immense  weight  of  the 
mountain  above  sank  down  and  filled  up 
a considerable  part  of  the  excavations. 
A very  remarkable  phenomenon  attend- 
ed this  fall.  The  descent  of  the  mass 
was  so  sudden,  that  the  air  was  driven 
violently  from  the  halls  and  galleries  of 
the  mine,  through  the  external  openings, 
as  from  an  immense  bellows,  and  with 
such  force  that  carts  were  blown  along 
to  some  distance  and  broken.  Several 
lives  were  lost ; and  one  man,  who  was 
shut  in  by  having  the  passages  around 
him  closed,  after  feeling  about  him  in 
the  darkness,  and  working  a long  time 
among  the  loose  rocks,  succeeded  in 
digging  out,  after  a confinement  of  about 
forty-eight  hours. 

York  is  eighty-three  miles  from  Phil- 


adelphia. This  town  stands  on  Codorus 
creek,  eleven  miles  from  the  Susquehan- 
nah,  to  which  is  a line  of  improved  nav- 
igation. A railroad  leads  to  Baltimore. 
York  is  a place  of  five  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  is  remarkable  as  the  seat  of  | 
government  of  the  United  States  for  a j 
time  in  the  year  1777,  during  the  occu- 
pation of  Philadelphia  by  the  British. 
Some  manufacturing  is  carried  on  here; 
and  it  contains  ten  churches,  a court- 
house, academy,  bank,  and  a lyceum, 
which  is  in  possession  of  a cabinet  of 
minerals.  The  railroad  affords  frequent 
and  easy  communication  with  Baltimore, 
as  well  as  Philadelphia,  while  stage- 
coaches depart  daily  for  Harrisburg,  and 
twice  a week  for  Chambersburg. 

The  York  Sulphur-Springs  are  situ- 
ated twenty-one  miles  south  of  Harris- 
burg, and  the  scenery  which  surrounds 
them  is  striking  and  pleasing.  The 
place  is  one  of  fashionable  resort. 

Harrisburg,  one  hundred  and  seven 
miles  from  Philadelphia,  is  the  capital 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  statehouse  occu-  1 
pies  a lofty  and  commanding  situation, 
on  Mpunt  Airy.  It  is  an  edifice  of  con-  ' 
siderable  size,  being  one  hundred  and 
eighty  by  eighty  feet ; and  the  senate 
and  representatives’  chambers  are  spa-  j 
cious  apartments.  The  library  of  the  j 
state,  contained  in  this  building,  amounts  j 
to  above  six  thousand  volumes. 

The  scenery  around  this  town  is  re-  ; 
markably  picturesque  and  varied.  It 
occupies  a point  on  the  Susqueliannah,  : 
where  it  breaks  through  the  range  of 
the  Kittatiny  mountains,  and  is  crossed 
by  two  fine  bridges.  The  population,  | 
in  1850,  amounted  to  8,173  ; and  among  . 
the  public  buildings  are  ten  churches, 
the  courthouse,  two  banks,  and  acade- 
my, the  prison,  and  the  arsenal. 

Stage-coaches  run  from  Harrisburg  to 
Pottsville,  Northumberland,  and  Bal- 
timore, tnrough  York  ; while  railcars 
depart  daily  for  Chambersburg,  and 
three  times  every  day  for  Philadelphia,  j 

Carlisle,  in  the  Cumberland  valley, 
eighteen  miles  from  Harrisburg,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  settlements,  and  the  seat 
of  Dickinson  college,  a methodist  insti- 
| tution,  founded  in  1783.  The  number 
i of  students  is  nearly  two  hundred,  under 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


245 


the  care  of  seven  professors.  The  li- 
braries contain  twelve  thousand  volumes, 
and  the  chymical,  philosophical,  and 
mineralogical  collections  and  depart- 
ments are  well  supplied. 

The  United  States  barracks  were 
erected  in  1777,  chiefly  by  the  labor  of 
the  Hessian  prisoners  captured  at  Tren- 
ton. 

The  Sulphur-Springs,  four  miles  from 
the  village,  are  celebrated  for  their  effi- 
cacy in  cutaneous  and  other  diseases,  and 
are  the  annual  resort  of  many  visiters. 
They  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
Blue  ridge  ; and  the  picturesque  scene- 
ry, with  the  embellishments  of  art  dis- 
played in  the  walks  and  gardens,  offer 
many  attractions. 

Chambersburg. — This  town,  situated 
at  the  junction  of  the  Falling-Spring 
creek  with  the  Conecocheague,  enjoys 
the  advantages  of  a railroad  connexion 
with  Harrisburg  and  several  considera- 
ble manufactories,  though  a small  place, 
with  between  three  and  four  thousand 
inhabitants.  Population,  1850,  4,300. 

Bedford  is  two  hundred  and  six  miles 
west  from  Philadelphia,  and  stands  on 
a branch  of  Juniata  river.  It  contains 
five  churches,  a courthouse,  and  an  acad- 
emy, with  eleven  hundred  inhabitants. 
It  derives  its  principal  interest,  in  the 
eyes  of  most  strangers,  from  the  springs 
in  its  immediate  vicinity. 

The  Bedford  Springs  are  five  in  num- 
ber, situated  in  a narrow  valley  a mile 
and  a half  south  of  the  town,  from  which 
they  derive  their  name.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished from  each  other,  as  the  Sweet 
spring,  Sulphur,  Fletcher’s,  Anderson’s, 
the  Limestone,  and  the  Chalybeate,  pos- 
sessing a variety  of  properties.  Several 
houses  are  kept  for  the  accommodation 
of  visiters,  with  baths  of  different  kinds 
supplied  from  the  springs.  A little  lake 
has  been  formed,  on  which  pleasure- 
boats  are  kept  for  the  amusement  of  vis- 
iters ; and  the  place  is  annually  resorted 
to  by  considerable  numbers.  As  Phil- 
adelphia stage-coaches  arrive  and  depart 
daily,  the  access  is  convenient. 

Cannonsburgh  is  a town  of  about  one 
thousand  inhabitants,  situated  eighteen 
miles  southwest  from  Pittsburgh,  and  is 
the  seat  of  Jefferson  college.  That  in- 


stitution was  founded  in,  1802,  and  con- 
tains about  a hundred  and  fifty  students, 
with  4,500  volumes  in  its  libraries.  The 
last  Thursday  of  September  is  the  time 
for  holding  the  annual  con.mencement. 
The  medical  department  of  this  college 
is  situated  in  Philadelphia. 

The  theological  seminary  of  the  asso- 
ciate church  is  also  established  in  this 
place. 

Washington. — This  town  is  twenty- 
five  miles  north  of  Pittsburgh,  and  oc- 
cupies a lofty  situation,  containing  above 
two  thousand  inhabitants,  with  nine 
churches,  two  academies,  and  a court- 
house. Stage-coaches  depart  daily  for 
Pittsburgh,  Wheeling,  and  Baltimore. 

Washington  College  was  founded  in 
1806,  and  now  contains  about  one  hun- 
dred students.  It  possesses  a miner- 
alogical cabinet,  philosophical  appara- 
tus, with  libraries  embracing  from  two 
to  three  thousand  volumes. 

Meadville,  on  French  creek,  is  the 
seat  of  Allegany  college.  That  institu- 
tion was  founded  in  the  year  1815,  and 
contains  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
students.  The  volumes  in  the  libraries 
amount  to  about  eight  thousand. 

Erie. — This  town,  situated  on  the 
summit  of  a lofty  bluff,  which  rises  from 
the  shore  of  the  noble  lake  from  which 
it  has  derived  its  name,  has  one  of  the 
best  harbors  on  that  inland  sea.  It  con- 
tains a number  of  handsome  public  and 
private  buildings,  with  seven  churches, 
a bank,  and  an  academy,  with  6,000  in- 
habitants. 

This  place  is  remarkable  for  the  ra- 
pidity and  success  with  which  the  fleet 
of  Commodore  Perry  was  built,  in  the 
war  of  1812,  to  meet  the  British  forces 
on  the  lake.  The  ships  were  ready  for 
sea  in  seventy  days  after  the  felling  of 
the  timber;,  and  in  a short  time  they 
returned  to  this  port,  bringing  with  them 
the  enemy’s  captured  squadron.  The 
flag-ship  Lawrence  still  shows  its  re- 
mains in  the  harbor,  the  state  of  the 
country  in  this  region  happily  creating 
no  demand  for  warlike  operations.  The 
old  French  fort  Presque-Isle  was  situa- 
ted at  this  place,  and  some  traces  of  it 
are  yet  distinguishable. 

Birmingham,  in  Chester  county,  is  a 


24fi  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

small  town  situated  on  Brandywine 
creek,  near  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most 
important  battles  ever  fought  within  the 
limits  of  this  state,  as  it  caused  the  rout 
of  the  American  army  sent  to  oppose 
the  British  forces  on  their  way  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  opened  the  way  for  the  oc- 
cupation of  that  city  for  a considerable 
time.  A commanding  hill,  near  the  vil- 
lage, affords  a view  of  the  field  of  battle, 
which  had  some  unfortunate  features,  as 
the  following  brief  description  of  the 
action  will  show.  Had  the  Brandywine 
river  been  fordable  in  but  a few  places, 
the  American  troops  would  not  have  had 
to  guard  the  whole  line.  The  ability  of 
the  enemy  to  assail  it  at  any  point  at 
any  moment,  kept  our  commander-in- 
chief in  a continual  state  of  anxiety,  and 
the  enemy  availed  himself  too  success- 
fully of  the  advantages  in  his  possession. 

The  Tattle  of  the  Brandywine. — This 
important  action  was  fought  on  the  shore 
of  the  stream  whose  name  it  bears,  on 
the  11th  of  September,  1777,  between 
the  British  forces  under  General  Howe, 
and  the  American  army  commanded  by 
General  Washington.  The  enemy  had 
arrived  from  New  York,  in  their  fleet,  in 
the  Chesapeake,  late  in  the  month  of 
August,  and  Washington  was  thus  re- 
lieved from  uncertainty  respecting  their 
designs.  Presuming  that  they  were 
now  resolved  to  seize  upon  Philadelphia, 
he  immediately  called  upon  all  the  corps 
of  the  regular  army  which  could  be 
spared,  to  join  him  by  forced  marches, 
and  sent  requisitions  to  the  governors 
of  the  neighboring  states  for  their  mili- 
tia. The  British  landed  on  the  25th, 
near  the  head  of  Elk  river,  18,000 
strong,  and  well  provided  in  all  respects, 
except  horses,  in  which  they  were  quite 
deficient,  having  lost  many  the  prece- 
ding season,  from  the  scarcity  of  forage. 
It  is  presumed  that  they  might  have 
acted  with  greater  efficiency  on  the  plains 
of  Pennsylvania,  if  they  had  been  strong- 
er in  cavalry. 

Gen.  Knyphausen,  having  remained 
at  the  landing  with  the  rear-guard,  to 
cover  the  debarkation,  followed  the  van 
in  a short  time,  and  the  whole  army  took 
post  along  Christina  creek,  from  New- 
ark to  Atkins,  after  the  column  of  Corn- 

wallis  had  routed  Maxwell’s  riflemen, 
who  ventured  to  harass  them  on  their 
march.  On  the  enemy’s  approach,  the 
American  army  proceeded  to  encamp 
behind  White  Clay  creek  ; but  Wash- 
ington, finding  the  ground  disadvanta- 
geous, retired  to  the  Brandywine,  and 
occupied  the  heights  from  Chadsford 
toward  the  southeast,  while  Maxwell, 
with  his  riflemen,  hung  upon  the  ene- 
my’s flank.  General  Armstrong,  with 
the  militia,  guarded  a passage  below  the 
camp,  and  the  main  body  took  a posi- 
j tion  to  prevent  the  easiest  passage  of 
the  river,  it  being  fordable,  however,  in 
all  parts. 

General  Howe  gave  the  right  of  his 
army  to  General  Knyphausen,  and  the 
left  to  Cornwallis  ; the  former  to  engage 
the  attention  of  the  Americans  by  a feint 
to  cross  the  stream,  while  the  latter 
should  push  to  a place  above',  where  the 
crossing  might  be  more  easily  effected. 
Maxwell  for  a while  maintained  a spir- 
ited skirmish  with  the  British  marks- 
men, but  finally  fell  back  before  Knip- 
hausen,  who  made  so  many  demonstra- 
tions of  a resolution  to  force  the  passage 
at  Chadsford,  that  his  feint  proved  suc- 
cessful, the  Americans  becoming  so 
much  engrossed  by  him  as  to  allow 
Cornwallis  to  accomplish  his  object  with 
but  little  difficulty.  Having  crossed  the 
forks  of  the  Brandywine,  at  Trimble’s 
and  Jeffrey’s  fords,  he  marched  down 
the  bank  toward  Dil worth,  to  fall  upon 
the  American  right  flank. 

The  first  intelligence  which  Washing- 
ton received  of  this  was  an  exaggerated 
account,  that  a'large  part  of  the  British 
was  approaching,  under  the  command 
of  Howe ; and  he  instantly  gave  orders 
to  Sullivan  to  cross  the  river  above,  and 
fall  upon  Ivnyphausen’s  left,  intending 
himself  to  pass  below  and  attack  his 
right.  At  that  moment,  however,  an- 
other messenger  brought  him  the  false 
report  that  the  enemy  had  not  yet  crossed 
the  stream.  His  former  command  was 
then  countermanded  ; and  the  next  in- 
telligence assured  him  of  the  truth.  No 
time  was  to  be  lost ; for  the  enemy  were 
now  fast  approaching  his  right  wing,  on  1 
the  advance  of  which  was  General  Ste- 
vens, with  Stirling  and  Sullivan  next  in  1 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


247 


order,  with  their  respective  brigades. 
Sullivan  took  command  of  the  whole 
wing,  as  the  senior  officer,  while  Wash- 
ington, with  Greene,  took  post  between 
it  and  the  left  wing  at  Chadsford,  ready 
to  reinforce  either  which  might  require 
his  aid. 

The  ground  occupied  by  Sullivan  was 
well  chosen,  and  very  advantageous  ; but 
the  enemy  did  not  allow  him  to  collect 
all  his  troops,  and  he  was  forced  to  give 
way,  after  a manly  resistance,  and  fled 
to  the  woods  in  their  rear,  and  along  the 
road  by  which  Greene  was  now  ap- 
proaching to  their  aid.  To  prevent  the 
confusion  of  the  fugitives  from  being 
communicated  to  his  own  troops,  Greene 
opened  his  lines  to  the  right  and  left, 
and,  after  giving  them  passage,  closed 
again,  and,  facing  about,  retired  in  good 
order,  keeping  the  enemy  in  check  by 
a steady  fire  of  artillery.  The  Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia  militia,  who  com- 
posed his  brigade,  made  a vigorous  stand 
in  a defile  on  the  road,  where  they  for 
some  time  brought  the  enemy  to  a halt. 

General  Knyphausen  now  advanced 
to  the  ford  in  earnest ; and  the  Ameri- 
cans left  in  defence  of  the  intrenchments 
and  battery  on  the  opposite  side,  seeing 
some  of  the  British  troops  approaching 
on  their  right,  in  pursuit  of  their  re- 
treating countrymen,  abandoned  the 
ground  and  retired.  General  Greene 
was  the  last  officer  on  the  ground,  and 
left  it  only  when  darkness  had  come  on. 
The  Americans,  routed,  reached  Ches- 
ter that  night,  and  Philadelphia  the  next 
day ; their  entire  loss  being  stated  at 
about  three  lffindred  killed,  six  hundred 
wounded,  and  four  hundred  prisoners. 
Ten  field-pieces  and  a howitzer  also  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  ene- 
my lost,  in  all,  about  five  hundred  men. 

In  this  action,  the  foreign  volunteers, 
so  recently  enlisted  under  the  American 
standard,  performed  good  service.  The 
Marquis  Lafayette,  while  rallying  his 
troops,  received  the  wound  in  his  leg 
which  rendered  him  a cripple  for  the 
rest  of  his  life ; but  it  did  not  prevent 
him  from  continuing  his  labors  through 
the  fight.  Captain  De  Fleury  had  a 
horse  killed  under  him,  and  the  Baron 
St.  Ovary  was  made  captive. 


On  the  day  following  the  battle,  a 
body  of  the  enemy’s  light  troops  marched 
to  Wilmington,  in  Delaware,  and  made 
prisoner  of  the  governor,  and  seized  a 
quantity  of  money  and  other  property, 
public  and  private,  with  some  papers  of 
importance.  There  being  no  longer  any 
force  sufficient  to  resist  him,  Lord  Corn- 
wallis entered  Philadelphia,  on  the  26th 
of  September,  with  a body  of  British 
and  Hessian  grenadiers,  leaving  his  army 
encamped  at  Germantown  : the  number 
of  royalists  in  that  city  at  the  time  being 
so  great  as  to  leave  him  little  room  for 
apprehension.  General  Washington,  in 
the  meantime,  retired,  with  the  few 
troops  he  could  command,  to  Skippack 
creek,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill ; a 
wild  region,  difficult  of  access,  and  a 
favorable  retreat  in  his  circumstances, 
which  rendered  the  protection  of  nature 
necessary  to  his  safety.  . 

Interesting  Facts  in  the  History 
of  Pennsylvania. — It  was  designed  by 
Penn  that  Philadelphia  should  never  be 
closely  built.  He  named  it  thus,  as  he 
remarked,  “before  it  was  born,”  in  or- 
der to  express  the  principles  of  benev- 
olence on  which  he  intended  to  have  its 
concerns  conducted,  and  intended  that 
it  should  always  be  “ a greene  towne,” 
with  ample  room  for  the  convenience 
and  comfort  of  all  the  inhabitants.  It 
still  presents  a general  aspect  quite  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  most  crowded 
cities  of  the  Old  World,  with  respect  to 
the  streets,  which,  instead  of  being  nar- 
row, crooked,  and  dirty,  are  straight, 
wide,  and  clean.  His  plan,  however, 
has  been  in  some  points  encroached  up- 
on. He  insisted  that  the  bank  of  the 
Delaware  should  be  kept  open  and  un- 
occupied by  buildings  and  enclosures, 
and  resisted  every  proposal  to  abridge 
the  freedom  which  the  public  enjoyed, 
in  approaching  the  water.  An  unhappy 
change  has  since  taken  place  ; and  there 
are  now  few  cities  in  our  country  where 
the  wharves  are  more  crowded  and  in- 
convenient. 

The  plan  of  his  new  city  appears,  from 
Penn’s  original  instructions  to  his  three 
commissioners,  to  have  been  very  large. 
These  men,  William  Crispin,  John  Be- 
zar,  and  Nathaniel  Allen,  were  sent  out 


248  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

in  the  autumn  of  1681,  to  select  a site 
and  lay  out  the  great  city.  The  Penn- 
sylvania Historical  society  have  pub- 
lished at  length  the  written  instructions 
with  which  they  were  furnished. 

He  directed  that  “ the  creeks  should 
be  sounded  on  every  side  of  Delaware 
river,  especially  upland,  in  order  to  set- 
tle a great  towne.”  His  object  was  to 
find  a place  “ where  most  ships  may  ride, 
of  deepest  draught  of  water,  if  possible, 
to  load  and  unload  at  ye  bank  or  key 
side,  without  boating  and  lightering  it.” 
He  directed  that  the  earth  should  be 

1 dug,  to  ascertain  that  the  soil  was  dry 
lj  and  healthy,  and  that  ten  thousand  acres 
should  be  laid  out  for  the  liberties  of 
the  town. 

Twelve  square  miles  would  have  been 
required,  by  the  plan,  for  all  the  pur- 
chasers ; and  this,  with  other  requisi- 
tions, induced  the  commissioners  to  de- 
fer the  sel  ection  of  any  site,  and  to  await 
the  arrival  of  Penn.  They  examined 
and  described  the  site  of  Chester,  a place 
on  the  elevated  bank  at  the  mouth  of 
Poquessin  creek  and  Pennsbury  manor, 
as  well  as  the  place  where  Philadelphia 
stands,  which  proved  most  agreeable  to 
the  governor.  It  is  said,  by  tradition, 
that  he  took  an  open  boat,  at  Chester, 
and  proceeded  to  Wicacoa,  with  a few 
friends,  toward  the  end  of  November, 
1682,  and  found  the  site  of  the  present 
city  occupied  by  three  Swedes,  brothers, 
named  Swenson,  a name  since  altered 
to  Swanson.  The  river’s  bank  was  then 
high,  and  covered  with  a thick  growth 
of  tall  pines,  a place  which  the  Indians 
called  Coaquannock.  It  seems  that  the 
spot  had  something,  even  in  its  wild 
state,  which  recommended  it  for  a set- 
tlement : as  Proud  says  that  some  of  the 
passengers  in  the  first  ship  which  ever 
sailed  so  far  up  the  Delaware  (namely, 
the  Shield,  Captain  Towes,  from  Hull, 
December,  1678),  exclaimed,  “ It  is  a 
fine  place  for  a town.”  He  mentions, 
also,  that  the  shore  was  bold  and  high, 
so  that,  in  turning,  some  of  the  tackling 
struck  the  trees. 

Tfiis  was  a vessel  bringing  out  colo- 
nists for  New  Jersey.  Penn  arrived  four 
years  later ; and,  having  purchased  the 
ground  of  the  three  Swedes  above-men- 

tioned,  he  began  to  lay  out  his  new  city, 
and  to  prepare  for  its  construction.  It 
is  remarkable  that  numbers  of  the  peo- 
ple who  had  preceded  him,  for  some 
time  after  their  arrival,  had  taken  up 
their  dwelling  in  caves  under  the  steep 
bank.  The  first  house  erected  was  that 
of  George  Guest,  which  was  not  comple- 
ted when  Penn  arrived.  It  stood  near 
Powell’s  dock,  in  Budd’s  row,  and  long 
served  as  a tavern,  under  the  name  of 
the  Blue  Anchor. 

The  first  person  born  in  Philadelphia 
was  said  to  be  John  Key,  and  his  birth- 
place was  one  of  the  caves  just  men- 
tioned, near  Sassafras  street,  which  was 
long  known  as  the  “Pennypot.”  He 
lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-four,  and  died 
at  Kennet,  on  the  5th  of  July,  1765. 
William  Penn,  it  is  said,  gave  him  a lot 
of  ground.  He  used  to  walk  into  the 
city  until  within  six  years  of  his  death, 
and  was  generally  known,  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  by  the  name  of  “ the 
first-born.” 

Between  twenty  and  thirty  vessels 
arrived  in  the  course  of  the  first  year, 
bringing  out  great  numbers  of  quakers, 
who  had  left  their  homes  to  avoid  the 
persecutions  to  which  they  were  ex- 
posed. They  were  so  numerous,  that 
not  only  Philadelphia  became  at  once  a 
considerable  town,  but  the  country  was 
well  supplied  with  inhabitants  along  the 
river’s  borders  for  a distance  of  fifty 
miles,  from  Chester  up  to  the  falls  at 
Trenton. 

The  house  of  Thomas  Fairbank,  at 
Shackamaxon,  near  Kensington,  was  oc- 
cupied, in  1681,  as  a quE?ker  meeting- 
house ; and  the  following  year  a boarded 
building  was  erected  for  this  purpose, 
in  the  city.  Another  was  erected  near 
the  centre  of  Philadelphia,  in  1684;  one 
in  Front  street,  in  1685  ; the  great  meet- 
inghouse in  High  street,  in  1695 ; one 
on  the  hill,  in  Pine  street,  in  1753 ; 
and  the  present  one  in  High  street,  in 
1755. 

Between  1682  and  1714,  no  less  than 
three  hundred  and  fourteen  marriages 
were  performed  among  the  quakers  ; and 
in  the  years  1681,  16S2,  and  16S3,  about 
filly  vessels  arrived  with  passengers. 
Among  these  were  a number  of  German 

(j 1 ; 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  249 

converts  to  the  quaker  principles,  the 
disciples  of  William  Ames,  an  English- 
man. Having  “ borne  public  testimo- 
ny” in  their  native  place,  Krisheim,  near 
Worms,  in  the  Palatinate,  they  seized 
the  opportunity  offered  by  Penn,  to  take 
up  their  habitation  in  America,  in  a state 
founded  by  One  of  their  own  faith,  and 
settled  at  Germantown,  which  derived 
its  name  from  them.  Among  them  were 
persons  of  all  ages,  and  some  who  had 
been  brought  up  in  ease  and  plenty.  To 
them  the  common  trials  of  the  colonists 
must  have  been  severe,  as  some  of  the 
new-comers  were  obliged  to  occupy  hol- 
low trees,  as  well  as  caverns,  while  prep- 
arations were  making  for  the  erection 
of  houses  or  huts  ; and  most  of  these 
afforded  poor  accommodations,  and  even 
but  little  protection  from  the  cold  and 
storms  of  the  winter. 

The  celebrated  treaty  made  by  Penn 
with  the  Indians  has  always  been  a com- 
pact of  peculiar  interest,  on  account  of 
the  principles  of  justice  and”  humanity 
on  which  it  was  founded,  the  sacredness 
wi^h  which  it  was  observed,  and  the  ex- 
tensive, lasting,  and  beneficial  effects 
which  it  produced.  Yet  it  is  remarka- 
ble that  no  written  memorial  of  it  re- 
mains, beyond  a few  allusions  to  it  made 
in  contemporaneous  documents,  and  that 
everything  else  relating  to  it  depends 
upon  the  authority  of  tradition.  The 
spot  is  pointed  out,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Delaware,  where  the  council  assembled 
in  1682,  under  an  elm-tree,  at  Kensing- 
ton, where  a plain  obelisk  now  stands, 
erected  by  the  Penn  society,  in  1827, 
bearing  the  following  brief  but  appro- 
priate inscriptions  : — 

On  the  north  side  : “ Treaty-ground 
of  William  Penn  and  the  Indian  natives, 
1682.” 

On  the  south  : “ William  Penn  : born 
1644  ; died  1718.” 

On  the  west : “ Placed  by  the  Penn 
society,  A.  D.  1827  : To  mark  the  site 
of  the  great  elm-tree.” 

On  the  east : “ Pennsylvania  founded, 
1681,  by  deeds  of  peace.” 

A long  ltiemoir  was  presented  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Historical  society,  in  1836, 
by  Messrs.  Dupongeau  and  Fisher,  on 
the  subject  of  Penn’s  first  treaty,  in 

which  the  opinion  was  expressed,  that 
it  was  one  of  friendship,  and  had  no  re- 
lation to  the  purchase  of  land. 

Lctitia House. — This  celebrated  build- 
ing, still  standing  in  a street  of  Phila- 
delphia of  the  smaller  size,  has  excited 
much  attention  within  a few  years,  since 
the  spirit  of  antiquarian  research  has 
arisen,  as  it  is  believed  to  have  been 
erected  for  William  Penn’s  own  use,  by 
William  Markham,  in  the  year  1682, 
the  year  before  his  arrival.  It  is  of 
brick,  of  small  Size,  two  stories  high, 
with  a single  window  on  each  side  of 
the  door,  a steep  roof,  a stack  of  chim- 
neys, and  a single  dormer-window  in 
front.  A rustic  roof  projects  over  the 
door,  which  is  entered  by  rising  a single 
step  from  the  street ; and  an  old-fash- 
ioned, wooden  cellar-door,  nearly  flat, 
opens  under  each  of  the  windows.  The 
little  street  in  which  it  stands  is  named 
Letitia  court,  and  opens  on  Market  street, 
between  Front  and  Second  streets. 

A letter  of  Penn  is  preserved,  in  which 
he  allows  his  “ cousin  Markham  to  live 
in  his  house  in  Philadelphia,  and  that 
Thomas  Lloyd,  the  deputy-governor, 
should  have  the  use  of  his  periwigs,  and 
any  wines  and  beer  he  may  have  there 
left  for  the  use  of  strangers.”  It  ap- 
pears that  Penn,  having  been  accus- 
tomed to  the  luxurious  style  of  King 
Charles  II.,  and  to  the  upper  classes  of 
society  during  his  travels  on  the  conti- 
nent, never  renounced  all  traces  of  his 
early  habits,  even  after  he  had  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  friends  in 
their  great  colony  in  America.  He  paid 
much  regard  to  dress  and  forms  in  pub- 
lic ; and  was,  according  to  descriptions 
and  pictures  remaining  of  him,  before 
he  came  to  America,  “ quite  a finished 
gentleman,  eminently  handsome,  the 
appearance  of  his  countenance  remark- 
ably pleasing  and  sweet,  his  eye  dark 
and  lively,  and  his  hair  flowing  grace- 
fully over  his  shoulders,  according  to  the 
fashion  set  by  the  worthless  but  fascin- 
ating Charles  II.”  His  portrait,  pre- 
sented to  the  Historical  society  by  his 
grandson,  bears  witness  to  the  accuracy 
of  this  description  ; and  it  would  seem, 
from  writings  extant,  that  he  main- 
tained, in  his  colony,  habits  in  several 

250  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


respects  corresponding  with  his  earlier  | 
life; 

In  his  cash-book  are  proofs  that  he 
had  four  periwigs,  silk  hose,  leathern 
gambadoes,  or  overalls,  and  many  fine 
beaver  hats,  furbished  up  at  the  hatter’s, 
while  a greater  number  still  he  present- 
ed to  his  friends,  one  of  which  he  com- 
mends for  having  “ a true  mayoral  brim.”  | 
It  is  handed  down  by  tradition,  that  he 
wore,  also,  silver  shoebuckles. 

He  had  an  elegant  house  at  Penns- 
burg,  which'  has  beer^  compared  to  a ! 
kind  of  palace,  abounding  in  rich  furni- 
ture, and  supplied  with  liquors,  though 
he  was  not  fond  of  spirits,  and  had  an 
aversion  to  tobacco,  so  often  their  con- 
comitant. There  is  but  a single  charge 
of  tenpence  worth  of  this  in  the  cash- 
book. He  was  very  hospitable,  and 
made  provision  for  the  entertainment  of 
strangers  during  his  absence. 

His  benevolent  regard  for  the  Indians 
carried  him  so  far  that  he  often  visited 
them,  was  present  at  their  feasts  and 
merry-makings,  and  sat  with  them  upon 
the  ground,  to  partake  of  their  hommony 
and  roasted  acorns ; by  which  exhibi- 
tions of  kindness  he  greatly  attached 
them  to  him.  A remark  of  his  is  re- 
corded, which  reflects  the  highest  credit 
on  his  character.  “ The  saying  is,”  said 
he,  “ that  he  who  gives  to  the  poor  lends 
to  the  Lord  : but  it  may  be  said,  not  im- 
properly, the  Lord  lends  to  us  to  give 
to  the  poor.  They  are,  at  least,  part- 
ners by  Providence  with  you,  and  have 
a right  you  must  not  defraud  them  of.” 

The  following  passage,  in  his  parting 
instructions  to  his  wife,  deserves  to  be 
written  in  gold  ; and  its  observance  in 
this  country  would  have  given  a better 
aspect  to  American  society  than  we  wit- 
ness at  the  present  day  : — 

“ Let  my  children  be  husbandmen  and 
housewives  : it  is  industrious,  healthy; 
honest,  and  of  good  report.  This  leads 
to  consider  the  works  of  God,  and  di- 
verts the  mind  from  being  taken  up  with 
the  vain  arts  and  inventions  of  a luxuri- 
ous world.  Of  cities  and  towns  of  con-  j 
course  beware.  The  world  is  apt  to 
stick  close  to  those  who  have  got  wealth 
there.  A country  life  and  estate  I love 
best  for  my  children.” 


Sir  William  Penn,  father  of  the  found- 
er of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  at  Bristol, 
and  was  a distinguished  admiral  ir.  the 
British  navy,  and  commanded  the  fleet 
at  the  capture  of  Jamaica,  in  1655. 
The  protector  confined  him  awhile  in 
the  Tower,  for  absenting  himself  with- 
out leave  from  the  American  station. 
He  was  member  of  parliament ; and, 
under  Charles  II.,  had  a high  command 
under  the  Duke  of  York,  and  participa- 
ted in  the  capture  of  the  Dutch  in  1664. 
He  was  knighted  by  that  king,  and  died 
at  his  house  in  Wanstead,  Essex,  in 
1670,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine. 

His  son  William  was  born  in  London, 
in  1644  ; and  having  warmly  adopted 
the  quaker  principles,  while  in  college 
at  Oxford,  from  the  preaching  of  Loe,  i 
he  was  expelled  for  nonconformity;  and  | 
his  father,  in  1662,  after  having  “ whip- 
ped and  beaten”  him,  turned  him  out  of 
doors  for  the  same  offence.  The  admi- 
ral, however,  afterward  relented  so  far 
as  to  send*  him  to  France,  and  then  to 
enter  him  at  Lincoln’s  Inn  as  a law-stu- 
dent. While  settling  an  estate  in  Ice- 
land, he  again  met  Loe,  and  resumed 
the  strict  quaker  practices  ; so  that,  on 
his  return  home,  he  refused  to  take  off 
his  hat  in  the  presence  of  his  father,  and 
even  before  the  king ; for  which  he  was 
again  turned  upon  the  world.  He  be- 
gan to  preach  and  write  in  1668.  He 
was  imprisoned  in  the  Tower  and  New- 
gate, but  soon  was  left,  by  his  father’s 
will,  in  possession  of  an  estate  worth 
661,500  a-year. 

In  1667,  he  married,  and  devoted  him- 
self to  the  defence  and  promotion  of  his 
favorite  doctrines.  Ten  years  after,  he 
visited  the  continent  with  Fox  and  Bar- 
clay, and  soon  after  received  froT~.  the 
king  a grant  of  the  country  whose  inter- 
esting history  and  condition  we  have 
been  contemplating. 

The  following  minute  account  of 
the  burial-place  of  William  Penn,  &c., 
is  taken  from  the  English  “ Historical 
Register — 

The  Grave  of  the  Founder  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. — The  traveller,  in  passing  from 
Beaconsfield  to  the  neighboring  village 
of  Chalfont  St.  Giles,  in  Bucks,  passes  a 
small  enclosure  on  the  right-hand  side 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


251 


of  the  road,  known  as  the  friends’  or 
Jourdan’s  burial-ground.  But  though 
no  monumental  stone  attracts  attention, 
and  the  sunken  graves,  hidden  in  the  tall 
grass,  escape  the  passing  glance  of  a 
stranger,  it  well  deserves  to  be  recorded 
as  the  resting-place  of  William  Penn, 
the  founder  of  Pennsylvania. 

A fragment,  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  one  of  the  vicars  of  Penn,  a 
village  not  far  from  Chalfont,  deriving 
its  name  from  the  ancestors  of  William 
Penn,  who  possessed  the  manor  at  a 
very  remote  period,  is  still  preserved  in 
the  register  of  that  place,  and  presents 
a curious  record  of  the  occupiers  of  the 
principal  graves. 


1 

2 

3 4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

No.  1.  Letitia,  daughter  of  Wm.  Penn. 

2.  Springett,  son  of  William  Penn. 

3.  Margarette  Frame  and  her  son 

Thomas,  in  the  same  grave, 
daughter  of  William  Penn. 

4.  John  Penn,  son  of  William,  gov- 

ernor of  Pennsylvania. 

5.  The  great  William  Penn,  with  his 

second  wife  upon  his  leaden 
coffin.  Prince  Butterfield  re- 
members his  second  wife  being 
buried,  and  seeing  the  leaden 
coffin  of  William,  whose  head 
lies  contrary  to  the  rest,  with 
his  feet  to  the  north. 

6.  Giulielma,  daughter  of  Sir  Wil- 

liam Springett,  first  wife  of 
William  Penn. 

7.  Isaac  Pennington’s  wife,  the  wid- 

ow of  Sir  William  Springett,  of 
Darling,  in  Sussex.  * 

8.  Isaac  Pennington,  an  able  lawyer, 

who  married  the  widow  of  Sir 
William  Springett,  mother  to 
William  Penn’s  first  wife. 

9.  Joseph  Rule,  a man  that. used  to 

go  about  London  preaching,  in 
a white  coat  and  a long  white 
beard. 


Nos.  10,  11,  12,  13,  14.  William  Penn’s 

younger  children. 

Seven  graves  from  the  hedge,  in  a line 
above  William  Penn,  lies  Thomas  El- 
wood,  who  used  to  read  to  Milton,  and 
lived  on  Hanger  hill.  On  his  left  hand, 
nearer  the  hedges,  lies  his  wife. 

Extract  from  the  Register,  Sept.  12, 
called  by  the  friends  “ eighth  month  — 
“ Our  friend  William  Penn,  of  Waltham- 
stow, in  the  county  of  Essex,  and  Giuli- 
elma Maria  Springett,  of  Tilerend  green, 
in  the  parish  of  Penn,  in  the  county  of 
Bucks,  proposed  their  intentions  of  mar- 
riage at  the  monthly-meeting  at  Hanger 
hill.”  ^ 

Prince  Butterfield,  the  person  already 
mentioned  as  having  seen  Penn’s  leaden 
coffin  at  the  burial  of  his  second  wife, 
was  the  man  who  had  th§  care  of  the 
burial-ground,  and  who  died  between 
thirty  and  forty  years  ago.  Many 
“friends”  have  been  interred  within  the 
enclosure,  besides  those  here  mentioned; 
but  about  fifteen  years  since  it  was  found 
too  full  to  admit  any  others,  and  the 
ground  has  remained  undisturbed.  In 
J.  Whyth’s  supplement  to  the  “ History 
of  the  Life  of  Thomas  Elwood,”  pub- 
lished in  1714,  is  an  account  of  his  great 
services  to  the  society  of  friends.  It  is 
added,  that  “ he  departed  this  life  on  the 
1st  of  the  third  month,  1713,  and  was 
honorably  buried  in  the  friends’  burying- 
place  at  New  Jourdan.”  This  Elwood 
was  the  great  friend  of  the  poet  Milton, 
and  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  writing 
“ Paradise  Regained.” 

In  concluding  this  brief  description 
of  Pennsylvania,  we  may  appropriately 
introduce  the  following  summary  of 
some  of  the  improvements  and  inven- 
tions/which have  distinguished  this  state 
and  people.  It  is  abridged  from  the 
North  American  newspaper  : — 

The  quadrant  was  here  invented  by 
Godfrey ; here  Franklin  taught  men 
how  to  control  the  lightnings  of  heaven; 
on  the  Delaware,  at  Philadelphia,  John 
Fitch  fh'st  proved  the  power  of  his  rude 
steamboat;  Fulton,  a native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, immortalized  his  name  by  ma- 
turing that  wonderful  invention  ; the 
first  locomotive  was  set  in  motion  near 
the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Market  streets, 


252  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


by  its  inventor,  Oliver  Evans,  who,  with 
the  foresight  so  often  noticed  as  a char- 
acteristic of  great  discoverers,  declared 
that  the  time  would  come  when  one 
would  “breakfast  in  New  York,  dine  at 
Philadelphia,  and  sup  at  Baltimore;” 
here  was  the  first  bank  established  in 
the  country,  and  the  first  insurance  of- 
fice ; here  was  organized  the  first  sab- 
bath-school, an  honor,  surely,  to  be  ap- 
preciated throughout  the  Union  ; Phil- 
adelphia first  showed  us  what  might  be 
done  in  supplying  cities  with  water,  by 
her  astonishing  Fairmount  water-works ; 
in  her  eastern  penitentiary,  she  furnished 
a model  for  institutions  of  that  class, 
which  has  been  extensively  approved 
and  imitated,  both  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe.  The  first  public  hospital  in 
the  United  States  was  the  Pennsylvania 
hospital  ; the  first  institution  for  the 
blind  was  that  established  in  this  city. 
Here,  too,  before  the  Revolution,  the 
great  discovery  which  has  given  us  the 
magnetic  telegraph,  led  Franklin  to  give 
signals  by  electricity  across  the  Schuyl- 
kill. 

The  merchants  of  Philadelphia,  at  an 
early  period,  built  a frigate  and  present- 
ed it  to  the  United  States  government, 
the  only  instance  of  the  kind  on  record  ; 
and  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  erected  a 
house  in  Philadelphia,  and  offered  it  as 
a present  to  Washington.  Here,  also, 
a stand  was  taken  against  the  exactions 
of  Great  Britain,  in  advance  of  Boston 
herself ; and  the  first  opposition  to  the 
landing  of  tea  was  made  at  a public 
meeting  held  in  Philadelphia,  some 
weeks  before  the  celebrated  tea-party 
executed  its  work  at  Boston  ; and  from 
Philadelphia  came  forth  the  Declaration 
of  Independence. 

But  the  part  which  Pennsylvania  has 
taken  in  the  great  works  of  internal  im- 
provements needs  to  be  better  under- 
stood. The  turnpike  from  Philadelphia 
to  Lancaster  was  the  first  undertaken  in 


i 


| 


the  Union,  and  was  completed  in  1794,  | 
at  a cost  of  $465,000.  Subsequently,  j 
the  whole  surface  of  the  state  was  trav-  , 
ersed  by  these  roads. 

The  Schuylkill  “ permanent  bridge,”  j 
erected  in  179S,  at  an  expense  of  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  was  the  first  | 


great  work  of  the  kind  attempted  in  this 
country.  The  first  Fairmount  bridge, 
with  its  span  of  348^  feet,  outrivalling 
the  famous  bridge  of  Shauffhausen,  and 
the  wire-bridge,  erected  in  1817,  at  the 
falls  of  the  Schuylkill,  which  served  to 
suggest  the  idea  to  European  builders, 
were  an  honor  to  Philadelphia.  The 
bridges  in  the  interior,  by  their  substan- 
tial, and  even  bold  character,  have  done 
honor  to  the  state. 

For  the  introduction  of  canals,  as  well 
as  turnpikes,  the  country  is  indebted  to 
Pennsylvania.  Even  William  Penn  ap- 
pears to  have  meditated  on  the  project 
of  connecting  the  Susquehannah  with 
the  Schuylkill ; and,  in  1762,  David  Rit- 
tenhouse  and  Dr.  William  Smith  sur- 
veyed a canal-route  for  the  purpose.  At 
that  early  day,  these  gentlemen  had  in 
view  the  connecting  of  the  lakes  and  the 
Ohio  river  with  the  Delaware,  by  a route 
of  nearly  six  hundred  miles.  The  sur- 
vey, under  the  authority  of  the  legisla- 
ture of  Pennsylvania,  was  accomplished 
in  1769.  In  1791,  a company  was  in- 
corporated for  connecting  the  Susque- 
hannah and  Schuylkill ; and  in  1792, 
another  was  incorporated  for  connecting 
the  Schuylkill  with  the  Delaware,  by  the 
way  of  Norristown.  At  the  head  of  the 
latter  was  Robert  Morris,  the  celebrated 
financier.  These  two  companies  under- 
took the  work,  and  proceeded  far  with 
it,  when,  having  expended  $440,000,  they 
were  embarrassed,  and  suspended  oper- 
ations. These  beginnings,  however,  re- 
sulted at  length  in  the  completion  of  the 
Union  canal.  The  first  tunnels  excava- 
ted in  the  Union  were  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  first  survey  for  the  Chesapeake  and 
Delaware  canal  was  made  in  1769,  by 
order  of  the  American  Philosophical  so- 
ciety, and  as  early  as  1804,  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  were  expended  in  the 
execution  of  the  work. 

When  *he  period  of  railroads  arrived, 
Pennsylvania  was  again  the  pioneer. 
The  railroad  at  Mauch  Chunk  was  the 
first  in  the  Union,  excepting  only  a short 
tram-road  in  Massachusetts.  From  that 
period  to  the  present,  Pennsylvania  has 
been  second  to  no  state  in  the  Union,  in 
expenditures  for  constructing  these  won- 
derful annihilators  of  time  and  space. 


.DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE. 


253 


Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal. 

DELAWARE. 

This  state  is  bounded  on  tbs 
north  by  Chester  and  Delaware 
counties  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
northeast  by  Delaware  bay,  on  the 
southeast  by  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
on  the  south  by  Worcester  and 
Somerset  counties  in  Maryland, 
and  on  the  west  by  part  of  the 
same  state,  viz.  : Dorchester,  Car- 
oline, Queen  Ann,  Kent,  and  Cecil 
counties.  It  lies  along  the  Atlan- 
tic coast  twenty  miles,  from  Cape 
Henlopen  to  Fenwick  island.  The 
entire  outline  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  miles  ; length,  one  hun- 
dred miles ; mean  breadth,  twenty- 
one  miles;  area,  two  thousand  one  hundred  square  miles.  It  lies  between  38° 
27'  and  393  50'  north  latitude,  and  1°  17'  and  20°  0'  east  longitude  from  the  city 

of  W ashington.  , , . , 

The  state  occupies  a long  and  narrow  plane,  with  a gentle  eastern  slope  to  the 
Atlantic  and  the  bay,  with  a higher  and  more  uneven  region  in  the  north.  I he 
upper  portion  has  a waving  rather  than  a hilly  surface,  and  the  southern  is  neaily 
a dead  level.  The  eastern  slope  is  drained  by  several  small  rivers,  viz.  : Indian, 
Broadkill,  Cedar,  Mispohan,  Motherkill,  Jones,  Duck,  Apoqumimink,  Brandy- 
wine, &c.  . 0 , 

Delaware  contains  only  three  counties — Newcastle  in  the  north,  Sussex  m the 
south  and  Kent  between  them.  The  population  in  1790  was  59,094;  in  1800, 
64,273;  in  1810,  72,674;  in  1820,  72,749;  in  1830,  76,748;  in  1840,  78,085;  in 
1850,90,40-7.  Settlements  were  commenced  at  an  early  date  within  the  territory 
of  this  state.  Under  the  patronage  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  king  of  Sweden,  a few 


STATE  OF  DELAWARE. 


254  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


feeble  colonies  were  founded  here  in 
1627,  before  any  other  Europeans  had 
attempted  to  occupy  the  soil.  The  coun- 
try received  the  name  of  New  Sweden, 
and  the  settlers  were  Swedes  and  Fin- 
landers. They  settled  along  the  shores 
of  Delaware  bay,  but  were  reduced  in 
1655  by  the  Dutch,  and  again  in  1664 
by  the  English.  Charles  II.  included 
the  territory  in  the  grant  which  he  made 
to  the  duke  of  York,  by  whom  it  was  con- 
veyed to  William  Penn,  in  1682.  For 
several  particulars  in  respect  to  this  part 
of  the  history  of  Delaware,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  description  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Delaware  had  a colonial  assembly  in 
1704,  which  met  at  Newcastle,  although 
the  territory  nominally  belonged  to 
Pennsylvania  until  1775.  The  people 
took  an  early  and  active  part  in  the  rev- 
olution ; and  many  of  their  militia  fell 
in  the  unfortunate  battle  of  Long  Island, 
in  1776,  when  the  British  army  obtained 
possession  of  New  York.  She  adopted 
a constitution  as  a state  in  that  year ; 
and  the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
was  adopted  by  a convention  on  the  12th 
of  June,  1792.  Although  the  smallest 
state  in  the  Union,  it  has  been  honorably 
distinguished  by  men  of  ability  and  high 
character  in  the  national  government. 
The  present  constitution  was  adopted 
in  1831. 

The  governor  is  elected  for  four  years, 
but  can  notbe  reelected.  The  senate  con- 
sists of  three  members  from  each  county, 
chosen  for  four  years.  The  house  of 
representatives  consists  of  seven  mem- 
bers from  each  county,  elected  for  two 
years.  The  sessions  of  the  legislature 
are  biennial,  commencing  on  the  first 
Tuesday  in  January. 

Every  male  citizen  who  is  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  and  has  been  a resident  in 
the  state  one  year,  and  in  the  county 
one  month,  next  preceding  the  day  of 
election,  and  has  paid  a tax,  is  a voter. 
If  he  is  between  twenty-one  and  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age,  the  payment  of  the 
tax  is  not  necessary. 

The  courts  of  Delaware  are  a court 
of  error  and  appeals,  a superior  court,  a 
court  of  chancery,  an  orphans’  court,  a 
court  of  oyer  and  terminer,  a court  of 


general  sessions  of  the  peace,  and  such 
courts  as  the  general  assembly  may  from 
time  to  time  establish.  There  are  five 
judges  to  compose  these  several  courts, 
whom  the  governor  appoints.  They 
hold  office  during  good  behavior.  The 
superior  court  consists  of  the  chief-jus- 
tice and  the /two  associate-justices,  who 
do  not  reside  in  the  county  where  the 
court  is  held ; and  the  court  of  sessions 
is  composed  in  the  same  manner.  The 
court  of  oyer  and  terminer  consists  of 
all  the  judges  except  the  chancellor; 
and  the  orphans’  court,  of  the  chancellor 
and  the  resident  judge  of  the  county. 

Delaware  College , situated  at  Newark, 
Newcastle  county,  is  the  only  higher  in- 
stitution of  learning  in  the  state.  Com- 
mencement is  held  on  the  4th  Wednes- 
day in  September. 

There  are  twenty  academies  and  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  common  schools, 
writh  a school-fund  of  $170,000. 

The  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal 
was  constructed  at  great  expense,  and  in 
spite  of  many  discouragements,  over  one 
of  the  most  unfavorable  tracts  of  ground 
ever  crossed  by  a work  of  that  kind.  It 
was  intended  to  open  a channel  of  sloop- 
navigation  between  Delaware  city,  on 
Delaware  river,  and  the  Chesapeake; 
and  the  work  was  successfully  accom- 
plished in  a few  years.  It  is  thirteen 
miles  in  length,  and  lies  chiefly  in  Dela- 
ware, but  partly  in  Maryland.  It  is 
sixty-six  feet  wide  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  ten  feet  deep. 

Printing  was  first  introduced  into  this 
state  in  1761,  by  James  Adams,  who  then 
commenced  the  publication  of  a news- 
paper, called  “ the  Wilmington  Cour- 
ant,”  which  ceased  in  six  months.  No 
other  newspaper  was  published  in  the 
colony  before  the  revolutionary  war. 

The  Delaware  Breakwater. — About 
twenty  years  ago,  the  construction  of 
a breakwater  was  commenced,  by  the 
United  States  government  at  the  mouth 
of  Delaware  bay,  at  Cape  Henlopen, 
designed  to  afford  protection  to  vessels 
passing  that  exposed  part  of  the  coast 
in  stormy  weather.  The  mouth  of  the 
bay  is  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  wide, 
and  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the 
waves  of  the  ocean,  which,  in  an  east- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE.  255 


erly  storm,  are  extremely  violent,  being 
unchecked  by  the  neighboring  land, 
which  is  too  low  to  offer  any  resistance 
to  the  wind,  or  any  protection  from  the 
surges,  as  they  sweep  in  from  the  open 
sea.  The  ice  which  floats  down  the 
river  is  sometimes  not  less  dangerous  to 
vessels.  The  breakwater  is  formed  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  of  science,  and 
is  an  immense  work,  of  stone  brought 
from  a great  distance,  and  composing  a 
solid  wall  with  sides  standing  at  an  an- 
gle, best  calculated  to  withstand  and  de- 
stroy the  force  of  the  waves  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  fields  of  ice  on  the  other. 
As  the  number  of  vessels  employed  in 
the  navigation  of  the  bay  is  very  great 
and  -annually  increasing,  and  the  boast- 
ers and  foreign  ships  occasionally  ex- 
posed to  risk  of  loss  on  this  part  of  the 
coast,  in  easterly  storms,  are  also  very 
numerous,  the  value  of  such  a work  may 
be  appreciated,  when  it  is  borne  in  mind 
that  there  is  no  other  place  of  refuge 
within  a great  distance. 

Even  in  moderate  weather  the  break- 
water often  affords  to  many  vessels  the 
conveniences  of  a good  harbor,  when 
the  state  of  the  wind  or  of  the  ice  for- 
bids the  passage  from  the  bay  to  the 
ocean,  or  from  the  ocean  up  the  bay. 

Cape  Henlopen,  which  forms  the  south- 
ern point  of  Delaware  bay,  is  in  latitude 
38°  45'  and  longitude  10°  53'  east  from 
Washington. 

Wilmington. — This  town  is  situated 
one  mile  above  the  junction  of  Brandy- 
wine and  Christiana  creeks,  twenty-eight 
miles  southwest  from  Philadelphia,  for- 
ty-seven north  from  Dover,  and  one 
hundred  and  eight  northeast  from  Wash- 
ington city.  It  is  built  on  the  dividing 
line  between  the  primitive  region  and 
the  alluvion,  which  lie  in  juxtaposition 
through  most  of  the  middle  and  south- 
ern Atlantic  states.  Wilmington,  in 
this  respect,  resembles  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Georgetown,  Richmond,  and 
several  smaller  towns  ; but  owing  to  the 
greater  depression  of  the  western  rocky 
range  in  Delaware,  Wilmington  has  less 
variety  of  scenery  in  its  neighborhood 
than  most  of  them. 

Brandywine  river,  however,  at  a short 
distance  from  the  town,  is  precipitated 


over  a precipice,  of  such  height  that  it 
affords  many  mill  sites  of  great  value, 
which  have  long  been  employed  to  great 
advantage.  Numerous  manufactories  of 
large  size  crowd  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
most  of  which  are  flourmills  ; the  grind- 
ing of  wheat  is  also  carried  on  to  a great 
extent,  and  with  such  skill  that  they  have 
long  been  among  the  best  in  the  Union, 
and  have  done  much  to  render  the  flour 
manufactured  there  highly  celebrated. 

Sawmills,  papermills,  cotton  and  wool- 
len factories,  &c.,  stand  also  upon  the 
same  stream. 

Wilmington  is  governed  by  two  bur- 
gesses and  six  assistants.  It  stands  upon 
a long  and  gentle  elevation,  upon  the 
ridge  of  which  lies  the  principal  street, 
which  is  wide  and  straight. 

The  principal  public  buildings  are  the 
cityhall,  the  almshouse,  the  arsenal,  two 
markethouses,  three  banks,  the  public  li- 
brary, sixteen  churches,  nine  academies, 
and  the  friends’  female  boarding-school. 
The  population  is  at  present  fourteen 
thousand. 

The  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  rail- 
road lies  through  this  town,  and  affords 
communication  with  both  those  cities 
twice  a day. 

The  Brandywine  Springs. — This  place 
is  much  resorted  to  by  visiters,  for  health 
and  pleasure,  in  the  summer  months.  It 
is  five  miles  from  Wilmington. 

Dover. — This  town,  the  capital  of  the 
state,  and  county-town  of  Kent  county, 
is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  Jones’s 
creek,  ten  miles  from  its  mouth  in  Dela- 
ware bay.  The  streets  are  straight, 
broad,  and  laid  out  regularly,  and  a large 
public  square  is  in  the  middle  of  the  town, 
where  the  statehouse  and  several  other 
public  buildings  are  placed  to  great  ad- 
vantage. There  are  three  churches,  one 
bank,  and  an  academy.  A monument 
has  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  Col. 
John  Haslett,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Princeton,  in  the  revolutionary  war. 

There  is  a communication  with  Wil- 
mington daily  by  stagecoaches,  and  with 
| Snowhill  (Maryland)  three  times  a week, 
i It  is  in  latitude  39°  09/  and  longitude 
1°  28'  east  of  Washington. 

Newark  stands  on  Christiana  creek, 
and  is  twelve  miles  southwest-by-west 


256  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE. 

from  Wilmington,  fifty-two  north-north- 
west from  Dover,  and  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  north-northeast  from  Washing- 
ton. It  contains  three  churches,  the 
college,  an  academy,  and  about  eight 
hundred  inhabitants. 

Delaware  College  is  situated  in  this 
town.  It  was  founded  in  the  year  1833, 
and  received  an  endowment  of  $100,000 
from  the  state.  It  has  a president,  four 
professors,  one  tutor,  and  about  fifty 
students.  The  first  building  of  the  col- 
lege was  erected  in  1833,  for  eighty 
students,  since  which  time  it  has  been 
doubled  in  size.  The  centre  is  three 
stories  high,  with  a basement,  and  the 
wings  three  stories ; whole  front,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet. 

'Newcastle. — This  town,  the  former 
capital  of  the  state,  is  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  Delaware  river,  and  is  the 
site  of  the  old  Dutch  fort  Casimir,  and 
of  the  village  of  Nieu  Amstel,  or  New- 
Amsterdam,  founded  by  the  Hollanders. 
The  public  buildings  are  the  courthouse, 
townhouse,  arsenal,  five  churches,  the 
academy,  and  the  public  library  contain- 
ing four  thousand  volumes.  The  popu- 
lation is  about  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred. 

Lewes,  on  Delaware  bay,  is  a post- 
town  in  Sussex  county,  one  hundred 
miles  northeast-by-east  from  Washing- 
ton. It  is  one  of  the  early  settlements, 
and  its  appearance  is  that  of  antiquity, 
the  houses  being  old  and  shingled  with 
cedar. 

The  Ocean  House , in  this  town,  is  a 
respectable  hotel,  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  pleasure-parties,  often  visiting 
the  place. 

Delaware  City. — The  town  is  situ- 
ated on  Delaware  river,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  canal* 
It  is  thirty-two  miles  north  from  Dover, 
and  opposite  Peapatch  island,  on  which 
is  situated  Fort  Delaware. 

Milford,  sixty-eight  miles  from  Wil- 
mington, stands  on  Mispillion  creek.  It 
has  three  academies  and  two  churches, 
and  contains  about  nine  hundred  inhab- 
itants. 

Georgetown  is  eighty-eight  miles 
from  Wilmington,  and  near  the  head- 
streams  of  Indian  river.  It  contains 

about  four  hundred  inhabitants,  a court- 
house, an  academy,  a bank,  &c.  There 
is  a communication  three  times  a week 
with  Wilmington  by  stagecoaches. 

Delaware,  in  several  respects,  bears 
a resemblance  to  the  other  two  of  the 
smallest  states,  Rhode  Island  and  New 
Jersey:  lying  on  the  main  route  of 
travel  and  transportation  near  the  At- 
lantic border,  and  deriving  only  a sec- 
ondary advantage  from  the  vast  quan- 
tities of  merchandise  which  annually 
pass  through  it  on  the  way  from  larger 
states  adjoining:  yet,  avail ing'herself  of 
the  facilities  which  nature  has  afforded 
her  in  her  narrow  territory,  she  pro- 
vides employment  for  the  streams  as 
they  pour  over  her  rocks,  and  use  for 
her  navigable  waters.  The  chief  of  the 
latter  is  Delaware  bay,  which  is  the 
scene  of  an  immense  amount  of  trade, 
chiefly  with  Philadelphia,  and  much  of 
it  in  coal.  The  channels  are  unfortu- 
nately winding  and  difficult. 

The  County  of  Newcastle,  which  em- 
braces the  northern  part  of  the  state,  is 
bounded  north  by  Delaware  county  in 
Pennsylvania,  east  by  Delaware  river 
which  separates  it  from  Salem  county 
(N.  J.),  south  by  Kent  county  in  Dela- 
ware, southwest  by  Kent  county  in 
Maryland,  west  by  Cecil  county  in  Ma- 
ryland, northwest  by  Chester  county  in 
Pennsylvania.  It  is  thirty-eight  miles 
long  from  north  to  south,  and  twelve 
miles  mean  breadth,  with  an  area  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty-six  square  miles. 
The  county  lies  between  latitude  29°  18' 
and  30°  50',  and  between  longitude  1° 
11'  and  1°  38'  east  from  Washington. 
The  boundary  between  Delaware  and 
Maryland  lies  along  the  ridge  of  land 
which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Chesa- 
peake from  those  of  the  Delaware  ; and 
hence,  as  might  be  presumed,  Newcas- 
tle county  has  a gentle  slope  from  west 
to  east. 

Brandywine  creek,  with  its  various 
branches,  drains  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  and,  flowing  almost  to  Wil- 
mington, falls  into  the  Delaware.  Be- 
low this  stream  are  the  Apoquinimink, 
Blackbird,  and  Duck  creeks,  the  last 
of  which  forms  the  boundary  of  Kent 
county.  In  this  county  is  that  part  of 

I 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE.  257 


the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  canal 
which  we  have  noticed  elsewhere.  It 
extends  to  Elk  river,  a tributary  of  the 
Chesapeake.  The  principal  excavation 
on  the  route  is  three  and  a half  miles  in 
length,  and  at  the  deepest  part  seventy- 
six  and  a half  feet. 

Some  of  the  lower  parts  of  Newcastle 
county,  near  the  Delaware,  are  low  and 
marshy  ; but  at  some  distance  the  sur- 
face becomes  irregular  and  even  hilly 
in  the  north.  The  soil  is  generally  fer- 
tile, and  produces  grain,  grass,  and  fruit. 
The  tributaries  of  the  Brandywine  have 
so  much  descent  as  to  afford  many 
good  mill-seats  ; and  various  manufacto- 
ries are  carried  on  in  the  interior  of  the 
county. 

Kent  County  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Newcastle  county,  on  the  east  by 
Delaware  river,  on  the  south  by  Sussex 
county,  and  on  the  west  by  three  coun- 
ties of  Maryland,  viz.  : Caroline,  Queen 
[ Ann,  and  Sussex.  It  lies  between  lati- 
tude 3S°  50'  and  39°  20',  and  between 
longitude  1°  18'  and  1°  50'  east  from 
Washington.  Nearly  the  whole  surface 
of  this  county  has  a slope  east  toward 
Delaware  bay,  and  here  are  the  follow- 
ing creeks,  viz. : Mispillion,  Motherkill, 
Jones’s,  and  the  two  Duck  creeks.  A 
small  part  of  the  western  border  slopes 
westward,  and  is  watered  by  the  head- 
springs  of  the  Choptank  and  Nanticoke 
rivers.  The  surface  is  but  slightly  va- 
ried, and  the  soil  qf  middling  quality. 
The  length  of  the  county  is  thirty-two 
miles,  the  mean  breadth  twenty,  and  the 
area  six  hundred  and  forty  square  miles. 

Sussex  County  is  bounded  north  by 
Kent  county,  northeast  by  Delaware 
bay,  east  by  the  Atlantic  ocean,  south 
by  Worcester  county  (Md.),  southwest 
by  Somerset  county  (Md.),  west  by  Dor- 
chester county  (Md.),  and  northwest  by 
Caroline  county  (Md.)  It  is  thirty-five 
miles  long  from  east  to  west,  the  mean 
breadth  twenty-five,  and  the  area  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-five  square  miles. 

It  lies  between  latitude  38°  27'  and 
38°  58",  and  longitude  1°  IT  and  1°  58' 
east.  Most  of  the  county  is  table-land, 
with  some  parts  marshy;  and  streams 
flow  from  it  toward  all  the  points  of  the 
compass.  From  the  northeast  flow  sev- 


eral creeks  into  Delaware  bay,  east  the 
tributaries  of  Rehoboth  bay,  south  those 
of  Pocomoke,  and  southwest  those  of 
Nanticoke. 

Among  the  men  distinguished  in  the 
revolutionary  periods  of  the  history  of 
this  state  was  Caesar  Rodney  ; and  some 
of  the  most  interesting  events  connected 
with  the  important  circumstances  of 
those  times  may  be  here  appropriately 
introduced,  in  an  outline  of  his  biog- 
raphy. 

His  grandfather  came  to  this  country 
from  England  in  the  days  of  Penn,  and, 
after  a short  residence  in  Pennsylvania, 
settled  in  Kent  county  (Delaware).  His 
youngest  son,  Ccesar,  inherited  his  es- 
tate, which  was  large,  and  married  the 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Crawford, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  clergy- 
man in  that  part  of  the  country.  Ccesar 
Rodney,  the  subject  of  the  present 
sketch — a distinguished  statesman  of 
Delaware,  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence — was  born 
about  the  year  1730,  and,  according  to 
the  law  of  entailment  then  existing  in 
that  state,  became  heir  of  the  family 
estate.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  he 
was  appointed  high  sheriff  of 'the  county 
of  Kent,  after  which  he  was  a justice 
of  the  peace  and  judge  of  the  inferior 
courts. 

There  are  no  records  of  the  legislature 
of  Delaware  in  existence,  of  an  earlier 
date  than  1762,  and  therefore  it  has 
been  found  impossible  to  ascertain  when 
Mr.  Rodney  commenced  his  career  as  a 
legislator.  He  was  a representative  for 
his  native  county  at  that  time,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  members, 
being  appointed  as  a colleague  with  Mr. 
M‘Kean,  to  transact  some  business  of 
importance  with  the  government. 

In  the  time  of  the  stamp-act,  much  I 
excitement  was  caused  in  Delaware;  I 
and  in  1763  the  members  of  the  assem- 
bly held  a meeting,  during  the  recess 
of  the  chamber,  and  appointed  delegates 
to  attend  a congress  at  New  York,  for 
consultation  on  measures  to  be  taken 
for  the  general  good  of  the  colonies. 
They  unanimously  appointed  Messrs. 
Rodney,  M‘Kean,  and  Kollock,  and  the 
speaker  gave  them  explicit  instructions. 


258 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE. 


The  delegates  attended,  and,  after  their 
return,  received  a unanimous  expres- 
sion of  thanks  for  their  services.  From 
that  period  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
Mr.  Rodney,  with  his  two  associates 
first  named,  continued  to  be  the  most 
conspicuous  and  influential  men  in  Del- 
aware, in  opposing  the  policy  of  Great 
Britain,  and  in  sustaining  the  cause  of 
America.  Several  circumstances  ren- 
dered their  situation  very  difficult  and 
dangerous.  The  country  was  exposed 
to  invasion,  especially  by  the  ships  of 
the  enemy,  and  a large  proportion  of 
the  people  were  either  favorable  to  the  | 
British  government  or  undecided  in  their  1 
preference  for  the  American.  Among 
other  creditable  exertions  made  by  him 
in  the  legislature  of  Delaware,  he  in- 
troduced an  amendment  into  a bill,  de- 
signed to  prohibit  the  slave-trade,  which 
was  lost  by  only  two  votes. 

An  attack  of  cancer  in  the  cheek  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  medical  aid  by  a 
residence  in  Philadelphia,  after  he  had 
abandoned  a previous  design  of  going 
to  Europe.  He  was  made  speaker  of 
the  house  of  assembly  in  1769,  and  held 
that  office  several  years  ; and  he  also 
performed  the  duties  of  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  correspondence,  formed  to 
promote  harmony  of  views  and  action 
throughout  the  country. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1774,  an  assem- 
bly of  delegates  met  at  Newcastle,  in 
compliance  with  an  invitation  sent  by 
him,  as  speaker  of  the  house  of  dele- 
gates, to  determine  what  measures  to 
adopt  in  the  existing  crisis  ; he  was 
chosen  chairman  of  the  meeting ; and 
then,  in  company  with  Messrs.  M‘Kean 
and  Read,  was  appointed  to  constitute 
the  Delaware  delegation  to  the  Ameri- 
can congress  at  Philadelphia.  He  took 
his  seat  in  that  body  on  the  fifth  of  Sep- 
tember, and  the  next  day  was  made  a 
member  of  the  grand  committee,  whose 
business  it  was  to  state  what  were  the 
rights  of  the  colonies,  and  when  and 
how  they  had  been  violated.  The  con- 
duct of  the  Delaware  delegation  re- 
ceived the  unanimous  approval  of  their 
legislature  on  their  return,  and  Mr.  Rod- 
ney was  appointed  a delegate  to  the 
succeeding  congress.  He  soon  after 


received  the  appointment  of  brigadier- 
general  of  Delaware,  and  not  long  after- 
ward appeared  in  the  field,  at  the  time 
of  an  invasion  of  the  territory. 

Though  the  presence  of  Mr.  Rodney 
was  deemed  highly  necessary  at  home, 
in  the  midst  of  the  important  and  try- 
ing scenes  of  the  day,  he  was  present  in 
congress  at  the  time  when  the  question 
of  independence  was  decided,  and  was 
one  of  its  most  ardent  advocates.  On 
his  return,  his  conduct  again  received 
the  approbation  of  the  legislature.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  year  (1776)„however, 
by  the  exertions  of  his  opponents,  his 
reelection  to  congress  was  defeated,  as 
well  as  that  of  Mr.  M‘Kean ; and  he 
spent  the  succeeding  year  at  home,  at- 
tending to  his  private  affairs  and  to  the 
duties  of  the  committees  of  inspection 
and  of  safety,  to  which  he  belonged. 

Colonel  Haslet,  who  belonged  to  his 
brigade,  having  fallen  at  the  battle  of 
Princeton,  General  Rodney  set  out  to 
join  the  Delaware  troops  in  New  Jer- 
sey, but  on  his  way  was  ordered  by 
Lord  Stirling  to  remain  at  Princeton  to 
forward  troops  to  the  army ; after  the 
performance  of  which  duties  he  was  per- 
mitted to  return  home,  by  a highly  com- 
plimentary letter  from  General  Wash- 
ington. 

He  was  then  appointed  a judge  of 
the  supreme  court,  under  the  constitu- 
tion of  Delaware,  which  he  declined; 
and  was  soon  after  called  into  the  field 
to  quell  an  insurrection  in  the  county 
of  Sussex. 

The  invasion  by  the  British  army  a 
little  later  again  occupied  him,  and  he 
marched  with  the  militia  of  his  county, 
and  stationed  himself  south  of  the  Amer- 
ican line,  at  the  command  of  Washing- 
ton, to  intercept  the  way  between  the 
enemy  and  their  fleet.  But  his  raw 
troops,  in  a few  hours,  returned  to  their 
homes  in  spite  of  his  efforts. 

After  this  he  was  elected  governor  of 
the  state,  and  held  the  office  four  years, 
although  the  fluctuations  of  paities  were 
frequent  and  strong.  After  that  period 
he  declined  public  offices,  as  his  health 
had  become  greatly  impaired  ; and  he 
fell  a victim  of  the  cancer  early  in  the 
Year  1783. 


— ..  ■ — _r:n 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  DELAWARE.  259 

The  following  extract  from  the  pre- 
amble to  the  constitution  of  the  Medical 
society  of  Delaware,  published  in  1789, 
is  interesting  on  account  of  its  early 
date  : — 

“ The  physicians  of  the  Delaware 
state  had  long  regretted  their  uncon- 
nected situation.  Despairing  to  obtain 
some  of  the  most  important  objects  of 
their  profession  while  thus  detached 
from  one  another,  and  convinced  that  , 
experience  has  uniformly  attested  the  j 
advantages  of  literary  association,  they  i 
lately  presented  a memorial  to  the  hon- 
orable  legislature  on  that  subject.  Af- 
ter duly  considering  the  application,  the 
general  assembly,  for  the  liberal  pur- 
i pose  of  fostering  the  interest  of  science, 
j granted  a charter  of  incorporation  to  a 
number  of  the  said  physicians  and  their 
successors  for  ever,  and  the  name  and 
style  of  ‘ the  president  and  fellows  of 
the  medical  society  of  the  Delaware 
• state.’ 

I “ The  object  of  this  society  is  to  an- 

il imate  and  unite  its  respective  members 

1 in  the  arduous  work  of  cultivating  the 

J science  of  medicine,  and  its  auxiliary 
| branches ; with  an  especial  view  to  its 

1 practical  use,  the  alleviating  of  human 
misery,  the  diminution  of  mortality,  and 
the  cure  of  diseases.  To  accomplish 
this  interesting  purpose,  they  will  direct 
their  endeavors — to  investigate  the  en- 
demical  diseases  of  our  country;  to 
trace  their  effects  on  its  aboriginal  in- 
habitants, and  the  successive  changes 
they  have  undergone,  in  the  progress 
of  society  from  rudeness  to  refinement; 
to  remark  the  general  operations  of  po- 
litical, moral,  and  natural  causes  on  the 
human,  body  and  its  diseases  ; and,  par- 
ticularly, observe  and, record  the  effects 
of  different  seasons,  climates,  and  situa- 
tions, and  the  changes,  produced  in  dis- 
eases by  the  progress  of  science,  com- 
merce, agriculture,  arts,  population,  and 
manners  ; to  explore  the  animal,  vegeta- 
ble, and  mineral  kingdoms,  and  every  ac- 
cessible department  of  nature,  in  search 
of  the  means  of  enriching  and  simplify- 
ing our  materia  medica  ; to  extend  the 
substitution  of  our  indigenous  for  exotic 
remedies  ; to  rescue  from  oblivion,  and 
collect  for  public  view,  the  fugitive  ob- 

V — ' 

servations  of  intelligent  physicians  ; to 
confer  honorary  rewards  on  the  efforts 
of  genius  and  industry ; to  superintend 
the  education  of  medical  students,  and 
connect  with  the  elements  of  medicine 
an  adequate  knowledge  of  all  the  kindred 
and  subservient  sciences  ; to  enlarge  our 
sources  of  knowledge,  by  imparting  and 
disseminating  the  discoveries  and  publi- 
cations of  foreign  countries  ; to  corre- 
spond with  learned  societies  and  indi- 
viduals ; to  appoint  stated  times  for  lit- 
erary intercourse  and  communications  ; 
to  cultivate  harmony  and  liberality  among 
the  practitioners  of  medicine  ; and,  final- 
ly, to  promote  regularity  and  uniformity 
in  the  practice  of  physic.” 

A quorum  of  the  fellows  of  the  so- 
ciety having  assembled  at  Dover  on 
Tuesday,  May  12,  1789,  the  constitution 
was  adopted,  and  the  following  officers 
were  appointed  : — 

James  Tilton,  M.D.,  president. 

Jonas  Preston,  M.D.,  vice-president. 
Nicholas  Way,  M.D.,  1 

Matthew  Wilson,  D.D.,  1 censors. 

Dr.  Joshua  Clayton, 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Luff,  J 

Edward  Miller,  M.  D.,  secretary. 

Dr.  James  Sykes,  treasurer. 

The  following  brief  but  honorable 
remarks  on  the  condition  and  prospects 
of  Delaware,  were  published  in  the 
American  Museum,  in  1789,  under  the 
head  of  an  “Epitome  of  the  present 
state  of  the  Union  : — 

“ Delaware,  ninety-two  miles  in  length 
and  twenty  three  broad  by  a census  in 
1790,  contained  fifty  nine  thousand 
inhabitants.  This  state,  though  circum- 
scribed in  its  limits,  derives  great  im- 
portance from  its  rank  in  the  Union.. 
Attached  to  the  new  constitution,  and 
having  the  honor  to  take  the  lead  in  its 
adoption,  there  is  no  doubt  of  its  giving 
efficacy  to  its  righteous  administration.” 

This  state  is,  as  we  have  before  re- 
marked, the  smallest  in  the  Union  with 
respect  to  population;  and  also  in  ter- 
ritory excepting  Rhode  Island. 

According  to  the  last  census,  the  pop- 
ulation of  Delaware  was  91,407;  that 
of  Rhode  Island  147,543.  # The  area  of 
Delaware  is  2,120  square  miles  ; that  of 
Rhode  Island,  1,360  square  miles. 

260  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


“Battle  Monument,”  Baltimore 


MARYLAND. 


This  state  is  bounded  west 
and  northwest  by  Pennsylvania, 
east  by  Delaware,  southeast  by 
the  eastern  shore  of  Virginia 
and  the  Atlantic  ocean,  south  by 
Chesapeake  bay,  southwest  by 
Potomac  river  (which  separates 
it  from  Virginia),  west  by  "V  ir- 
ginia,  and  northwest  by  Penn- 
sylvania. The  outline  is  re- 
markably crooked,  and,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state,  the  Po- 
tomac, which  forms  the  southern 
boundary,  approaches  so  near 
to  the  Pennsylvania  line  (the 
northern  boundary)  that  it  leaves  but  a narrow  belt,  giving  the  map  a peculiar 

ft  lies  between  latitude  38°  and  39°  43',  and  longitude  1°  56'  and  2°  24'  west 
from  Washington.  The  whole  area  of  the  state,  notwithstanding  the  length  of 
its  tortuous  outline,  is  only  9,356  square  miles,  of  which  the  eastern  shore  con- 
tains 3,084.  The  chief  part  of  the  population— with  the  cities,  commerce,  and 
improvement — is  west  of  the  Chesapeake.  The  state,  in  1850,  contained  582,922 
inhabitants.  The  eastern  shore,  by  its  situation,  is  cut  off  from  intercourse  and 
connexion  with  the  neighboring  regions,  almost  as  effectually  as  if  it  were  an 
island.  The  surface  is  sandy  and  but  little  elevated  above  the  ocean,  and  desti- 
tute of  hills  and  of  most  other  advantages. 

Those  portions  of  the  territory  near  the  ocean  and  the  bay  are  generally  level 
and  low;  but  the  surface  rises  in  the  interior,  and  the  middle  and  western  paits 
are  crossed  by  the  Allegany  ridges.  Of  these  the  Blue  ridgo  is  most  easterly, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


261 


and  forms  a long,  uniform,  and  gentle, 
but  elevated,  swell  across,  the  state. 
Grain  and  grass  grow  well  in  the  west- 
ern counties.  Valuable  mines  of  iron 
and  coal  are  wrought  in  several  places ; 
manufactures  are  carried  on  with  suc- 
cess along  some  of  the  streams  ; the  fish- 
eries in  the  bay  and  its  tributaries  are  val- 
uable ; and  commerce  is  rendered  very 
active  by  the  aid  of  railroads,  steam- 
boats, and  vessels  of  all  descriptions. 
The  building  of  swift-sailing  vessels  has 
been  carried  to  the  highest  degree  of 
perfection,  especially  in  Baltimore. 

The  Potomac  river,  which  forms  so 
large  a part  of  the  southern  boundaiy  of 
this  state,  is  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
in  length,  and  navigable  for  ships  of  the 
largest  size  to  Washington.  The  canal, 
which  extends  from  the  falls  at  George- 
town almost  to  its  head,  makes  it  navi- 
gable for  boats  through  a great  part  of 
its  length,  and  approaches  near  the  west- 
ern states.  The  Susquehanna  empties 
in  Maryland,  and  is  connected  with  Bal- 
timore by  artificial  means. 

The  Patapsco  is  a small  river,  but  of 
great  importance,  being  navigable  four- 
teen miles,  and  having  the  city  of  Bal- 
timore at  the  head  of  navigation,  where 
its  waters  form  a fine  harbor,  with  shores 
on  one  side  sloping  conveniently  for 
streets  and  wharves,  and  on  the  other 
high  and  precipitous,  and  well  adapted 
for  defence. 

The  Patuxent  is  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  long,  and  navigable  fifty  miles  for 
vessels  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons. 
Beside  these  are  the.  Elk  river,  the  Sas- 
safras, Chester,  Choptank,  Nanticoke, 
and  Pocomoke. 

Chesapeake  bay  is  two  hundred  and 
seventy  miles  in  length,  and  differs  in 
breadth  from  seven  to  twenty  miles,  sud- 
denly expanding  from  one  to  the  other. 
It  contains  numerous  islands,  and  is  re- 
markable for  the  number  of  coves,  in- 
lets, and  sinuosities  of  its  borders,  which 
afford  access  to  the  water  in  a thousand 
places.  There  is  abundance  of  fish  and 
wild-fowl  ; and  among  the  latter  canvass- 
back  duck  is  most  celebrated,  being 
justly  esteemed  and  .preferred  above  all 
other  water-birds  for  its  rich  and  delicate 
flavor.  These  birds  arc  shot  in  great 


numbers  in  the  autumn,  and  are  in  great 
demand,  even  in  the  markets  of  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York. 

Pocomoke  bay  is  a cove  of  the  Ches- 
apeake, lying  below  the  mouth  of  Nan- 
ticoke river.  Northwest  from  it  lie 
Tangier  island  and  Tangier  sound,  lead- 
ing into  Fishing  bay.  Above  the  mouth 
of  Nanticoke  river  a peninsula  projects 
far  into  the  Chesapeake,  forming  the 
county  of  Dorchester  ; and  on  the  oppo- 
site  side  this  is  bounded  by  Choptank 
bay,  which,  in  its  turns,  separates  it  from 
Talbot  county.  This  county  is  much 
cut  up  by  several  coves,  inlets,  &c.,  as 
Treadhaven  bay,  Broad  bay,  and  St. 
Michael’s  bay.  Beyond  lies  another  of 
these  remarkable  arms  of  the  Chesa- 
peake, viz.,  Chester  bay,  which  separates 
the  county  of  Q,ueen  Ann  from  that  of 
Kent.  Long  as  is  this  line  of  bay-coast, 

1 which  we  have  thus  described  following 
its  sinuosities,  the  whole  of  it  is  com- 
prehended in  a single  degree  of  latitude, 
lying  between  thirty-eight  and  thirty- 
nine  degrees. 

Proceeding  north  from  this  latter 
point,  Kent  county  is  a peninsula  of  a 
semicircular  form,  lying  between  the 
rivers  Chester  and  Sassafras  ; and  next 
Sassafras  bay  lie  the  two  rivers  North 
and  Elk,  beyond  which  we  find  the  mouth 
of  the  Susquehanna,  and  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  state. 

All  this  part  of  this  state,  known  as 
the  eastern  shore,  may  now  be  called  an 
island,  since  the  Delaware  and  Chesa- 
peake canal*  opens  a complete,  although 
an  artificial,  water-channel  across  the 
neck  of  the  peninsula.  It  is  remarkable 
that  a much  greater  difference  of  climate 
exists  on  the  eastern  shore  than  the  mere 
difference  of  latitude  is  sufficient  to  ac- 
count for.  The  lower  part  is  so  warm, 
that  even  cotton  may  be  cultivated. 

The  western  part  of  the  state  is  quite 
cold  for  so  southern  a parallel  ; but  this 
is  very  easily  accounted  for,  as  its  eleva- 
tion is  sufficient  to  render  the  temper- 
ature in  winter  equal  to  that  of  the 
Atlantic  coast  as  high  up  as  latitude 
forty-four  degrees  forty-three  minutes. 
The  elevated  valleys  in  Allegany  county, 
although  very  fertile,  have  a climate  too 
i cold  for  wheat. 


262  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


The  want  of  intimate  communication 
between  these  two  parts  of  Maryland, 
and  the  semi-isolated  situation  of  the 
counties  and  many  of  the  towns  of  the 
former  with  respect  to  each  other,  are 
unfavorable  to  improvements  of  almost 
every  kind.  The  productions  of  every 
neighborhood  are  brought  to  the  shore 
of  one  of  the  innumerable  little  streams, 
inlets,  or  coves,  which  scollop  the  wind- 
ing coast  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  shipped 
in  small  vessels  running  to  different 
places;  while  the  habits  of  the  people, 
as  well  as  the  nature  of  the  country, 
thus  interrupted  by  water  every  few 
miles,  render  roads  few  and  short.  In- 
tercourse among  the  inhabitants  is  lim- 
ited ; there  are  no  large  towns  ; and  in- 
telligence languishes,  with  public  spirit 
and  enterprise,  under  the  absence  of  the 
ordinary  motives.  Manufactures  are  not 
encouraged  by  any  natural  facilities ; 
and  all  these  causes  combined  give  the 
eastern  shore  of  Maryland  its  marked 
characteristics. 

Of  the  three  geographical  sections  into 
which  Maryland  is  naturally  divided,  the 
eastern  shore  forms  the  first ; and  this,  as 
before  remarked,  has  some  peculiar  fea- 
tures. The  Chesapeake  peninsula,  of 
which  it  forms  the  western  slope,  from 
Pocomoke  bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna, is  a remarkable  piece  of  land, 
lying  between  the  Chesapeake  and  Del- 
aware bays,  with  a portion  of  its  south- 
eastern border  washed  by  the  ocean. 
The  narrow  isthmus  which  naturally  con- 
nects it  with  the  continent  has  been  ar- 
tificially cut  through  by  the  Chesapeake 
and  Delaware  canal,  and  thus  the  whole 
of  this  singular  cape,  or  rather  peninsu- 
la, may  be  said  to  have  become  an  island. 
Measured  from  that  point  to  its  southern 
extremity — Cape  Charles — it  is  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  miles  . in  length  ; 
and  the  general  form  is  that  of  an  oval, 
acuminate  leaf,  with  numerous  and  ir- 
regular lobes  and  indentations  on  its 
margins.  The  south  part,  seventy  miles 
long  by  eight  or  ten  wide,  belongs  to 
Virginia ; the  middle  section  belongs 
wholly  to  Maryland ; and  the  upper  is 
divided  between  this  state  and  Dela- 
ware. The  widest  part,  near  the  mid- 
dle, is  seventy  miles  across,  the  mean 


breadth  of  the  whole  about  twenty  miles, 
and  the  area  4,900  square  miles.  The 
surface  is  generally  flat  or  gently  undu- 
lated. The  eastern  border  has  a succes- 
sion of  low,  sandy  islands  and  beaches, 
with  shallow  sounds,  opening  by  narrow 
channels,  and  is  destitute  of  considerable 
streams. 

The  west  side  of  the  peninsula,  on  the 
contrary,  has  a number  of  rivers,  of  some 
size  and  depth,  navigable  for  greater  or 
less  distances,  and  adding  to  the  facilities 
afforded  by  the  coves  and  inlets. 

The  surface  o'f  western  Maryland  has 
a general  and  gradual  rise  from  the 
shores  of  Chesapeake  bay  to  the  sources 
of  the  Potomac,  about  two  thousand  feet ; 
but  the  intermediate  regions  are  in  sev- 
eral places  diversified  by  hills  and  moun- 
tainous elevations,  chiefly  the  ridges  of 
the  Alleganies.  The  Blue  ridge,  how- 
ever, like  some  of  the  others,  presents 
a uniform  swell,  generally  so  gradual 
as  to  leave  the  ground  unbroken  and 
covered  with  soil.  In  some  other  west- 
ern parts  of  the  state  the  rocks  protrude, 
and  considerable  tracts  are  unfit  for  cul- 
tivation. There,  however,  the  mineral 
treasures  of  iron  and  coal  abound,  to 
such  a degree  as  to  make  great  amends 
for  the  want  of  arable  soil. 

The  following  results  of  observations 
made  at  the  White  cottage,  near  Sandy 
spring,  in  1829  and  1830,  will  show  the 
mean  temperature:  From  the  winter 
solstice  to  the  vernal  equinox,  28.39  ; ver- 
nal equinox  to  summer  solstice,  58.22 ; 
summer  solstice  to  autumnal  equinox, 
69.21  ; autumnal  equinox  to  winter  sol- 
stice, 46.96.  The  following  year  the 
mean  temperature  at  the  corresponding 
periods  was  as  follows:  35.63 ; 58.14; 
71.46;  49.23. 

History. — The  first  permanent  set- 
tlement was  made  in  the  territory  of  this 
state  at  St.  Mary’s,  in  the  year  1631,  un- 
der William  Claibourn,  on  Kent  island. 
The  charter  granted  to  Lord  Baltimore 
(Cecilius  Calvert)  was  dated  June  20, 
1632.  He  was  a convert  to  the  church 
of  Rome,  and  early  proclaimed  religious 
toleration,  although  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  the 
popes  and  governments  under  their  in- 
fluence down  to  the  present  day. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND.  263 

Maryland  was  named  in  honor  of  the  i 
queen,  Henrietta  Maria,  daughter  of  ] 
Henry  IV.  of  France  ; and  through  the  . 
Roman  catholic  influence,  which  in  some 
points  was  strong  during  her  day,  Lord 
Baltimore  received  an  amount  of  power 
not  conferred  on  the  governors  of  New 
England  or  most  of  the  other  colonies. 
He  was  created  sole  proprietor  of  Ma- 
ryland, restricted  by  nothing  save  alle- 
giance to  the  crown.  With  the  consent 
of  the  freemen,  he  could  make  laws  and 
raise  taxes ; and  he  was  to  execute  the 
laws  of  the  assembly.  The  crown  cov- 
enanted to  impose  no  taxes  on  the  col- 
onies, their  goods  or  commodities  ; and 
this  exemption  was  to  last  forever,  though 
in  other  colonies  it  was  limited  to  a term 
of  years.  Maryland,  as  constituted  un- 
der Lord  Baltimore,  was  therefore  a 
palatinate,  the  proprietary  being  invest- 
ed with  all  the  royal  rights  of  the  palace, 
while  the  king  held  him  and  his  domain 
only  as  a feudal  sovereign. . Colonists 
were  promised  all  the  liberties  of  Eng- 
lishmen-born. 

In  November,  1633,  the  first  body  of 
emigrants  sailed  with  Leonard  Calvert, 
the  first  governor  of  the  province.  They 
consisted  of  about  two  hundred  English 
gentlemen  and  many  of  their  adherents. 
They  went  by  the  way  of  the  West  In- 
dies, and  spent  some  time  in  Barbadoes 
and  St.  Christopher’s,  and  did  not  reach 
the  Chesapeake  till  the  spring  following, 
when,  on  the  27th  of  March,  they  landed 
on  St.  Mary’s  river.  According  to  the 
custom  of  Rome,  Calvert  erected  a cross 
and  took  formal  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, “ for  our  Savior,  and  for  our  sov- 
ereign lord  the  king  of  England. 

He  made  proposals  to  the  chief  of  the 
Indians,  whom  he  found  in  the  vicinity, 
i to  commence  a settlement  on  amicable 
( terms,  with  his  consent.  But  he  received 
( for  answer  : “ I will  not  bid  you  go,  nei- 
( tlier  will  I bid  you  stay  ; but  y^>u  may 
use  your  own  discretion.”  The  confi- 
dence and  friendship  of  the  chief,  how- 
ever,4 were  at  length  gained;  and  he 
exerted  a pacific  influence  on  some  of 
the  neighboring  tribes,  by  which  the 
feeble  colony  was  secured  from  molesta 
tion.  A neighboring  tract  of  land  was 
purchased,  in  the  native  town  of  Yoco 

P r-^===== 

moco,  and  the  building  of  the  capital  com- 
menced, which  was  named  St.  IMary  s. 
Among  the  first  buildings  were  a guard- 
house and  a storehouse,  and  corn  was 
planted,  to  secure  provisions  for  the  col- 
onists. Not  much  time  had  elapsed  after 
the  landing,  before  they  received  a visit 
from  the  governor  of  Virginia,  Sir  John 
Harvey,  who,  like  his  people,  regarded  1 
the  new  colony  with  jealousy.  While 
he  was  there,  several  Indian  chiefs  ar- 
rived from  the  interior  to  pay  their 
respects  to  Governor  Calvert.  They 
were  received  on  board  a ship  which 
lay  at  anchor  in  the  river,  and  sump- 
tuously entertained.  The  king  of  Pa- 
tuxent had  his  seat  at  table  between  the 
two  English  governors. 

To  make  an  impression  upon  the 
minds  of  the  ignorant  and  simple  sav- 
ages, when  the  stores  were  landed  from 
the  vessel,  a great  display  was  made. 
The  flags  were  raised  on  shore,  the  men 
were  drawn  up  under  arms,  volleys  of 
musketry  and  discharges  of  cannon  from 
the  ships  were  given,  when  the  pro- 
visions, &c.,  were  deposited  in  the  store- 
house. The  king  of  Werowances  took 
this  opportunity  to  enjoin  upon  the  kings 
of  Patuxent  and  Yocomoco,  who  were 
present,  to  be  faithful  in  their  observ- 
ance of  the  treaty  they  had  made  with 
the  governor  of  Maryland.  He  spent 
several  days  at  the  place,  and  is  repoited 
to  have  said  to  the  governor,  in  a speech 
addressed  to  him  before  his  depaituie  . 

“ I love  the  English  so  well,  that  if  they 
should  go  about  to  kill  me,  I would 
command  the  people  not  to  revenge  my 
death;  for  I know  they  would  not  do 
such  a thing  except  it  were  through  my 
own  fault.” 

According  to  the  treaty,  the  English 
occupied  one  half  of  the  town,  and  the 
Indians  the  other  ; and  the  greatest  har- 
mony prevailed,  without  intenuption, 
through  the  remainder  of  the  year.  1 he 
savages  performed  the  most  kind  and 

important  services  to  the  colonists  : they 

> accompanied  them  into  the  forest,  showed 
‘ them  the  best  kinds  of  game,  joined  them 
i in  the  chase,  and  brought  home  what  was 

- taken  or  killed,  feeling  well  rewarded 
s by  the  presents  they  received  of  knives, 

- tools,  and  toys.  They  also  afforded  them 

assistance  in  obtaining  fish,  while  the 
squaws  instructed  the  strangers  in  the 
culture  of  corn.  The  females  and  chil- 
dren became  so  friendly  and  confiding, 
that  numbers  of  them  were  partly  do- 
mesticated with  the  colonists. 

Fifty  acres  of  land  were  given  to  each 
settler,  and,  as  their  numbers  soon  con- 
siderably increased,  the  colony  assumed 
a very  flourishing  appearance.  But  dif- 
ficulties. soon  arose  from  the  conflicting 
claims  of  a prior  settler.  Clayborne, 
about  a year  anterior  to  the  date  of  Bal- 
timore’s charter,  had  received  from  the 
king  license  to  trade  in  parts  of  America 
not  covered  by  any  patent  of  exclusive 
trade,  and  had  formed  a settlement  at 
Kent  island,  for  the  advantages  of  the 
trade  of  the  Chesapeake,  which  he 
wished  to  engross.  That  island  was 
now  in  the  centre  of  Maryland,  and  of 
course  Clayborne  looked  upon  the  new 
colony  with  no  friendly  eye.  An  appeal 
was  made  to  the  courts  : but,  although 
he  failed  in  that  resort,  he  troubled  the 
colony  in  various  ways. 

The  first  assembly  met  in  Maryland 
in  1635,  and  passed  criminal  laws,  which 
were  chiefly  designed  to  be  executed 
upon  Clayborne,  and  he  was  soon  in- 
dicted for  murders,  piracy,  and  sedition. 
To  escape  punishment  he  fled  to  Eng- 
land, when  his  estates  were  confiscated, 
and,  in  spite  of  all  his  influence  at  court, 
the  lords-commissioners  of  the  colonies 
pronounced  sentence  against  him. 

The  second  assembly  was  held  in  1637, 
to  consider  a code  of  laws  proposed  by 
the  governor,  which  they  wholly  reject- 
ed, substituting  one  of  their  own.  The 
province  was  divided  into  baronies  and 
manors,  with  privileges  all  clearly  de- 
fined, and  laws  made  to  secure  private 
property,  to  regulate  intestate  succes- 
sion, &c.  At  the  third  assembly,  in 
1639,  a representative  form  of  govern- 
ment was  established. 

Slaves  are  alluded  to  in  an  early  act 
of  the  assembly,  in  defining  “ the  peo- 
ple,” who  are  said  to  consist  of  all  Chris- 
tian inhabitants,  “ slaves  only  excepted.” 

An  Indian  war  broke  out  in  1642, 
which  was  attributed  by  the  Maryland- 
ers to  the  intrigues  of  Clayborne.  Af- 
ter a few  years  it  was  terminated  by  a | 


lasting  peace,  which  was  due,  in  a great 
measure,  to  laws  passed  by  the  assem- 
bly, regulating  intercourse  with  the  In- 
dians. Land-purchases  were  required 
to  receive  the  sanction  of  the  governor, 
and  the  sale  of  firearms  and  liquor  to 
the  Indians  was  prohibited. 

But  in  1645  a rebellion  broke  out  in 
Kent  island,  which  extended  to  St.  Ma- 
ry’s, and  compelled  Calvert  to  make 
his  escape  to  Virginia.  The  revolt  was 
suppressed  in  August  following,  and  the 
colony  again  enjoyed  tranquillity.  An 
act  of  oblivion  was  passed  in  1649,  which 
included  all  except  a few  chief  offend- 
ers; and  during  the  same  session  reli- 
gious toleration  was  established  by  an 
act  of  the  assembly.  Some  of  its  pro- 
visions were  these  : that  no  person  pro- 
fessing to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  should  be  molested  in  respect 
of  his  religion,  nor  in  the  free  exercise 
thereof,  or  be  compelled  to  the  belief  or 
exercise  of  any  other,  against  his  own 
consent ; that  persons  molesting  any 
other  in  respect  of  their  religious  tenets 
should  pay  triple  damages  to  the  party 
aggrieved,  and  twenty  shillings  to  the 
proprietary ; that  those  who  should  ap- 
ply opprobrious  names  of  religious  dis- 
tinction to  others,  should  forfeit  ten  shil- 
lings to  the  persons  so  insulted ; that 
any  speaking  reproachfully  against  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  or  the  apostles,  should 
forfeit  five  pounds  : but  that  blasphemy 
against  God  should  be  punished  with 
death. 

In  1650,  the  constitution  of  the  colony 
was  drawn  up  in  a form  which  it  pre- 
served for  a century.  The  assembly 
was  now  divided,  those  who  were  called 
to  it  by  special  writ  forming  the  upper 
house,  and  the  burgesses  the  lower. 

At  the  same  time,  Lord  Baltimore 
was  recognised  proprietary  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  received  public  honors  as  such. 
But  the  assembly  passed  an  act  requiring 
the  assent  of  the  freemen  to  any  tax  that 
might  be  imposed.  New  difficulties, 
however,  soon  arose.  Commissioners 
were  appointed  in  England  to  place  the 
colony  under  the  control  and  govern- 
ment of  the  mother-country  ; and,  Clay- 
borne being  one  of  them,  a revolution 
was  soon  effected  in  the  constitution, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


2Ci 


after  a short  period  of  opposition,  afrd 
even  civil  war.  The  Roman  catholics 
were  defeated,  the  governor  deposed, 
and  the  unprecedented  and  intolerable 
feudal  power  and  rank  of  Calvert  over- 
thrown. The  next  assembly  acknowl- 
edged the  authority  of  Cromwell,  who 
was  then  protector,  and  reduced  the  col- 
ony to  a state  of  dependence  on  Eng- 
land, but  abridged  religious  liberty  to 
such  a degree  that  Roman  catholics,  qua- 
kers,  and  episcopalians,  suffered  perse- 
cution. 

In  the  meantime,  Lord  Baltimore  had 
appointed  Fendal  his  representative  ; 
and,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  the  com- 
missioners surrendered  the  government 
to  him.  His  first  acts  were  to  procure 
the  dissolution  of  the  upper  house,  and 
assume  the  whole  legislative  power,  to 
lay  heavy  taxes,  to  oppress  the  quakers, 
and  thus  to„  increase  the  public  difficul- 
ties. The  restoration  of  Charles  II., 
which  soon  followed,  restored  Loj'd  Bal- 
timore to  his  place,  powers,  emoluments, 
and  honors  ; and  Fendal,  after  being  con- 
victed of  high  treason,  was  pardoned  on 
the  ground  of  incapacity. 

During  the  dissensions  which  had 
now  been  passed  through,  the  colony  had 
much  increased.  It  contained  twelve 
thousand  inhabitants.  Five  years  after- 
ward it  had  one  hundred  strips  and  six- 
teen thousand  inhabitants.  Every  young 
person  was  trained  to  useful  labor,  and 
poverty  was  unknown. 

In  1661  a mint  was  established,  which, 
in  1676,  was  declared  perpetual,  by  the 
assembly. 

The  Dutch  settlers  at  Henlopen,  for  a 
time,  threatened  great  troubles  to  Mary- 
land ; but  Calvert  was  successful  in  ne- 
gotiating with  them,  by  which  some 
were  persuaded  to  leave  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  others  to  come  under  his 
government.  A tribe  of  Indians,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Delaware,  once  assumed 
a hostile  attitude  ; but,  by  the  assistance 
of  some  neighboring  tribes,  they  were 
induced  to  lay  aside  all  unfriendly  in- 
tentions, and  gave  the  colony  no  further 
trouble.  The  statute-book  of  the  colony, 
under  the  date  of  1666,  contains  a law 
for  the  naturalization  of  the  Dutch  col- 
onists who  remained  in  Maryland ; which 


is  the  oldest  act  of  the  kind  in  all  the 
col  onies. 

In  1671  a tax  of  two  shill  mgs  was 
laid  on  every  hogshead  of  tobacco  ex- 
ported, half  to  be  expended  foi  cbe  pub- 
lic defence,  in  a magazine  and  arms,  and 
half  to  be  given  to  the  proprietary  as  a 
mark  of  gratitude. 

Lord  Baltimore  died  in  1676,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  Calvert. 
England  had  long  practised  the  sending 
of  felons  to  Maryland,  as  a place  of 
banishment ; and  this  year  the  assembly 
made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  put  a stop 
to  a system  so  injurious  to  the  colony. 
Not  fewer  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 
were  annually  landed  in  the  province 
for  several  years  before  the  revolution. 

As  early  as  1681,  exertions  were  made 
to  introduce  manufacturing;  but  they 
were  not  attended  by  any  important  re- 
sults. The  following  year,  William 
Penn  had  an  interview  with  the  propri- 
etary, soon  after  his  arrival  from  Eng- 
land, to  effect  an  amicable  settlement 
of  the  boundary  line  between  the  two 
territories.  They  were  unable  to  agree ; 
and,  the  question  being  afterward  de- 
cided in  England,  the  disputed  territory 
was  equally  divided,  and  that  portion 
now  forming  the  state  of  Delaware  was 
taken  from  the  lands  claimed  by  Lord 
Baltimore. 

Discontent  had  now  become  great 
with  the  proprietary  of  Maryland, even  in 
England.  He  was  threatened  by  King 
Charles  with  a writ  of  quo  warranto,  on 
account  of  his  resisting  his  majesty’s 
officers  in  the  collection  of  the  parlia- 
mentary, duties.  But  on  another  charge 
(he  suffered  more  seriously ; for  such  was 
the  clamor  raised  in  consequence  of  the 
pardon  granted  to  Fendal,  that  all  but 
protestants  were  declared  to  be  incapa- 
ble in  future  of  holding  any  office  under 
the  government  of  Maryland. 

The  accession  of  J ames  II.  led  tp  new 
difficulties  in  Maryland;  and  not  long 
after,  on  a rumor  that  the  Roman  catho- 
lics and  Indians  had  formed  a league  for 
the  destruction  of  the  protestants,  a 
protestant  league  was  formed,  headed 
by  John  Coode,  who  was  authorized 
by  King  William  to  exercise  the  gov- 
I ernment  for  three  years.  Calvert  was 


266  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


tried  on  sundry  charges,  but  was  only 
deprived  of  the  government — Sir  Ed- 
ward Andross  being  apointed  governor 
in  his  place.  He  was,  however,  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  his  proprietary  estate. 
In  1716  the  representative  of  the  Cal- 
vert family  renounced  the  Roman  catho- 
lic religion,  and  was  restored  to  such 
rights  as  he  claimed. 

The  revolutionary  period  of  the  his- 
tory of  Maryland  contains  too  many  in- 
teresting events  to  be  given  in  a limited 
space.  Several  leading  men  early  took 
a decided  part  in  favor  of  American  re- 
sistance, and  prosecuted  with  zeal  and 
faithfulness  the  great  measures  which 
finally  established  independence.  The 
state  adopted  the  constitution  August 
14,  1776,  and  the  federal  constitution  in 
1788.  In  1790  the  territory  now  form- 
ing the  federal  district,  or  district  of 
Columbia,  was  ceded  by  Maryland  to 
the  general  government. 

Government.— The  senate  consists 
of  twenty-two  members,  one  being  chosen 
from  each  county  and  one  from  the  city 
of  Baliimore,  for  a term  of  four  years, 
one  half  of  them  biennially.  The  house 
of  delegates  are  elected  once  in  two 
years  ; and,  till  the  apportionment  under 
the  census  of  1860,  are  seventy-two  in 
number.  The  executive  power  is  vested 
in  a governor  who  is  chosen  for  four 
years.  The  state  is  divided  #into  three 
districts,  and  the  governor  is  taken  from 
each  of  the  three  districts  alternately. 
The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  a court  of 
appeals,  circuit  courts,  courts  for  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  and  injustices  of  the  peace. 

The  right  of  suffrage  is  allowed  to  each 
free  white  male  citizen,  twenty-one  years 
old  who  has  been  one  year  a resident 
in  the  state,  and  six  months  in  the  county. 

Education. — The  colonial  legislature 
in  1696  appropriated  money  for  educa- 
tion in  a college  and  free-schools,  which 
was  absorbed  by  the  college.  Wash- 
ington college  was  founded  in  1782  in 
Chestertown,  Kent  county,  on  the  east- 
ern shore;  St.  John’s  college  in  17S4, 
in  Annapolis,  on  the  western  shore  ; and 
these  two  were  afterward  connected 
| and  formed  the  university. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature 
of  this  state  during  the  session  of  De- 


cdfnber,  1825,  to  “ provide  for  the  public 
instruction  of  youth  in  primary  schools 
throughout  the  state.”  This  act  defines 
the  duties  of-  the  superintendent  of 
schools,  namely,  to  digest  and  prepare 
plans  of  instruction  ; to  improve  such 
system  as  may  be  adopted,  and  such  rev- 
enues as  may  from  time  to  time  be  as- 
signed to  this  object ; to  prepare  and 
report  estimates  and  expenditures ; and 
to  superintend  the  collection  of  the  rev- 
enues appropriated  to  education.  It' 
requires  of  the  justices  of  the  levy  court 
in  each  of  the  counties  to  appoint  nine 
commissioners  of  primary  schools  for 
the  county,  and  a number  of  other  suit- 
able men,  not  exceeding  eighteen,  who, 
together  with  the  commissioners,  shall 
be  inspectors  of  said  schools.  The  act 
also  defines  the  duties  of  the  commis- 
sioners as  to  dividing  the  county  into 
school  districts  ; provides  fqr  the  elec- 
tion of  trustees  in  each  district,  the  erec- 
tion of  schoolhouses,  and  a semi-annual 
report  of  the  trustees  to  the  commis- 
sioners, &c. 

The  Roman  catholic  college  at  George- 
town was  founded  in  1784.  The  medi- 
cal college  in  Baltimore  was  founded  in 
1807,  and  in  1812  connected  with  the 
faculties  of  law,  divinity,  and  general 
science,  and  formed  a body  corporate, 
under  the  title  of  the  “ University  of 
Maryland.”  Two  other  institutions — 
Baltimore  and  St.  Mary’s  colleges — have 
funds  of  their  own,  by  which,  with  stu- 
dents’ fees,  they  are  supported. 

Academies,  which  afford  many  advan- 
tages of  education  to  both  sexes,  exist 
in  most  of  the  principal  towns. 

Manufactures. — The  manufactures 
of  this  state  are  numerous,  various,  and 
valuable.  Woollen,  cotton,  iron,  cop- 
per, and  flour,  are  among  the  principal ; 
and  most  of  these  are  seated  on  the 
banks  of  the  streams  where  the  descent 
of  the  land  affords  water-power  appli- 
cable to  machinery.  In  Baltimore  and 
its  vicinity  a large  amount  of  manufac- 
turing is  done. 

Productions. — Flour  and  tobacco  are 
the  staple  productions  of  Maryland ; 
but  the  former  more  valuable  article 
vastly  exceeds  the  latter  in  quantity. 
Iron  is  abundant  in  many  of  the  coun- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


267 


ties  of  the  western  shore,  and  is  manu- 
factured in  many  places.  Bituminous 
coal  exists  in  Allegany  county  in  inex- 
haustible mines,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  natural  productions  of  the  state. 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 
This  great  work  was  designed  to  extend 
from  the  city  of  Baltimore  to  Wheeling 
(Virginia),  but  was  delayed  in  its  com- 
pletion. It  was  chartered  in  1827,  and 
the  work  commenced  in  1828.  The  state 
has  subscribed  three  millions  and  Balti- 
more three  millions.  The  first  portion, 
to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  sixty-nine  miles 
in  length,  has  been  in  operation  several 
years.  It  has  since  been  finished  to 
Cumberland,  a distance  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  miles.  It  winds  along 
streams,  hill-sides,  &c.,  in  various  places, 
often  among  wild  scenery.  The  bridges 
and  viaducts  are  many,  and  very  expen- 
sive. It  is  proposed  to  extend  it  to  Pitts- 
burgh, to  compete  with  Philadelphia  in 
measures  to  secure  the  trade  of  the  Ohio 
valley.  We  select  the  following  state- 
ment, in  relation  to  this  enterprise,  from 
recent  publications:- — 

“ There  seems  now  to  be  a(prospect 
that  this  great  work  of  improvement 
will  be  pushed  forward  to  completion 
within  a reasonable  time.  For  a long 
period  it  has  been  at  a stand— —looking, 
as  it  were,  from  the  summit  of  the  Alle- 
ganies  for  the  most  advantageous  point 
to  intersect  the  Ohio  river,  which  was 
the  limit  originally  prescribed  for  the 
stupendous  undertaking.  But,  should 
the  work  take  the  course  indicated,  a 
short  time  only  will  elapse  before  the 
road  will  penetrate  the  interior  of  Ohio, 
connecting  itself  with  the  richest  agri- 
cultural region  between  the  river  and 
the  lakes,  and  drawing  from  both  a large 
amount  of  their  transit  business.  . It 
will  soon  connect  itself  with  the  river 
again  at  Cincinnati,  thus  securing  to  it- 
self all  the  advantages  and  benefits  of 
a junction  at  a point  advantageous  for 
its  interests  in  seasons  of  low  water; 
while  at  the  same  time  it  will  be  reach- 
ing its  long  arm  through  the  fertile  val- 
leys and  broad  prairies  of  our  western 
neighbors,  toward  the  Mississippi.  The 
word  will  then  be — not  ‘ Baltimore  and 
Wheeling,’  but  ‘Baltimore  and  St. Louis,' 


which  will  comprehend  all  the  inter- 
mediate points.’* 


Baltimore. — This  is  the  principal 
city  and  port  of  Maryland,  and  also  one 
of  the  largest  and  finest  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  advantageously  situated 
near  the  head  of  Chesapeake  bay,  four- 
teen miles  distant,  on  the  river  Patapsco, 
which  affords  it  a commodious  harbor, 
well  protected  by  high  land.  It  occu- 
pies a position  commanding,  by  natural 
and  artificial  channels  of  communica- 
tion, extensive  and  fertile  regions  in 
Maryland  and  adjacent  states,  'and  even 
with  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  It 
is  in  latitude  39°  177  23//,  and  longitude 
76°  37'  30"  west  from  Greenwich,  be- 
ing forty  miles  from  Washington,  nine- 
ty-seven from  Philadelphia,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-six  from  New  York,  and 
two  hundred  and  ninety  from  Pittsburg. 
The  population  in  1850  was  169,000.  . j 
The  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  Balti- 
more is  between  Fort  M‘ Henry  and  the 
Lazaretto,  six  hundred  yards  wide,  with 
twenty-two  feet  in  depth  ; the  second 
harbor,  which  is  above  Fell’s  point,  has 
fifteen  feet  water,  and  the  third,  or  in- 
ner, opposite  the  city,  ten  or  twelve.- 
The  city  is  about  two  miles  in  extent 
from  east  to  west,  and  one  and  a half 
from  north  to  south,  and  most  of  the 
streets  are  straight  and  at  right  angles. 
The  favorite  promenade  is  in  Baltimore 
street,  the  principal  avenue,  which  is 
two  miles  long  ; and  the  west  part  is  the 
favorite  residence  of  the  wealthier  citi- 
zens. The  principal  public  buildings 
are  the  city-hall  in  Holliday  street,  the 
courthouse  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Monument  streets,  the  state  peni- 
tentiary, above  one  hundred  churches, 
eleven  banks,  seven  markets,  eight  in- 
surance offices,  two  theatres,  the  circus, 
the  museum,  and  the  savings  bank. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange. — The  erec- 
tion of  this  building  was  commenced  in 
the  year  1815.  It  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  length  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  in  depth,  the  ground 
plan  being  in  the  form  of  the  letter  H. 
It  is  four  stories,  including  the  base- 
ment, which  is  vaulted.  The  grand  hall 
is  eighty-six  feet  long,  and  lighted  by  a 
dome,  ninety  feet  from  the  floor. 


268  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


There  are  two  colonnades  at  the  east- 
ern and  western  extremities,  each  of  six 
Ionic  columns,  in  pure  style,  and  each 
consisting  of  a single  block  of  Italian 
marble. 

The  Cathedral  (Roman  catholic)  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety  by  one'hundred  and 
seventy-seven  feet  in  extent,  and  in  the 
Ionic  style,  surmounted  by  a dome  and 
a cross,  the  top  of  which  is  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  feet  high,  The  build- 
ing itself  is  in  the  form  of  a cross,  built 
of  granite.  It  has  two  steeples,  in  one 
of  which  is  a bell  weighing  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  lbs.,  the  tone  of  which 
is  exceedingly  mournful,  and  can  be 
heard  forty  miles  down  the  bay  on  a 
calm  evening.  The  organ  contains  six 
thousand  pipes  and  thirty-six  stops. 

The  convent  of  the  Ladies  of  Visita- 
tion is  a large  structure,  with  cupola 
and  cross.  Attached  is  an  extensive 
academy  for  young  girls. 

The  Baltimore  Museum  and  Gallery 
of  Fine  Arts  is  a fine  spacious  building, 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Baltimore  and 
Calvert  streets,  remarkable  for  its  two 
steeples  and  fine  appearance.  The  in- 
terior arrangement  and  attractions  are 
on  a most  costly  and  extensive  scale. 

The  appellation  of  the  “ Monumental 
city”  has  been  conferred  upon  Balti- 
more, on  account  of  its  containing  sev- 
eral splendid  national  monuments.  In 
some  of  the  burying-grounds,  also,  there 
are  a great  number  of  superb  monu- 
rtients,  many  of  them  erected  by  the 
city  authorities. 

Washington  Monument. — This  superb 
and  famous  national  structure,  in  honor 
of  the  Father  of  his  country,  was  erected 
by  the  state. 

It  is  built  on  an  eminence  of  one  hun- 
dred feet,  at  the  head  of  Charles  street, 
and  consists  of  a square  base  of  fifty 
feet  by  twenty-four  in  height,  surmount- 
ed by  a granite  column,  including  the 
statue  of  Washington,  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  in  height. 

The  statue  represents  Washington  in 
the  act  of  resigning  his  commission,  is  six- 
teen feet  high,  weighs  sixteen  tons,  and 
cost  nine  thousand  dollars.  The  corner 
stone  of  the  monument  was  laid  July  4, 
1815.  There  are  four  gates  and  twelve 


steps  to  the  main  entrance.  The  in- 
scription over  each  of  the  four  doors  is 
as  follows  : — 

“ To  George  Washington,  by  the  State  of  Mary- 
land.” 

On  each  side  of  the  base  is  an  inscrip- 
tion : — 

“ Born  February  22d,  1732.  Died  14th  De- 
cember, 1799. 

Commander-in-chief  of  the  American  Army, 

15th  June,  1775.  Commission  resigned  at 
Annapolis,  23d  December,  1783. 

Trenton,  25th  December,  1776.  Yorktown, 
19th  October,  1781. 

President  of  the  United  States,  March  4,  1789. 

Retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  4th  March,  1797.” 

The  exchange,  customhouse,  court- 
house, Barnum’s  City  hotel,  and  the  jail, 
are  distinctly  seen  from  the  summit,  and 
a fine  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country  for  several  miles  is  enjoyed. 

Several  women  have,  within  the  past 
few  years,  precipitated  themselves  from 
this  giddy  height. 

Battle  Monument. — This  isjsituated  on 
Monument  square ; it  consists  of  a square 
base,  on  which  rests  a pedestal,  orna- 
mented on  each  corner  with  a beauti- 
fully-carved griffon.  From  the  centre 
arises  a column,  on  the  bands  encircling 
which  are  inscribed  the  names  of  those 
who  fell  in  the  defence  of  Baltimore  in 
1814,  and  in  whose  honor  it  was  erected. 
This  column  is  surmounted  by  a superb 
statue,  representing  the  Genius  of  Bal- 
timore, holding  a laurel  or  triumphal 
crown  in  her  right  hand,  and  an  antique 
helm  in  her  left,  emblematic  of  com- 
merce, having  an  eagle,  bombshell,  &c., 
at  her  side. 

This  monument  is  of  white  marble, 
over  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  surrounded 
by  a railing.  The  statuary  is  from  the 
chisel  of  Cuppelleano,  an  Italian  artist. 

Armistcad  Monument,  in  the  rear  of 
the  city  fountain,  was  erected  by  the- 
corporation  to  the  memory  of  Colonel 
Armistead,  in  honor  of  his  gallant  de- 
fence of  Fort  M‘Henry. 

The  surface  of  the  ground  on  which 
Baltimore  stands  is  uneven,  and  in  some 
parts  elevated,  so  that  a great  variety 
of  situations  is  offered,  for  the  wharves, 
stores,  and  streets  of  business,  for  pub- 
lic monuments  and  the  habitations  of  the 
rich.  The  upper  parts  of  the  town  are 
on  a ridge  of  primitive  ground,  through 


Baltimore. 


! 

270  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 

which  a small  stream,  crossing  the  city, 
has  cut  a deep  channel  through  the  rocks. 
That  part  of  the  town  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  bridge  which  crosses  the  stream,  has 
sometimes  suffered  from  sudden  inun- 
dations in  violent  storms.  Several  of 
the  upper  streets,  lying  along  the  high 
ground,  and  being  broad,  straight,  and 
well  built,  and  in  some  places  adorned 
with  trees  and  gardens,  make  a very 
handsome  appearance,  and  are  among  the 
most  attractive  residences  in  the  United 
States. 

The  north  parts  of  the  city  are  the 
most  elevated,  and  occupy  several  round- 
ish hills,  eighty  of  a hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  harbor.  The  natural 
surface  has  here  been  modified  to  suit 
the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
to  render  the  streets  more  uniform,  so 
that  the  ascent  from  the  water,  although 
in  some  places  steep,  is  nowhere  difficult. 
The  lower  parts  of  the  city  are  on  the 
alluvion  which  borders  the  bay  or  basin, 
and  there  the  streets  are  more  closely 
built  and  crowded  : still  their  straight- 
ness and  regularity  render  them  more 
convenient  and  clean  than  the  business 
parts  of  many  other  commercial  towns 
of  equal  size. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  city,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  outer  or  first  harbor — on 
a point  of  land  which  rises  by  a gradual 
ascent  to  an  eminence — is  situated  Fort 
M‘Henry,  the  principal  defence  of  the 
city  by  water.  This  fort  endured  a 
bombardment  by  a British  squadron  in 
the  war  of  1812,  through  an  entire  night, 
and  held  out  successfully.  The  point 
is  connected  with  the  mainland  by  a 
long,  low,  and  sandy  neck,  over  which, 
as  well  as  the  neighboring  water,  the 
guns  of  the  fort  have  an  advantageous 
command. 

The  country  around  Baltimore  is 
marked  by  some  peculiar  features.  Bal- 
timore county  extends  to  Chesapeake 
bay  on  the  southeast,  to  Patapsco  river 
on  the  southwest,  to  Frederick  county 
on  the  west,  to  York  county  (Pa.)  on  the 
north,  and  to  Hartford  county  on  the 
northeast;  having  an  extreme  length, 
from  southeast  to  northwest,  of  thirty-* 
six  miles,  a mean  breadth  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  an  area  of  nine  hundred 

square  miles.  It  may  be  divided  into 
two  sections — the  valley  of  Gunpowder 
creek,  which  is  hilly,  and  that  of  the 
Patapsco.  The  great  primitive  ledge, 
which  extends  all  along  the  Atlantic  bor- 
der from  the  southern  to  the  eastern 
states,  crosses  this  county,  and  the  sea- 
sand  alluvion,  between  the  bays  of  the 
Patapsco  and  the  Gunpowder,  lie  at  its 
base.  All  the  county  is  uneven;  but 
above  the  head  of  tidewater  it  becomes 
more  rough  and  more  elevated ; and  at 
Reigerstown,  seventeen  miles  northwest 
from  Baltimore,  the  surface  is  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  tidewater. 
The  elevation  is  still  greater  at  the  south- 
east foot  of  the  dividing  ridge  between 
Baltimore  and  Frederick  counties — the 
farms  are  eight  hundred  feet  above  the 
harbor:  so  that  there  is  a difference  of 
a week  or  ten  days  in  the  seasons.  This 
variety  of  surface  and  climate  renders 
the  variety  of  vegetation  very  great. 

The  great  western  railroad  from  Bal- 
timore, to  be  extended  to  the  Ohio, 
skirts  along  the  southwest  border  of  this, 
county  ; while  the  Susquehanna  and  the 
Washington  r'ailroads  bring  their  numer- 
ous trains  across  it  to  the  city,  though 
the  latter  is  connected,  as  a branch,  with 
the  western  railroad. 

Early  History  of  Baltimore. — The 
first  settlement  of  Maryland,  under  the 
patent  of  Lord  Baltimore,  was  made  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  at  St. 
Mary’s,  which  was  intended  to  become 
the  capital  of  the  new  colony,  but  is  a 
place  of  no  distinction. 

The  first  settler  within  the  limits  of 
Baltimore  was  a man  named  Gorsuch, 
who  took  a patent  of  lands,  twenty-eight 
years  later,  on  Whetstone  point.  This  is 
now  included  in  the  review-ground  of  : 
the  Baltimore  militia.  Among  those 
who  settled  soon  after  him  in  this  vicin- 
ity was  Charles  Carroll,  whose  estate, 
on  the  high  ground  behind  Baltimore, 
still  bears  his  name.  A descendant  of 
his — Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton — 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  The  original 
purchase  of  Carroll  included  some  of 
the  most  eligible  parts  of  the  present 
city  of  Baltimore,  which,  at  an  early 
day,  were  sold  by  Charles  and  Daniel 

272  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Carroll,  at  prices  now  surprisingly  low, 
viz.,  sixty  acres,  at  forty  shillings  an 
acre,  payment  being  made  in  tobacco  at 
one  penny  per  pound. 

At  that  time,  Baltimore  appears  to 
have  been  surrounded  with  a board 
fence,  with  two  gates  for  carriages  and 
one  for  foot-passengers. 

The  Battle  of  Baltimore. — Maryland 
was  invaded  by  a powerful  British  army 
in  1814,  and  Baltimore  was  saved  from 
capture  by  the  energy  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  hastily  assembled  for  the  de- 
fence. 

A British  squadron  was  blockading 
the  coast,  and  Commodore  Barney  sailed 
from  Baltimore  to  protect  the  harbors, 
&c.,  in  the  bay,  with  a flotilla,  consist- 
ing of  a cutter,  two  gunboats,  a galley, 
and  nine  large  barges.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  Patuxent  river  he  discovered  two 
schooners  and  pursued  them.  One  car- 
ried eighteen  guns  ; and  as  both  were 
soon  joined  by  the  barges  of  a seventy- 
four,  which  was  soon  discovered,  he  fled 
into  the  mouth  of  the  river.  They  fol- 
lowed, but  were  driven  back,  and  the 
commodore  returning  anchored  about 
three  miles  distant  from  the  ship.  A 
%few  days  after,  a rasee  of  the  enemy  ar- 
rived, with  a sloop-of-war  ; and  the  com- 
modore was  compelled  to  retire  to  St. 
Leonard’s  creek,  pursued  by  the  smaller 
vessels  and  the  barges  of  the  larger. 
There  he  extended  his  line  of  boats 
across  the  stream,  in  order  of  battle. 
The  enemy  twice  advanced  and  were 
twice  driven  back,  and  the  eighteen-gun 
schooner  was  so  much  injured  by  the 
American  shot  that  she  was  run  on 
shore  and  abandoned. 

A body  of  artillery  from  Washington 
arrived  on  the  26th,  when  a combined 
attack  was  made  on  the  enemy  from  the 
land  and  the  water,  and  with  success. 
The  British  retreated  after  an  action  of 
two  hours,  an$  immediately  sailed  down 
the  river. 

A short  time  after,  however,  having 
received  large  reinforcements  frbm  Eu- 
rope in  consequence  of  the  cessation 
of  hostilities  with  France,  the  enemy 
formed  the  plan  of  a large  expedition, 
and  soon  entered  the  Chesapeake,  ac- 
companied by  thirty  ships-of-war,  under 


STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


Lieutent-General  Ross,  intending  to  cap- 
ture Washington  and  Baltimore. 

After  the  capture  of  Washington  and 
Georgetown,  the  enemy  directed  his  at- 
tention to  Baltimore.  Forty  smaller 
vessels,  under  Admiral  Cochrane,  sailed 
for  the  Patapsco,  and  arrived  at  North 
point,  twelve  miles  from  the  city.  They 
were  drawn  up  and  anchored  in  a line 
across  the  river,  and  the  debarkation  of 
the  troops  soon  commenced.  The  land- 
ing was  completed  on  the  morning  of 
September  12,  and  the  forces  prepared 
to  march  against  the  city,  amounting  to 
eight  thousand,  including  soldiers,  sail- 
ors, and  marines.  At  the  same  time, 
sixteen  vessels,  including  frigates  and 
bomb-vessels,  moved  up  the  river  to 
make  an  attack  by  water,  in  cooperation 
with  the  army.  The  latter  anchored  at 
the  distance  of  two  and  a half  miles 
from  Fort  M‘Henry,  which  had  been 
.timely  garrisoned  by  a strong  force  of 
five  thousand  men. 

The  British  army  proceeded,  while  a 
body  of  three  thousand  Americans  moved 
out  to  meet  them.  On  intelligence 
being  received  by  the  latter  of  the  en- 
emy’s approach,  two  companies  of  artil- 
lery, a few  riflemen,  and  ten  artillerymen 
with  a four-pounder,  hastened  on  to 
meet  their  advance,  which  was  reported 
to  be  a light  corps.  But,  as  the  ground 
was  unfavorable  to  the  use  of  the  en- 
emy’s cavalry  and  artillery,  the  action 
was  sustained  by  the  infantry  of  the  de- 
tachments. 

General  Ross,  pressing  forward  with 
several  of  his  staff,  exposed  himself,  on 
an  open  field,  to  the  fire  of  a few  Ameri- 
can sharpshooters  posted  in  an  advan- 
tageous position,  and  he  instantly  re- 
ceived a mortal  wound,  and  fell,  with 
several  of  his  officers.  The  enemy  then 
pushed  on  and  attacked  the  American 
left. 

The  action  now  became  general,  and 
a sharp  contest  continued  from  two  to 
four  o’clock,  P.  M.,  when  the  Americans, 
being  in  far  inferiq>r  force,  fell  back  upon 
the  reserve.  The  next  day  was  spent 
without  renewing  the  action,  the  enemy 
taking  position  in  the  afternoon  in  front 
of  the  Americans,  driving  in  their  out- 
posts, and  preparing  for  an  attack  at 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


273 


night.  The  weather  was  stormy,  how- 
ever, and  in  the  morning  the  British 
reembarked,  and  a bombardment  com- 
menced, which  lasted  till  the  following 
morning.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
storm  Fort  Covington,  but  failed,  with 
loss,  and  the  expedition  retreated  down 
the  river.” 

Nature  has  made  generous  provision 
for  extensive  and  various  manufactures 
in  Maryland.  Baltimore  and  its  vicinity 
has  been  said,  by  a well-qualified  writer, 
to  possess  “ unrivalled  advantages”  for 
manufacturing,  there  not  being  “ on  the 
continent  a location  more  favorable. 
Everything  is  cheap ; and  ready  access 
can  be  had  to  all  the  markets  of  the 
Union.  Nothing  is  wanting  but  enter- 
prise and  industry  to  make  the  whole 
nation  tributary”  to  this  city. 

The  Flour  Trade. — A most  exten- 
sive business  is  transacted  in  flour  in  this 
city.  The  quantity  of  wheat-flour  and 
cornmeal  inspected  during  the  miller’s 
year,  from  July  1,  to  June  30,  is  about 
a million  of  barrels. 

The  chief  wealth  of  Maryland,  we  will 
incidentally  remark,  is  drawn  from  its 
agriculture  and  mines.  Mining  is  now 
being  carried  on  with  great  spirit,  and 
since  the  completion  of  the  canal  and 
railroad  from  Baltimore  to  Cumberland, 
operations  have  been  greatly  extended. 
It  is  a fact  worthy  of  observation  that 
many  of  uur  ocean  steamships  are  using 
the  semi-bituminous  coal  of  this  region, 
and  large  quantities  are  used  at  Pitts- 
burgh and  for  steamboats  on  the  Ohio 
rivers.  Furnaces,  bloomeries,  and  rol- 
ling-mills, for  the  manufacture  of  iron, 
have  increased  wonderfully  in  number 
during  the  past  five  years,  and  turn  out 
vast  quantit  ies  of  cast  and  bar  iron.  The 
principal  agricultural  produce  is  wool 
and  pork;  wheat,  Indian  corn,  and  oats; 
and  tobacco.  Maryland  stands  fourth 
on  the  list  of  tobacco-growing  states,  and 
is  highly  celebrated  for  the  excellency 
of  this  staple.  Ship-building,  chief- 
ly carried  on  at  Baltimore,  is  also  an 
extensive  branch  of  industry.  The  coast 
fisheries  employ  many  hundreds  of  fam- 
ilies, and  supply  not  only  sufficient  fish 
for  the  market  of  Baltimore,  but  also  no 
small  amount  for  export.  t 


Annapolis.  — This  town  is  distin- 
guished as  the  state  capital,  and  stands 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Severn,  on  its 
right  bank,  and  three  miles  from  Ches- 
apeake bay.  It  is  also  the  capital  of 
Anne  Arundel  county.  The  statehouse, 
St.  John’s  college,  and  St.  Anne’s  church, 
are  placed  at  three  points  of  the  city 
equally  distant  from  each  other,  forming 
centres,  at  which  meet,  from  different 
directions,  the  principal  streets.  The 
other  public  buildings  are  the  govern- 
ment-house, methodist  church,  Roman 
catholic  chapel,  the  bank,  and  the  semi- 
nary. There  are  about  four  thousand 
three  hundred  inhabitants  in  Annapolis. 

It  is  thirty-seven  miles  north  and  seven- 
ty-six east  from  Washington,  and  thirty 
miles  east  of  south  from  Baltimore. 

The  Statehouse  is  an  old  building,  and 
has  long  served  for  public  purposes. 
The  American  congress  assembled  here 
during  some  of  the  most  interesting  pe- 
riods of  the  revolution.  The  senate- 
chamber,  in  which  they  held  their  ses- 
sions, remains  unaltered  to  the  present 
day.  It  was  there  that  the  solemn  scene 
was  exhibited  of  the  resignation  of  his 
commission  by  Washington,  after  the 
close  of  the  war. 

St.  John’s  College  has  five  professors, 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty 
alumni,  and  about  seventy-five  students, 
with  a library  of  about  four  thousand 
volumes.  The  .commencement  is  held 
on  the  22d  of  February.  ‘ 

Havre  de  Grace  is  a small  town  at 
the  mouth  of  Susquehanna  river,  thirty- 
six  miles  northeast  from  Baltimore  and 
sixty  miles  from  Philadelphia,  and  con-  'i 
tains  about  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants. 
Here  commences  the  Susquehanna  ca- 
nal, which  extends  from  the  Chesapeake 
to  the  Pennsylvania  canals.  This  town 
was  burnt  by  the  British  troops  under 
Admiral  Cockburn,  in  the  late  war,  in 
1813. 

Steam-ferryboats  cross  the  river  here, 
and  the  railroad  from  Philadelphia  to 
Baltimore  passes  through  this  place. 

Elkton,  forty-five  miles  from  Phila- 
delphia and  about  the  same  distance 
from  Baltimore,  stands  aj  the  junction 
of  the  two  principal  branches  of  Elk 
river  at  the  head  of  tidewater.  It  is  a 


18 


274 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


place  of  some  trade,  and  a neat  and 
pleasant  village. 

Chestertown  is  thirty  miles  south- 
east from  Baltimore,  thirty  from  Chesa- 
peake bay,  and  eighty-two  northeast 
from  Washington.  It  stands  on  Chestei 
river,  and  contains  over  one  thousand 
inhabitants.  This  is  the  seat  of  justice 
of  Kent  county.  A branch  of  the  uni- 
versity of  Maryland  is  established  here. 

Easton. — This  town  is  on  Tread- 
haven  bay,  thirteen  miles  from  Elkton 
and  Chesapeake  bay.  It  contains  three 
churches,  a courthouse,  and  an  academy. 
The  inhabitants  are  over  one  thousand. 
It  is  a seaport  and  the  seat  of  justice  of 
Talbot  county. 

Cambridge,  twelve  miles  distant  from 
Chesapeake  bay,  is  on  the  Choptank, 
and  contains  a courthouse,  an  academy, 
and  two  churches,  with  about  eight  hun- 
dred inhabitants.  Stagecoaches  run  to 
Snowhill  and  to  Elkton.  It  is  the  seat 
of  justice  of  Dorchester  county,  and  is 
thirty-six  miles  southeast  of  Annapolis 
in  a direct  line,  but  fifty-three  by  post- 
route. 

Snowhill  is  situated  on  the  east  side 
of  Pocomoke  river,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three  miles  southeast  of  Washing- 
ton. It  contains  a courthouse,  an  acad- 
emy, five  churches,  and  about  eight 
hundred  inhabitants,  and  is  the  seat  of 
justice  of  Worcester  county. 

Barren  Creek  Mineral  Springs  are 
twenty-three  miles  from  Cambridge ; 
they  are  resorted  to  by  numbers  of  visit- 
ers every  seasons.  The  water  contains 
oxyde  of  iron,  soda,  and  magnesia,  with 
muriatic  acid. 

Westminster.  — This  town  stands 
near  the  head  of  Patapsco  river.  It  has  a 

courthouse,  an  academy,  three  churches, 
and  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  It 
lies  on  the  border  of  Frederick  county, 
twenty-three  miles  northwest  of  Balti- 
more. 

Emmettsburg  is  twenty-two  miles 
north  of  Frederick.  It  stands  on  the 
Monocasy,  in  the  north  part  of  Frederick 
county,  and  contains  four  churches,  an 
academy,  and  eight  hundred  inhabitants, 
and  near  it  is%one  of  the  principal  Ro- 
man catholic  seminaries,  called  St.  Mary’s 
college. 


St.  Mary's  College  was  founded  in 
1830,  and  has  a president,  eleven  tutors, 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  stu- 
dents. Its  libraries  contain  four  thou- 
sand volumes.  The  commencement  is 
held  in  the  last  week  in  June.  Stage- 
coaches go  to  Frederick  three  times  a 
week. 

Frederick. — This  is  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal towns  in  the  state,  being  second  in 
importance  to  Baltimore,  from  which  it 
is  distant  sixty-one  miles  west.  It  stands 
on  a branch  of  the  Monocasy,  in  the 
midst  of  a pleasant  country,  with  a fer- 
tile soil.  It  is  laid  out  with  regularity, 
and  contains  some  fine  private  houses, 
and  several  conspicuous  public  build-  • 
ings — a courthouse,  county  buildings,  a 
market,  twelve  churches,  two  acade- 
mies, a Roman  catholic  seminary  and 
charity  school,  and  above  six  thousand 
inhabitants.  A branch  railroad  con- 
nects this  town  with  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad. 

Frederick  County  next  south  of  Adams 
county,  and  southwest  of  York  county  • 
(Pa.),  lies  along  the  western  boundary 
of  Baltimore,  Anne  Arundel,  and  Mont- 
gomery counties,  from  which  it  is,  for  a 
considerable  part  of  the  distance,  divided 
by  the  ridge  of  the  Southeast  mountain. 
It  extends  south  to  the  Potomac  and 
west  to  the  Blue  ridge.  It  is  forty-two 
miles  long  and  eighteen  miles  in  mean' 
breadth,  and  has  an  area  of  seven  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  square  miles.  It 
is  traversed  by  the  Monocasy,  which 
lies  wholly  within  it,  excepting  the  head- 
waters. Th^Cotoctin  mountain,  a mi- 
nor branch  of  the  Blue  ridge,  extends 
south,  from  the  northwest  part  of  the 
county,  nearly  to  the  Potomac,  dividing 
the  valleys  of  the  Monocasy  and  the  Co- 
toctin.  The  surface  is  not  generally 
hilly,  and  in  some  parts  level  ; while  the 
soil  is  favorable  to  grain,  grass,  and 
fruit ; and  it  is  one  of  the  best  cultivated 
parts  of  the  state. 

Hagerstown. — This  town  stands  on 
Antietam  creek,  and  is  seventy  miles 
west  fom  Baltim’ore,  with  daily  stage- 
coaches to  Frederick.  It  contains  nine 
churches,  a townhall,  two  banks,  two 
academies,  and  nearly  five  thousand  in- 
habitants. It  is  the  seat  of  justice  of 


Viaduct  over  the  Patuxent  on  the  Baltimore  and  Washington  Railroad. 


\-rj=: r— — - = — 

j 276  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


Washington  county,  and  a place  of  con- 
siderable importance,  lying  in  the  cen- 
tre of  a rich  limestone  valley. 

Hancock,  on  the  bank  of  Potomac  riv- 
er, contains  two  churches,  an  academy, 
and  about  five  hundred  inhabitants. 

Cumberland,  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-eight miles  west  of  Baltimore,  is 
on  the  Potomac,  at  the  mouth  of  Wills 
creek.  It  contains  a bank,  a market, 
five  churches,  a courthouse,  and  about 
two  thousand  inhabitants.  The  situa- 
| tion  is  in  a \aried  and  wild  region, 
among  the  mountains,  where  coalmines 
abound.  The  railroad  to  Baltimore  af- 
fords daily  communication  with  that  city 
and  the  intermediate  places.  It  is  the 
seat  of  justice  of  Allegany  county,  and 
the  eastern  termination  of  the  great 
western  road  of  the  United  States  caWed 
the  Cumberland  road. 

Ellicott’s  Mills, 'ten  mile!  south- 
west from  Baltimore,  is  situated  in  a 
wild  and  picturesque  region,  and  owes 
its  existence  as  a village  to  the  water- 
power,  which  is  employed  in  numerous 
manufactures,  and  to  the  railroad  which 
here  crosses  the  Patapsco,  on  a fine 
aqueduct  of  stone.  It  stands  on  the 
boundary  line  of  Baltimore  and  Anne 
Arundel  counties. 

The  Viaduct  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Washington  Railroad. — One  of  the  most 
striking  objects  in  the  state  is  the  great 
viaduct  on  which  the  Baltimore  and 
Washington  railroad  crosses  the  valley 
of  the  Patuxent.  A passenger  travel- 
ling over  it  in  a car  has  little  opportu- 
nity to  judge  of  the  nature,  extent,  dif- 
ficulty, and  cost  of  the  construction.  The 
view  from  the  summit  is  so  extensive, 
and  the  valley  below  is  seen  so  nearly 
under  his  feet,  that  the  most  careless  ob- 
server must  be  aware  that  he ‘is  moving 
at  an  unusual  height  above  the  surface, 
and  that  the  road  is  sustained  by  a long 
and  narrow-,  though  lofty  fabric.  To  an 
observer,  however,  from  below,  or  from 
a point  on  either  side,  the  scene  is  of  a 
more  impressive  description.  A lofty 
and  elegant  arched  bridge  extends  across 
a deep  and  wild  chasm,  forming  a nar- 
row but  solid  and  level  path,  for  the 
long  and  heavy  trains  of  cars  which  pass  , 
over  it,  between  the  natural  banks  that  1 

J 


bound  it  on  either  side.  The  stream 
which  winds  below,  and  sometimes  rises 
to  overflow  a great  part  of  the  valley, 
threatens  to  undermine  and  tear  away 
this  light  and  elegant  structure. 

Ample  space,  however,  is  left  between 
the  piers  for  the  passage  of  the  water, 
even  at  the  highest  floods  ; and  the  work 
has  suffered  but  occasional  and  partial 
injuries,  from  the  severest  weather  and 
floods.  The  road  is  thirty-three  miles  in 
length,  and  one  of  the  most  important 
portions  of  the  great  line  of  travelling 
from  north  to  south,  especially  during 
the  time  when  congress  is  in  session. 

The  commerce  of  Maryland  is  so  de- 
pendent on  the  harbor  of  Baltimore,  that 
it  is  well  for  the  state  that  it  possesses 
the  important  quality  of  being  accessible 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Even  when 
impeded  by  ice,  it  never  freezes  so  thick 
that  it  may  not  easily  be  opened  by 
strong  steam  icebreakers  and  towboats, 
which  are  kept  in  readiness  for  the  pur- 
pose. Ships  of  the  largest  class  can 
come  up  to  the  wharves  in  the  lower 
harbor;  and  at  Canton  they  have  twen- 
ty-six feet  water. 

“ The  soil  of  the  state,”  says  Hunt’s 
Magazine,  “ except  in  a few  portions 
of  it,  is  well  adapted  to  agriculture.  It 
has  numerous  never-failing  streams,  with 
gradual  falls  at  suitable  distances,  par- 
ticularly in  the  vicinity  of  Baltimore. 
For  manufacturing  purposes,  and  com- 
mercial pursuits,  Maryland  is  not  ex- 
celled by  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 
The  great  American  Mediterranean  sea, 
whose  borders  she  skirt^,  will  be  a wall 
of  defence  about  her  in  time  of  war,  as 
an  invading  foe  would  scarcely  with- 
draw himself  from  the  ocean-field,  in 
this  improved  age  of  invention,  lest  his 
retreat  might  be  intercepted  when  he 
found  it  necessary  to  retreat ; and  the 
bosom  of  that  sea  will  in  early  after- 
time waft  treasures  upon  it,  that,  whether 
in  the  character  of  imports  or  exports, 
will  add  to  her  riches.  Nature  has  in- 
contestably provided  for  this  result ; and 
the  founders  of  Baltimore  (not  that  any- 
thing like  prescience  is  to  be  ascribed  to 
them,  even  as  regards  the  state  of  im- 
provements as  they  exist  at  present)  so 
located  it,  that  it  becomes  a point  of 


I 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


277 


concentration,  whence  again  all  the  travel 
diverges,  if  economy  as  to  distance  be 
considered,  whether  the  direction  be 
from  north  to  south,  or  east  to  west,  and 
vice  versa.  The  near  proximity  of  the 
seat  of  national  government  is  no  draw- 
back upon,  but  adds  to,  her  value;  and 
should  congress  in  its  wisdom  authorize 
the  establishment  of  a national  bank, 
where  is  there  a city,  all  matters  in  ref- 
erence to  other  banks  and  places  con- 
sidered, more  eligible  and  safe,  foi  the 
present,  than  Baltimore'? 

“ Nearly  all  the  great  prominent  agri- 
cultural productions  of  the  United  States 
,are  grown  in  Maryland,  except  cotton, 
sugar,  and  rice  ; and  each  year  further 
developments  are  made  in  reference  to 
some  exotics.  If  there  were  agricul- 
tural societies,  and  fairs  held,  as  in  some 
of  the  eastern  states,  where  the  choice 
productions  of  the  earth  could  be  exhib- 
ited, and  competent  persons  appointed  to 
pronounce  upon  them  and  award  pre- 
miums, it  would  act  as  a great  stimulant 
to  enterprise,  aside  from  the  profits  im- 
mediately resulting  to  the  grower.  So 
with  live  stock,  of  all  descriptions ; but 
these  subjects  are  somewhat  neglected  by 
the  present  tillers  of  the  soil,  and  those 
of  politics  have,  to  too  great  an  extent, 
usurped  their  places.  Some  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  since,  when  Maryland  was 
luxuriating  in  a more  palmy  sunshine 
of  favors  than  at  present,  such  exhi- 
| bitions  were  not  unfrequent,  and  politics 
slept : there  may  be  a recurrence  of  a 
similar  prosperous  period. 

“ Corn,  wheat,  and  oats,  thrive  kindly 
in  every  county.  Bye  is  not  so  gener- 
ally cultivated;  the  western  counties 
appear  more  congenial  to  its  growth. 
Buckwheat,  barley,  and  pulse,  are  not 
so  specially  attended  to.  The  yield  of 
flaxseed  is  only  middling,  compared  with 
that  of  other  grains.” 

1 Potatoes  are  of  excellent  flavor,  and 
J the  crops  fair,  but  not  equal  to  the  de- 
mand. Small  parcels  of  sweet-potatoes 
come  to  Baltimore,  chiefly  from  the 
southern  and  eastern  counties.  Hay  is 
the  growth  of  the  western  shore,  and  is 
chiefly  timothy,  with  some  clover.  It 
never  exceeds  home-consumption.  Fruit 
is  better  adapted  to  the  same  counties, 


especially  apples  and  pea  dies,  some  of 
which  are  very  superior  in  quality. 
Melons,  of  every  variety,  are  abundant 
everywhere.  Tobacco  is  cultivated  in 
eleven  of  the  counties,  but  principally 
in  Prince  George,  Culvert,  Charles,  St. 
Mary’s,  Anne  Arundel,  and  Montgomery. 
More  than  nine  millions  of  pounds  were 
raised  in  Prince  George,  and  twelve 
millions  in  all  the  counties  afterward 
named*  in  the  year  1839. 

Good  horses,  mules,  neat-cattle,  sheep, 
and  swine,  are  raised  in  every  county, 
but  Frederick  excels  in  this  branch  : in 
this  county,  according  to  the  census  of 
1840,  there  were  then  11,259  horses  and 
mules,  24,933  neat-cattle,  26,309  sheep, 
and  54,049  swine.  The  bacon  of  this 
county  is  preferred  to  any  other,  bring- 
ing * at  Baltimore  from  one  quarter  to 
one  half  cent,  more  per  pound. 

All  tl*e  counties  produce  wool ; but 
the  yield  is  not  large — not  above  three 
hundred  thousand  pounds  per  annum, 
which  was  the  amount  in  1840  for  the 
whole  state.  Frederick  county  gave  of 
this  fifty-nine  thousand  pounds.  In  but- 
ter and  cheese,  also,  this  county  exceeds 
the  others. 

The  forest-trees  of  the  middle  states 
abound  in  all  the  counties  of  this  state. 
The  best  woods  for  fuel  are  the  oaks, 
hickory,  beech,  and  dogwood.  Oak 
commonly  sells  in  Baltimore  at  from 
four  to  five  and  a half  dollars  per  cord, 
and  the  others  at  from  five  to  seven  dol- 
lars. Pine  is  abundant,  but  neither  the 
white  nor  the  pitch-pine.  The  hem- 
lock has  its  southern  boundary  in  the 
west  parts  of  Maryland,  excepting  a 
small  district  in  the  Allegany  mountains 
in  Virginia.  In  New  England  the  bark 
of  this  tree,  there  so  commonj  is  much 
used  in  tanning.  The  oak  of  this  state 
is  excellent  for  shipbuilding,  being  in- 
ferior only  to  the  live-oak.  The  cele- 
brated dam  across  the  Kennebeck  river, 
in  Maine,  is  built  of  oak  from  Maryland. 

I It  was  cut  in  Baltimore  county  near  a 
stream  flowing  into  the  Chesapeake. 
Among  the  plans  for  internal  improve- 
ment is  one  for  a canal  through  that 
stream  to  Havre  de  Grace.  Cedar  and 
locust  are  abundant  in  some  parts  of 
the  lower  counties,  and  are  exported  in 


278  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MARYLAND. 


great  quantities  to  the  eastern  states  for 
shipbuilding,  with  oak  timber.  The  ce- 
dar and  locust  of  Maryland  are  also  in 
demand  for  railroads. 

The  amount  of  exports  annually  made 
from  the  numerous  navigable  branches 
of  the  bay,  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain, 
and  difficult  to  estimate. 

Coal  abounds,  principally  in  Allegany 
county,  and  it  is  mostly  of  the  bitumin- 
ous kind.  The  Chesapeake  an$l  Ohio 
canal,  from  the  falls  at  Georgetown, 
along  the  Potomac,  was  made  chiefly 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  this  coal  to 
market.  The  cost  of  this  work  has  been 
very  great,  and  unexpected  difficulties 
were  found  in  the  way  of  the  western 
terminus,  along  the  mountainous  region 
where  the  coal-beds  are  situated.  The 
Frostburg  coal-basin,  according  to  the 
report  of  the  state  geologist,  Professor 
Ducatel,  is  forty  miles  long  and  five 
miles  wide,  containing  86,847  acres. 
The  coal,  being  fifteen  yards  in  depth, 
must  be  in  amount  more  than  six  thou- 
sand millions  of  cubic  yards.  Each  cu- 
bic yard  weighs  a ton. 

The  Lonaconing^iron  region  is  in  the 
same  county,  and  is  estimated  to  contain 
three  thousand  millions  of  tons  of  ore, 
or  one  thousand  millions  of  tons  of 
crude  iron. 

Many  companies  have  been  formed 
and  incorporated  for  several  years,  for 
the  working  of  the  coal  and  iron  mines. 
Some  of  them  have  commenced  opera- 
tions with  success.  The  mines  at  Elk- 
ridge  Hone  yield  iron  of  superior  qual- 
ity, adapted  to  fine  castings.  This  and 
other  varieties  of  ore  from  the  vicinity 
of  Baltimore,  yield  from  about  thirty- 
five  to  fifty  per  cent,  of  iron.  Bog-ore 
is  found  in  Worcester  county,  and  has 
been  wrought  to  some  extent.  It  yields 
twenty-nine  per  cent. 

Several  copper- mines  exist  in  Fred- 
erick county,  chiefly  near  the  village  of 
New  London.  The  ore  yields  about 
thirty  per  cent. 

The  following  minerals  are  also  found 
in  Maryland,  which  will  prove  valuable, 
viz. : anthracite,  granite,  marble,  soap- 
stone, limestone,  flint,  sandstone,  slate, 
potters’-clay,  fire-clay,  pipe-clay,  various 
ochres,  chrome,  aluminous  earths,  &c. 


Mineral-springs  are  common  in  the 
west,  and  the  waters  of  some,  which 
have'  been  analyzed,  are  found  to  con- 
tain sulphate  of  magnesia,  sulphate  of 
lime,  muriate  of  soda,  muriate  of  lime, 
carbonate  of  lime,  &c. 

Statistics. — The  population  of  the 
state  of  Maryland,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  several  successive  dates,  has  been 
as  follows  : — 


Years. 

Whites.  Free  Col’d  Persons.  Slaves. 

Total. 

1790 

208,647 

8,043 

103,036 

319,728 

[ 1800 

221,998 

19,987 

107,707 

349,654 

: 1810 

235,117 

33,927 

111,502 

380,546 

1 1820 

260,222 

39,730 

107,398 

407,350 

’ 1830 

291,093 

52,912 

102,873 

446,913 

1840 

318,204 

62,078 

89,737 

470,019 

1856 

418,763 

73,943 

89.800 

582,506 

Agricultural  productions. 


Wheat  . 3,541,433  bush,  value  $2,655,075 


Corn  . . 8,3 56,565  “ “ 3,133,613 

Oats  . . 3,579,950  “ “ 919,988 

Rye  . . 784,303  “ “ 392,151 

Buckwheat  47,858  “ “ 1,450 

Potatoes  . 1,058,901  *“  “ 211,780 

Tobacco  21,916,012  lbs.  “ 1,095,800 

Hav  . . 110,816  tons  “ 1,100,000 

Hemp  . . 117  “ “ 14,140 

Cotton  . 7,108  lbs.  “ 700 

Wool  . . 502,499  “ “ 100,500 

Hops  . . 2,368  bush.  “ 473 


The  following  is  the  number  of  live 
stock,  with  their  value  : — 

Horses  and  mules  . 94,054  $4,000,000 

Neat-cattle  . . . 238,827  2,000,000 

Swine 419,520  1,252,000 

Sheep 262,807  394,210 

Manufactures. 


Number  of — 


Mills — Flour 

212  (1,000,000  bbls. 

before  estim. 

as  wheat) 

“ Grist 

433  ) 

Value. 

“ Saw. 

423  F 

$6i;000 

“ Oil 

9 

“ Powder 

5 (669,000  lbs.) 

“ Paper 

16 

195,100 

F actories — Cotton 

15 

2,348,580 

“ Woollen  29 

235,900 

Potteries 

22 

61,240 

Distilleries 

73  (342,813  gals.)  68,562 

Breweries 

11  (529,640  do.)  105,928 

Furnaces,  forges, 
and  rolling-mills 

J 30 

Tanneries 

159 

Rope  walks 

13 

61,240 

Shipbuilding 

(7,890  tons)T 

227,771 

The  number  of  primary  and  common 
schools  at  the  present  time  does  not  fall 
much,  if  any,  short  of  1,000;  scholars 
I about  25,000. 


( 

) 

1 

Is 


THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


The  District  of  Columbia  was  ceded 
to  the  United  States  in  1790,  and  made 
the  seat  of  government  in  1800.  It 
has  ever  since  been  the  capital  of  the 
Union,  and  under  the  government  of 
conoress.  A spot  was  selected  on  the 
Potomac  river,  at  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion for  ships-of-war  (where  the  navy- 
yard  has  since  been  established),  and 
with  a surface  deemed  favorable  for  the 
foundation  of  a city. 

The  extent  of  territory  was  ten  miles 
square,  with  the  Potomac  river  flowing 
through  it,  and  including  the  mouth  of 
the  eastern  branch  of  that  river,  where 
the  water  is  deep,  and  the  shores  favor- 
able to  the  site  of  a navyyard.  TJhe 
land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Potomac 
was  ceded  to'  the' United  States  govern- 
ment by  Maryland,  and  that  on  the  west 
side  by  Virginia  ; but  the  latter  has  been 
recently  ceded  back  to  Virginia,  after 
long  experience  of  the  inconveniences 
arising  from  being  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  congress,  who  have  so  many,  and 
more  extensive  interests  in  their  care. 
The  city  of  Alexandria,  lately  included 
in  the  federal  district,  is  expected  to  de- 
rive special  benefits  from  her  restoration 
to  Virginia.  Washington  and  George- 
town are  the  only  towns  now  belonging 
to  it ; and  these  lie  so  contiguous  to  each 
other,  that  they  have  almost  the  appear- 
ance of  one  continued  city. 

The  district  of  Columbia  is  bounded 
north  and  east  by  Maryland,  and  south 
and  west  by  Potomac  river.  It  is  eight 
miles  lfing,  and  about  one  and  a half 
broad.  The  capitol  stands  in  latitude 
76°  55'  3CU  west  from  Greenwich.  The 
surface  is  undulated,  and  the  soil  poor. 
The  navyyard  is  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  district,  about  one  mile  from  Capitol 
hill ; and  from  the  latter,  nearly  to  the 
falls  of  the  Potomac,  extend  Washing- 
ton and  Georgetown,  making  a striking 
display  when  seen  from  the  river  below. 
Railroad  cars  have  communication  with 
Baltimore  several  times  a day,  and  steam- 
boats ply  on  the  Potomac  and  down  the 
bay.  Some  portions  of  the 


following 


description  are  compiled  from  several 
authentic  works. 

A more  beautiful  site  for  a city  could 
hardly  be  obtained.  From  a point  where 
the  Potomac,  at  a distance  of  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety-five  miles  from  the  ocean, 
and  flowing  from  northwest  to  southeast, 
expands  to  the  width  of  a mile,  extended 
back  -an  almost  level  plain,  hemmed  in 
by  a series  of  gradually-sloping  hills, 
terminating  with  the  heights  of  George- 
town ; the  plain  being  nearly  three  miles 
in  length  from  east  to  west,  and  varying 
from  a quarter  of  a mile  to  two  miles  in 
breadth;  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  P.otomac,  where 
are  now  the  navyyard  and  the  congres- 
sional cemetery,  and  on  the  west  by  the 
Rock  creek,  which  separates  it  from 
Georgetown.  The  small  stream  from 
the  north,  over  which  the  railroad  bridge 
now  passes  on  entering  the  city,  emp- 
tied into  a bay  or  inlet  of  the  Potomac 
about  four  hundred  feet  wide,  which 
jutted  in  from  the  west  to  within  a quar- 
ter of  a mile  of  the  Capitol  hill,  and 
nearly  divided  the  plain.  Not  far  from 
the  head  of  this,  and  south  of  the  Capi- 
tol hill,  a small  stream  took  its  rise  in  a 
large  number  of  springs,  and  emptied 
into  the  river  at  a place  now  called 
Greenleaf’s  point,  formed  by  the  inter- 
section of  the  eastern  branch  with  the 
Potomac,  and  was  known  as  Jones’s 
creek.  There  is  a stream  above  George- 
town, which  has  always  been  called 
Goose  creek  ; but  from  a certificate  of 
a survey  now  preserved  in  the  mayor’s 
office  at  Washington,  dated  1663,  it  ap- 
pears that  the  inlet  from  the  Potomac 
was  then  known  by  theJiame  of  Tiber, 
and  probably  the  stream  from  the  north 
emptying  into  it  bore  the  same  name  ; so 
that  Moore  did  injustice  to  the  history 
of  the  place,  and  confounded  streams, 
when  he  wrote  the  well-known  line — 

“ And  what  was  Goose  creek  once  is  Tiber  now." 
By  the  same  survey  it  appears  that  the 
land  comprising  the  Capitol  hill  was 
called  “Rome,”  or  “Room,”  two  names 
which  seem  to  have  foreshadowed  the 


W ashington. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


281 


destiny  of  the  place.  It  is  thought  that  h 
they  probably  originated  in  thefact  that  r 
the  name  of  the  owner  of  the  estate  was  t 
Pope , and  in  selecting  a name  for  his  s 
plantation,  he  formed  the  title  of  “ P ope  c 
of  Rome.”  . } 

It  is  said  that  Washington’s  attention  1 
had  been  called  to  the  advantages  which  s 
this  place  presented  for  a city,  as  long  t 
previous  as  when  he  had  been  a youth-  t 
ful  surveyor  of  the  country  round.  His  ^ 
judgment  was  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  i 
two  towns  were  afterward  planned  on  f 
the  spot,  and  the  first  maps  of  the  city  1 
represent  it  as  laid  out  over  the  plains 
of  Hamburgh  and  Carrolls  ville.  < 

The  canoe,  or  pirogue,  in  which  Gen-  i 
eral  Washington  and  a party  of  friends  t 
first  made  the  survey. of  the  Potomac,  t 
was  hollowed  out  of  a large  poplar-tree  . 
on  the  estate  of  Col.  Johnson,  of  Fred-  - 
erick  county,  Maryland.  This  humble  I 
bark  was  placed  upon  a wagon,  hauled 
to  the  margin  of  the  Monocasy  river,  ] 
launched  into  the  stream,  and  there  le-  1 
ceived  its  honored  freight.  The  general  ' 
was  accompanied  by  Governor  Johnson, 
one  of  the  first  commissioners  for  the  i 
location  of  the  city  of  Washington,  and  < 
several  other  gentlemen.  At  nightfall, 
it  was  usual  for' the  party  to  land  and 
seek  quarters  of  some  of  the  planters, 
or  farmers,  who  lived  near  the  banks  of 
the  river,  in  all  the  pride  and  comfort 
of  old-fashioned  kindliness  and  hospi- 
tality. Putting  up  for  a night  at  a re- 
spectable farmer’s,  the  general  and  the 
two  Johnsons  were  shown  into  a room 
having  but  two  beds.  “Come,  gentle- 
men!” said  Washington,  “who  will  be 
my  bedfellow  V ’ Roth  declined.  Col. 
Johnson  often  afterward  declared,  that, 
greatly  as  he  should  have  felt  honored 
by  such  intimacy,  the  awe  and  reverence 
with  which  the  chief  had  inspired  him, 
even  in  their  daily  and  unreserved  inter- 
course, would  have  made  the  liberty 
seem  little  short  ofprofanation. 

While  the  party  were  exploring  in 
the  vicinity  of  Harper’s  ferry,  news  ar- 
rived of  the  burning  at  the  stake  of 
Colonel  Crawford,  by  the  Indians,  at 
Sandusky.  • Washington  became  excited 
to  tears  at  hearing  the  recital,  for  Craw- 
ford had  been  one  of  the  companions  of 

II 


his  early  life,  and  had  often  been  his 
rival  in  athletic  exercises.  The  unfor- 
tunate man  was  brave  as  a lion,  and  had 
served  with  great  distinction  in  the  war 
of  the  revolution.  Tears  soon  gave  way 
to  indignation,  and  Washington,  point- 
ing to  a lofty  rock  which  juts  over  the 
stream  at  its  remarkable  passage  through 
the  mountain,  exclaimed,  with  a voice 
tremulous  from  feeling  : “ By  Heaven, 
were  I the  sole  judge  of  these  Indians, 
it  would  be  slight  retaliation  to  hurl 
every  spectator  of  his  death  from  that 
height 'into  the  abyss.” 

The  first  corner-stone  in  the  district 
of  Columbia  was  laid  at  Jones’s  point, 
near  Alexandria,  April  15,  1791,  with 
the  imposing  masonic  ceremonies  of  the 
time,  and  a quaint  address  by  the  Rev. 
James  Muir.  By  the  retrocession  of 
Alexandria,  the  stone  is  no  longer  within 
the  limits  of  the  district. 

The  first  public  communication  on 
record  in  relation  to  arrangements  for 
laying  out  this  city  is  from  the  pen  of 
General  Washington,  and  bears  date  the 
13  th  March,  1791;  in  a subsequent  let- 
ter of  the  30th  April,  he  calls  it  the  Fed 
eral  city.  Four  months  later,  in  a lettei 
b*y  the  original  commissioners — Messrs 
Johnson,  Stuart,  and  Carroll  — dated 
Georgetown,  9th  September,  1791,  ad- 
1 dressed  to  the  architect,  Major  L ’Enfant, 

; he  is  instructed  to  entitle  the  district  on 
. his  maps  the  “ Territory  of  Columbia,” 

• and  the  city,  the  “ City  of  Washington.” 

■ On  the  18th  September,  1793,  the 
l southeast  corner-stone  of  the  north  wing 

• of  the  capitol  was  laid  by  General  W ash- 
5 ington.  The  Philadelphia  papers  of 

the  day  were  at  that  time  discontinued 
, from  the  panic  of  the  yellow-fever,  so 
1 we  have  no  account  of  .the  celebration. 
3 A speech  was  delivered,  however,  by 
, Washington. 

The  architect,  Major  L ’Enfant,  went 
f on  to  lay  out  the  streets,  in  the  first 
place,  by  setting  out  right  angles,  after 
a the  fashion  of  Philadelphia,  and  then  in- 
•-  tersecting  them  by  those  enormous  ave- 
f nues  which  were  contrived  to  show  the 
it  public  buildings,  the  president’s  house, 
d and  the  capitol,  from  all  quarters ; and 
r-  hence  the  perplexing  dust  and  triangles 
>f  of  Washington. 


282  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


It  was  generally  remarked  of  Ly Enfant 
that  he  was  not  only  a child  in  name , 
but  in  education  ; as,  from  the  names  he 
gave  the  streets,  he  appeared  to  know 
little  else  than  A,  B,  C,  and  one,  two, 
three.  It  appears,  however,  by  a letter 
of  the  commissioners,  that  they  gave 
these  names  to  the  streets  at  the  same 
time  with  that  to  the  city ; for  conve- 
nience a good  arrangement,  since  the 
streets  could  more  easily  be  found  by  a 
stranger  under  such  designations. 

The  mall  upon  which  the  Smithsonian 
institute  and  its  gardens  have  been  lo- 
cated, was  originally  designed  as  the  lead- 
ing avenue  from  the  capitol  to  the  presi- 
dent’s house,  terminating  by  a bridge 
across  the  river,  and  meeting  a monu- 
ment which  was  to  have  been  erected  to 
Washington — an  equestrian  statue,  with 
a baton  in  the  right  hand  of  the  hero 
pointing  to  heaven. 

Washington — who  took  so  strong  an 
interest  in  the  construction  of  the  capi- 
tol as  to  solicit  a loan  himself,  in  a letter 
to  the  governor  of  Maryland — did  not 
live  to  witness  its  completion.  He  died 
14th  February,  1799.  In  November, 
1800,  congress  met  there  for  the  first 
time. 

At  present  the  attractions  of  the  capi- 
tal are  on  the  increase.  The  private 
architecture  is  improving;  the  growth 
of  the  city  is  advancing  with  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  nation ; the  museums,  con- 
taining the  collections  of  the  exploring 
expedition,  are  open  ; the  patent  office, 
with  its  models  of  inventions,  inviting 
the  attention,  every  year  adding  to  the  as- 
sociations of  the  capital ; and  the  bright 
schemes  of  scholars  and  men  of  science 
hanging  upon  the  prospects  of  the  Smith- 
sonian institute*  its  library  and  its  gar- 
dens— these  confirm  the  hopes  of  Wash- 
ington, and  justify  the  name  borrowed 
from  that  illustrious  founder  of  the  city. 

The  Capitol  presents  specimens  of 
various  styles  of  architecture.  On  en- 
tering the  south  wing,  several  columns 
are  seen,  where  carvings  of  Indian-corn- 
stalks  v are  substituted  for  flutings  and 
filletings  ; while  the  capitals  are  made  of 
ihe  ears  of  corn  half  stripped,  and  dis- 
posed so  as  in  some  degree  to  resemble 
the  Corinthian  or  composite  order. 


The  representatives’  chamber  is  a fine 
semicircular  apartment,  with  columns 
of  a dark-bluish  siliceous  pudding-stone, 
hard  and  highly  polished.  It  is  lighted 
from  above.  The  gallery  is  open  during 
the  debates,  as  well  as  the  senate-cham- 
ber, which  is  a much  smaller  apartment. 

The  library  of  congress  is  in  another 
part  of  the  building ; and  the  great  hall 
contains  seven  national  pictures  (each  of 
them  twelve  feet  by  eighteen) : the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  Surrender  of 
Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  Surrender  of 
.Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  and  Washing- 
ton resigning  his  Commission,  painted  for 
government  by  Colonel  Trumbull;  Bap- 
tism of  Pocahontas,  by  Chapman;  Em- 
barkation of  the  Pilgrims,  by  Weir;  and 
the  Landing  of  Columbus,  by  Vanderlyn. 

A fine  view  is  enjoyed  from  the  top 
of  the  capitol.  You  look  along  Penn- 
sylvania avenue  westward  to  the  presi- 
dent’s house,  with  Georgetown  and  the 
Potomac  beyond ; the  general  postoffice, 
&c.,  on  the  right ; the  navyyard  toward 
the  southeast ; Greenleaf ’s  point  nearly 
south  ; and  southwest  the  bridge  over 
the  Potomac,  with  the  road  to  Alexan- 
dria and  Mount  Vernon.  The  canal 
begins  south  of  the  president’s  house, 
and  terminates  at  the  east  branch. 

The  capitol  presents  a noble  appear- 
ance ; its  height,  the  ascending  terraces, 
the  monument  and  its  fountain,  the  grand 
balustrade  of  freestone  which  protects 
the  offices  below,  and  the  distinct  object 
which  it  forms,  standing  alone  on  its 
lofty  site,  combine  to  make  up  the  im- 
pression of  grandeur,  in  which  its  archi- 
tectural defects  are  lost  or  forgotten. 

The  waste  lands  which  lie  at  the  foot 
of  Capitol  hill  are  appropriated  for  a 
future  botanical  garden. 

There  are  many  very  favorable  points 
of  view  for  the  capitol,  standing,  as  it 
does,  higher  than  the  general  level  of 
the  country.  There  are  views  from  the 
distant  eminences,  which  are  particu- 
larly fine,  in  which  the  broad  bosom  of 
the  Potomac  forms  the  background.  The 
effect  of  the  building  is  also  remarka- 
bly imposing  when  the  snow  is  on  the 
ground,  and  the  whole  structure,  rising 
from  a field  of  snow,  with  its  dazzling 
whiteness,  looks  like  some  admirable 


View  of  the  Capitol,  Washington. 


284  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


creation  of  the  frost.  All  architecture, 
however,  is  very  much  improved  by  the 
presence  of  a multitude  of  people,  and 
the  capitol  looks  its  best  on  the  day  of 
inauguration.  The  following  descrip- 
tion was  written  after  viewing  that  cere- 
mony : — 

“ The  sun  shone  out  of  heaven  with- 
out a cloud  on  the  inaugural  morning. 
The  air  was  cold  but  clear,  and  the 
broad  avenues  of  Washington,  for  once, 
seemed  not  too  large  for  the  thronging 
population — the  crowds  who  had  been 
pouring  in  from  every  direction  for  sev- 
eral days  before,  and  ransacking  the 
town  for  but  a shelter  from  the  night.  . . 
The  sun  shone  alike  on  the  friends  and 
opponents  of  the  new  administration  ; 
and,  as  far  as  one  might,  observe  in  a 
walk  to  the  capitol,  all  were  made  cheer- 
ful alike  by  its  brightness.  . . In  a whole 
day,  passed  in  a crowd  composed,  of  all 
classes  and  parties,  I heard  no  remark 
that  the  president  would  have  been  un- 
willing to  hear. 

“ I was  at  the  capitol  a half-hour  be- 
fore the  procession  arrived,  and  had  lei- 
sure to  study  a scene  for  which  I was 
unprepared.  The  noble  staircase  of  the 
east  front  of  the  building  leaps  over  three 
arches,  under  one  of  which  carriages 
pass  to  the  basement  door ; and  as  you 
approach  from  the  gate,  the  eye  cuts 
the  ascent  at  right  angles,  and  the  sky, 
broken  by  a small  spire  at  a short  dis- 
tance, is  visible  beneath.  Broad  stairs 
occur  at  equal  distances,  with  corres- 
ponding projections,  and  from  the  upper 
platform  rise  the  outer  columns  of  the 
portico,  with  ranges  of  columns  three 
deep  extending  back  to  the  pilasters.  I 
had  often  admired  this  front,  with  its 
many  graceful  columns  and  its  supeib 
flight  of  stairs,  as  one  of  the  finest  things 
I had  seen  in  the  world.  The  assem- 
bled crowd  on  the  steps  and  at  the  base 
of  the  capitol,  heightened  inconceivably 
the  grandeur  of  the  design.  They  were 
piled  up  like  the  people  on  the  temples 
of  Babylon,  in  one  of  Martin’s  sublime 
pictures.  Boys  climbed  about  the  bases 
of  the  columns  ; single  figures  stood  on 
the  posts  of  the  surrounding  railings 
in  the  boldest  relief  against  the  sky ; 
and  the  whole  scene  was  exactly  what 


Paul  Veronese  would  have  delighted  to 
draw. 

“ I was  in  the  crowd  thronging  the 
opposite  side  of  the  court,  and  lost  sight 
of  the  principal  actors  in  this  imposing 
drama  till  they  returned  from  the  senate- 
chamber.  A temporary  platform  had 
been  laid  and  railed  in  on  the  broad 
stair  which  supports  the  portico,  and  all 
preparation  made  for  one  of  the  most 
important  and  most  meaning  and  solemn 
ceremonies  on  earth.  . . . In  comparing 
the  impressive  simplicity  of  this  consum- 
mation of  the  wishes  of  a mighty  peo- 
ple, with  the  ceremonial  and  hollow  show 
which  embarrasses  a corresponding  event 
in  other  lands,  it  was  impossible  not  to 
feel  that  the  moral  sublime  was  here — 
that  a transaction  so  important,  and  of 
such  extended  and  weighty  import,  could 
borrow  nothing  from  drapery  or  deco- 
ration. 

“ The  crowd  of  diplomatists  and  sen- 
ators in  the  rear  of  the  columns  made 
way  ; and  the  ex-president,  with  the  new 
president,  advanced  with  their  heads  un- 
covered; the  former  bowed  to  the  peo- 
ple, and,  still  uncovered  in  the  cold  air, 
took  his  seat  beneath  the  portico.  The 
new  president  then  read  his  address  to 
the  people. 

“ When  the  address  was  closed,  the 
chief-justice  advanced  and  administered 
the  oath.  As  the  book  touched  the  lips 
of  the  new  president,  there  arose  a gen- 
eral shout,  an  expression  of  feeling  com- 
mon enough  in  other  countries,  but  drawn 
with  difficulty  from  an  American  assem- 
blage. The  friends  of  the  president 
then  closed  around  him,  the  ex-presi- 
dent and  others  gave  him  the  hand  of 
congratulation,  and  the  ceremony  was 
over.” 

The  President’s  House. — The  resi- 
dence of  the  chief-magistrate  of  the 
United  States  resembles  the  country-seat 
of  an  English  nobleman,  in  its  architec- 
ture and  size  ; but  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  the  parallel  ceases  when  we  come 
to  the  grounds.  By  itself  it  is  a com- 
modious and  creditable  building,  serving 
its  purpose  without  too  much  state  for 
a republican  country,  yet  likely,  as  long 
as  the  country  exists  without  primo- 
| geniture  and  rank,  to  be  sufficiently  su- 


President’s  House,  Washington. 


286 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


perior  to  all  other  dwelling-houses  to 
mark  it  as  the  residence  of  the  nation’s 
ruler. 

The  president’s  house  stands  near  the 
centre  of  an  area  of  some  twenty  acres, 
occupying  a very  advantageous  eleva- 
tion, open  to  the  view  of  the  Potomac, 
and  about  forty-four  feet  above  high 
water,  and  possessing  from  its  balcony 
one  of  the  loveliest  prospects  in  our  coun- 
try— the  junction  of  the  two  branches  of 
the  Potomac  which  border  the  district, 
and  the  swelling  and  varied  shores  be- 
yond of  the  states  of  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia. The  building  is  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  front  and  eighty-six 
deep,  and  is  built  of  white  freestone, 
with  Ionic  pilasters,  comprehending  two 
lofty  stories,  with  a stone  balustrade. 
The  north  front  is  ornamented  with  a 
portico,  sustained  by  four  Ionic  col- 
umns, with  three  columns  of  projec- 
tion— the  outer  intercolumniation  af- 
fording a shelter  for  carriages  to  drive 
under.  The  garden-front  on  the  river 
is  varied  by  what  is  called  a rusticated 
basement-story,  in  the  Ionic  style,  and 
by  a semicircular  projecting  colonnade 
of  six  columns,  with  two  spacious  and 
airy  flights  of  steps  leading  to  a balus- 
trade on  the  level  of  the  principal  story. 

The  interior  of  the  president’s  house 
is  well  disposed,  and  possesses  one  su- 
perb reception-room,  and  two  oval  draw- 
ing-rooms (one  in  each  story),  of  very 
beautiful  proportions.  The  other  rooms 
are  not  remarkable ; and  there  is  an  in- 
equality in  the  furniture  of  the  whole 
house  (owing  to  the  unwillingness  and 
piecemeal  manner  with  which  congress 
votes  any  moneys  for  its  decoration), 
which  destroys  its  effect  as  a comfort- 
able dwelling.  The  oval  rooms  are  car- 
peted with  Gobelin  tapestry,  worked 
with  the  national  emblems,  and  are  alto- 
gether in  a more  consistent  style  than 
the  other  parts  of  the  house. 

The  Patent- Office. — This  building  is 
a depository  for  the  models  of  such  in- 
ventions as  are  patented  in  the  United 
States.  The  old  patent-office  was  a few 
years  ago  burned  down.  The  present 
is  a handsome  and  extensive  edifice,  and 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which 
it  is  designed.  The  contents  display 


in  an  eminent  degree  the  inventive  and 
ingenious  character  of  our  countrymen. 
There  are  machines  here  for  almost 
every  purpose — ploughs,  harrows,  rakes, 
saws,  water-wheels,  coffee-mills,  corn- 
snellers,  stump-removers,  and  a multi- 
tude of  other  things,  all  arranged  ac- 
cording to  their  kinds.  In  one  part  are 
agricultural  implements  ; in  another  are 
machines  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton  ; 
in  another,  those  for  the  manufacture  of 
wool,  &c.  The  number  of  these  inven- 
tions amounts  to  many  hundreds,  and 
some  of  them  display  admirable  skill 
and  contrivance  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
ventors. 

We  make  the  following  extracts  from 
the  report  of  the  commissioner  of  pat- 
ents : — 

The  amount  received  for  patent-*,  cr- 
veats,  reissues,  and  additional  improve- 
ments, recording  assignments,  &c.,  and 
for  copies,  during  the  year  1850,  was 
$86,927.05.  The  expenditures  for  the 
year  1850,  were  as  follows  : — 

For  salaries-  - -$29,260.94 

For  contingent  expenses  - 13,430.19 

For  books  for  library  - - 767.47 

For  temporary  clerks  - - 13,361.67 

For  agricultural  statistics  - 3,859.35 

For  refunding  money  - - 25S.00 

For  withdrawals  - - - 18,013.33 

For  compensation  of  librarian  500.00 

For  pay  of  district  judge  - 100.00 

For  analysis  of  breadstuff’s  - 500.00 

For  restoring  models  - - 50.00 


$S0, 100.95 

Leaving  $6,826.10  to  be  carried  to  the 
credit  of  the  patent  fund.  The  amount 
remaining  in  the  treasury  to  the  credit 
of  the  patent  fund  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1851,  was  $15,331.27.  The 
patent  fund,  at  the  commencement  of 
1S50,  amounted  to  about:  $170,000.  But 
during  the  year  about  $160,000  was  ap- 
propriated by  Congress  for  the  purpose 
of  additional  wing  to  the  patent  office. 

During  the  year/ 1S50,  the  whole  num- 
ber of  applications  presented  to  the  pat- 
ent office  was  2,193.  Every  application 
which  is  not  finally  disposed  of  upon  the 
first  examination,  may  be  the  subject  of 
re-examination  at  any  time  thereafter; 
and  a large  proportion  of  the  time  of 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


287 


the  examiners  is  taken  up  in  such  re- 
, examinations.  The  actual  number  of 
applications  rejected  is  less  than  the 
number  patented,  as  many  of  those  pat- 
ented were  rejected  upon  their  first  ex- 
amination, in  consequence  of  the  appli- 
cant failing  to  specify  what  was  really 
his  invention,  and  laying  claim  to  what 
was  neither  new  nor  patentable.  Such 
cases  are  not  of  unfrequent  occurrence. 
It  often  happens  that  two  or  three  rejec- 
tions are  recorded  upon  one  application, 
each  re-examination  requiring  new  in- 
vestigations and  elaborate  reasoning  to 
meet  the  new  claims  and  views  of  the 
i applicant,  and  to  sustain  the  decision 
of  the  office. 

The  subjects  of  applications  for  pat- 
ents are  comprised  under  twenty-two 
general  classes,  each  of  them  embracing 
many  subdivisions — in  some  cases  more 
than  twenty. 

The  inquiry  is  frequently  made,  How 
is  it  that  applications  for  patents  multi- 
ply so  fast  ] Is  there  so  much  room  left 
for  improvement  in  this  or  that  branch 
j of  art]  Superficial  observers  are  apt 
to  be  looking  for  consummation  not  only 
in  individual  branches  of  art,  but  in 
the  whole  range  of  human  productions. 
They  regard  the  wants  of  man  as  limit- 
able,  his  mind  as  exhaustible,  apd,  with 
an  air  of  sagacity,  will  point  to  a time 
when  the  overgrown  wings  of  genius 
will  retard  and  finally  check  his  career. 
A look  at  the  past  would  mirror  in  its 
true  light  this  distorted  view  of  things  ; 
but  even  this  is  not  necessary.  A lib- 
eral survey  of  the  present,  a glance  at 
the  depths  of  mind,  see  “ increase  and 
multiply,”  stamped  upon  his  intellec- 
tual as  well  as  his  physical  nature.  The 
i multiplying  products  of  intelligence  are 
no  hinderance  to  his  onward  move- 
j ment ; and  those  seemingly  formidable 
! accumulations  of  innovations  offer  no 
\ effective  resistance  to  the  wheels  of  in- 
vention. They  are  rather  so  many  step- 
: ping-stones,  over  which  genius  is  striding 

up  the  hill  of  perfection,  whose  summit 
! is  beyond  the  confines  of  time. 

| It  appears  that  during  the  year  1844, 
the  number  of  applications  for  patents 
suddenly  increased  nearly  twenty-five 
per  cent,  above  that  of  any  former  year, 


which;  of  course,  required  and  produced 
a corresponding  increase  of  exertion  on 
the  part  of  the  examining  corps. 

It  appears  that  the  number  of  patents 
does  not  increase  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  applications,  but  that  the 
number  of  rejections  increases  in  a 
much  greater  ratio;  and  that  in  1844 
there  were  more  patents  granted  than 
in  1845  ; and  this  occurred  under  the 
same  commissioner,  and  with  the  same 
examining  corps.  The  causes  which 
have  produced  this  result  still  exist,  and 
will  probably  continue  to  exert  a stead- 
ily-increasing influence  throughout  the 
future  operations  of  this  office. 

In  every  section  of  the  country  may 
be  found  worthy  and  ingenious  men, 
whose  energies  are  directed  toward  in- 
ventions and  discoveries  in  the  arts. 
Some  of  these  are  sufficiently  informed 
of  what  has  already  been  done,  in  the 
particular  department  to  which  their  at- 
tention is  directed,  to  avoid,  in  some 
good  degree,  the  beaten  track  ; but  the 
number  and  variety  of  inventions  al- 
ready made  are  so  great, -that  few  can 
enter  upon  a career  of  invention  with 
sufficient  knowledge  to  avoid  a succes- 
sion of  reinventions,  which  add  nothing 
to  the  arts,  and  which  it  is  the  duty  of 
this  office  to  reject.  Of  course,  the  at- 
tention of  the  uniformed  inventor  is 
directed  to  discoveries  of  an  elementary 
character.  These  are  necessarily  lim- 
ited in  their  number,  and  the  field  has 
everywhere  been  preoccupied  by  thou- 
sands of  every  variety  of  mind ; and 
whatever  he  may  fix  upon  is  already 
public  property,  or  has  been  appropri- 
ated by  some  one  who  has  preceded 
him.  As  invention  is  rapidly  progres- 
sing in  every  part  of  the  civilized  world, 
each  year  will  trench'  still  further  upon 
the  only  department  open  to  uniformed 
inventors  ; and  as  their  number  is  likely 
to  increase  rather  than  diminish,  rejec- 
tions must  inevitably  be  multiplied  ; and 
the  consequences,  unfortunately,  have 
often  fallen,  and  must  continue  to  fall, 
upon  men  whose  industry,  talents,  and 
perseverance,  deserve,  and,  if  well  di- 
rected, would  be  rewarded  by  distin- 
guished success. 

While  the  threshold  is  thus  thronged 


288  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 

by  the  multitudes  who  are  treading  upon 
each  other,  the  field  beyond,  to  the  eye 
of  those  who  can  explore  it,  is  almost 
limitless.  Every  discovery  which  is 
made  appears  to  shed  light  upon  others 
hitherto  enveloped  in  obscurity;  each 
furnishes  the  key  to  a group,  and  the 
things  to  be  discovered  seem  to  multi- 
ply in  proportion  to  those  already  dis- 
covered. 

The  first  examination  of  an  applica- 
tion is  intended  to  be  as  thorough  as 
the  condition  of  the  papers  and  models 
will  admit.  If  the  claim  can  not  be  al- 
lowed, the  machine  is  carefully  exam- 
ined, to  discover  whetherit  comprehends 
any  other  feature  or  combination  which 
would  justify  the  grant  ofletters-patent. 
If  anything  patentable  is  discovered,  the 
papers  are  returned  to  the  applicant, 
with  such  suggestions  as  will  assist  him 
in  mending  them  and  properly  modify- 
ing his  claim  ; but  if  nothing  patentable 
is  discovered,  the  application  is  at  once 
rejected,  and  the  necessary  references 
given  ; as  it  is  deemed  worse  than  use- 
less to  put  the  applicant  to  the  trouble 
and  expense  of  amending  and  perfect- 
ing his  papers,  when  it  is  believed  that 
no  amendment  could  avoid  a final  rejec- 
tion. But  this  office,  from  its  reorgan- 
ization, has  been  liberal  in  reconsider- 
ing rejected  applications.  The  appli- 
cant is  always  permitted  to  amend  his 
papers,  and  to  present  new  or  amended 
claims,  which  render  it  necessary  again 
to  examine  the  application  as  if  it  were 
new.  If  it  is  again  rejected,  this  ad- 
ditional rejection  is  entered  upon  the 
record  kept  by  the  examiner,  and  is 
counted  as  a rejection.  There  are  in- 
stances in  every  year’s  experience  of 
cases  being  represented  with  different 
claims  two  or  three  times,  each  change 

• • • • O 

raising  questions  entirely  new,  and  re- 
quiring the  same  examinations  and  con- 
sideration as  would  be  required  by  so 
many  distinct  applications.  All  expe- 
rience of  the  examining  corps  has  shown 
the  importance  of  making  these  re-ex- 
aminations, as  it  sometimes  occurs  that, 
owing  to  the  imperfect  manner  in  which 
the  papers  have  been  prepared,  a pat- 
entable feature  of  the  machine  has  es- 
caped the  notice  of  the  examiner. 

A part  of  the  applications  of  every 
year  since  1839  are  still  pending,  and 
liable  to  be  called  up  at  any  moment, 
though  they  are  in  such  condition  that 
this  office  is  compelled  to  await  the  ac- 
tion of  the  applicant. 

The  history  of  this  office  for  several 
years,  in  addition  to  a great  and  steady 
increase  of  inventions,  presents  also  the 
fact,  always  observable  in  the  progress 
of  the  arts,  that  while  some  classes  are 
receiving  numerous  and  important  ad- 
ditions, others  appear  to  receive  little 
or  no  attention ; or,  if  efforts  are  made 
toward  their  improvement,  they  fail  of 
success.  But  succeeding  years  produce 
an  entire  revolution ; and  those  branches 
whose  rapidity  of  progress  had  aston- 
ished the  world,  in  their  turn  become 
torpid,  and  improvements  burst  forth 
with  unlooked-for  brilliancy  from  the 
dust  and  ashes  which  have  accumulated 
upon  a long-neglected  department  of 
the  arts.  The  main  current,  however, 
is  always  onward,  although,  at  some 
points,  it  appears  to  stagnate  or  retro- 
grade. But  let  not  the  inventor  be 
deceived  or  discouraged  ; these  are  but 
the  eddies.  Let  him  persevere;  the 
eddy  of  to-day  may  be  the  torrent  of 
to-morrow. 

The  .commissioner,  in  his  report  for 
184*5,  speaks  of  the  existing  law  by 
which  a subject  of  Great  Britain  is  com- 
pelled to  pay  into  the  treasury' the  sum 
of  five  hundred  dollars  before  his  appli- 
cation can  be  examined,  and  the  citizens 
and  subjects  of  all  foreign  countries  to 
pay  three  hundred  dollars  on  their  re- 
spective applications.  He  says  : — 

“ These  duties  were  designed  to  bear 
some  proportion  to  the  duties  required 
of  American  citizens  making  applica- 
tions for  patents  in  other  countries,  and 
on  that  ground  may,  perhaps,  be  justi- 
fied and  defended. 

“ The  effect  of  this  provision  is  un- 
questionably to  prevent  the  introduction 
into  this  country  of  many  useful  and 
valuable  discoveries,  which  would  other- 
wise be  patented  and  introduced.  Sim- 
ilar high  duties  have  the  effect  to  exclude 
American  inventions  from  other  coun- 
tries. Thus  all  countries  are  injured 
by  this  system  of  taxing  genius  for  the 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  289 


exertion  of  its  powers,  in  order  to  ob- 
tain comparatively  a very  small  and  tri- 
fling amount  of  revenue. 

“ It  affords  no  protection  to  the  Amer- 
ican inventor  to  keep  out  the  discoveries 
of  his  foreign  emulator  (not  rival)  in  the 
arts,  by  taxing  the  emanations  of  his 
genius  with  high  duties,  while  the  coun- 
try would  derive  much  benefit  from  their 
introduction.” 

History! — Washington  is  the  only 
spot  where  it  is  practically  seen,  that, 
for  national  purposes,  we  are  one  peo- 
ple. The  United  States  forts,  arsenals, 
and  navyyards  are  limited  in  their  asso- 
ciations. At  Washington  we  see  a dis- 
trict set  apart  as  the  national  centre; 
its  inhabitants,  in  a spirit  of  patriotism, 
relinquishing  the  right  of  suffrage,  to  be 
free  from  the  taint  of  party  spirit,  and 
its  very  vastness  and  unoccupied  dis- 
tances pointing  to  the  future,  and  filling 
the  mind  with  admiration  of  the  hopes 
of  its  founders. 

Before  the  establishment  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  congress  occasionally 
met,  according  to  the  exigencies  of  the 
case,  or  the  convenience  of  members, 
at  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Lancaster, 
Yorktown,  Princeton,  Annapolis,  Tren- 
ton, and  New  York.  The  different 
states,  in  the  meantime,  coveted  the 
honor  of  the  national  city.  New  York 
offered  the  town  of  Kingston  ; Rhode 
Island,  Newport;  Maryland,  Annapolis; 
and  Virginia,  Williamsburg. 

On  the  21st  October,  1783,  congress, 
insulted  at  Philadelphia  by  a band  of 
mutineers,  whom  the  state  authorities 
were  unable  to  quell,  adjourned  to  the 
halls  of  the  college  at  Princeton — a cir- 
cumstance which  doubtless  led  to  the 
agitation  of  the  question  of  a permanent 
seat  of  government,  which  was  taken  up 
at  this  time,  and  continued  to  be  dis- 
cussed till  the  formation  of  the  constitu- 
tion. A resolution  of  Mr.  Gerry,  7th 
October,  1783,  was  adopted,  that  a dis- 
trict be  chosen  on  the  banks  of  the  Del- 
aware or  the  Potomac,  near  Georgetown, 
which  underwent  various  modifications 
(one  of  which  was  that  both  sites  be 
selected),  till  it  was  repealed  in  the  fol- 
lowing year.  On  the  30th  of  October, 
1784,  the  subject  was*again  taken  up 


at  Trenton,  and  commissioners  appoint- 
ed with  powers  to  lay  out  a district  on 
the  Delaware  within  eight  miles  above 
or  below  the  falls,  make  the  necessary 
purchases,  erect  public  buildings,  re- 
serve exclusive  jurisdiction,  &c.  The 
question  as  to  place  was  revived  in  con- 
gress in  1789-’90,  with  the  view  of  se- 
curing a central  position.  A site  on  the 
Susquehanna  was  talked  of,  and  finally 
the  present  district  determined  on,  which 
then  went  by  the  name  of  Connogo- 
cheague.  New  York  was  not  central 
enough  ; Philadelphia  and  Germantown 
had  their  supporters,  as  well  as  Havre 
de  Grace,  a place  called  Wright’s  Ferry 
on  the  Susquehanna,  and  Baltimore. 
The  South  Carolinians  objected  to  Phil- 
adelphia, that  the  quakers  would  be  for 
ever  dogging  the  members  with  schemes 
of  emancipation.  Others  laughed  at  the 
idea  of  palaces  in  the  wood. 

The  friends  of  the  new  site  numbered 
the  names  of  Washington,  Madison,  Lee, 
and  Carroll,  and  their  choice  was  gov- 
erned by  these  considerations.  It  was 
not  desirable  that  the  political  capital 
should  be  in  a commercial  metropolis. 
It  was  necessary,  for  the  independence 
of  the  government  and  its  proper  secu- 
rity, that  its  jurisdiction  should  be  ex 
elusive — that  its  officers  should  not  be 
under  the  influence  of  the  citizens : 
hence  the  elective  franchise  was  to  be 
given  up,  which  no  large  city  would 
yield.  Party  feeling,  which  then  ran 
high,  was  to  be  avoided;  the  natural 
influence  of  wealth  on  the  spot  was 
feared,  and  the  examples  of  London  and 
Westminster  in  the  importance  of  their 
six  members  in  parliament  was  quoted. 
It  was  desirable  that  the  simplicity  of 
the  members  of  government,  in  their 
style-of  living,  should  not  be  contrasted 
with  the  luxury  of  a great  city,  or  be  com- 
pelled to  submit  to  its  costlier  charges. 
Moreover,  large  quantities  of  land  were 
wanted,  which  must  be  purchased  at  great 
expense  where  land  was  already  dear. 
Looking  to  the  future,  it  was'  thought 
expedient  to  provide  for  all  possible 
wants  more  amply  than  could,  under 
any  circumstances,  be  effected  in  a city 
already  built. 

For  a central  situation,  it  was  seen 


19 


290  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 

that  the  centres  of  territory,  wealth,  and 
population,  could  not  be  united.  In  de- 
termining upon  the  centre  of  the  line 
of  seacoast,  the  occupants  of  the  west- 
ern territory  only  asked  that  it  should  be 
as  far  west  as  the  convenience  of  mari- 
time commerce  would  allow.  The  spot 
chosen  admitted  of  a navyyard,  and 
could  be  connected  by  canal  with  waters 
which  finally  rose  to  the  sources  of  the 
Ohio.  The  act  finally  passed  .on  the 
16th  of  July,  1790. 

Among  the  most  important  public 
buildings  in  Washington  are  the  “ De- 
partments,” as  they  are  commonly  called, 
or  edifices  containing  the  offices  of  the 
several  secretaries  of  state,  war,  the 
navy,  and  the  treasury.  These  are  large 
and  spacious,  and  contain  apartments 
devoted  to  the  officers,  the  numerous 
clerks,  the  records,  &c.  They  stand  at 
the  distance  of  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  president’s  house — two  on  the  east, 
and  two  on  the  west. 

The  Treasury  Building  has  been  re- 
cently re-erected,  the  former  one  having 
been  accidentally  burned  a few  years 
ago.  It  makes  a very  striking  appear- 
ance, presenting  a Grecian  front,  with  a 
splendid  portico  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  feet  in  length. 

The  other  three  buildings  are  of  brick, 
and  each  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in 
length,  fifty-five  in  breadth,  and  two  sto- 
ries high.  A broad  passage  runs  through 
the  middle,  yvdth  numerous  apartments 
on  each  side  ; and  in  the  centre  is  the 
staircase,  which  is  of  large  dimensions. 
The  porticoes  are  ornamented  with  six 
Ionic  columns.  The  grounds  surround- 
ing the  buildings  are  planted  with  trees 
and  shrubbery. 

Every  part  of  these  edifices  bears  in- 
dications of  the  laborious  business  which 
is  carried  on.  The  clerks  are  generally 
men  of  intelligence,  and  many  of  them 
of  education,  as  most  of  the  offices  re- 
quire ability,  system,  and  industry.  Such 
is  the  importance  of  that  acquaintance 
with  many  of  the  offices,  which  is  to  be 
acquired  only  by  experience,  that  many 
of  them  have  long  been  retained  by  in- 
dividuals, amid  the  frequent  changes 
made  by  the  fluctuations  of  opinions  in 
the  country. 

The  foresight  of  the  congress  which 
selected  Washington  for  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, has  been  in  many  points  justi- 
fied by  the  results.  If  there  is  much 
to  lament  in  the  looseness  of  manners 
which,  to  a considerable  extent,  prevails 
in  the  city  during  the  crowded  season 
of  the  session,  it  is  easy  to  see,  that 
were  the  members  and  other  attendants 
at  the  capital  exposed  to  the  influences 
of  a large  city,  like  New  York  or  Phila- 
delphia, there  would  be  far  more  evil  to 
regret  in  the  deterioration  of  the  charac- 
ters of  individuals  ; and  if  room  is  now 
found  for  injurious  intrigues,  hurtful  to 
the  public  interest,  such  evils  would  be 
multiplied  amid  a larger  population.  1 
The  means  of  dissipation  and  the  temp- 
tations of  luxury  and  vice  are  now  only  j 
such  as  are  prepared  or  imported  for 
the  occasion,  and  are  necessarily  fewer 
and  more  feeble  than  those  permanently 
established  on  a far  broader  scale  in  a 
metropolis.  The  small  size  of  the  city, 
and  the  sparseness  of  the  neighboring 
population,  still  are,  and  long  must  be, 
too  insignificant  to  overawe  congress  in 
their  deliberations  ; and  there  is  at  pres- 
ent no  local  interest  strong  enough  to 
exercise  any  powerful  influence  on  their 
decisions. 

The  Congressional  Burying- Ground. — 
The  cemetery  appropriated  to  the  inter- 
ment of  deceased  members  of  congress, 
situated  a mile  east  of  the  capitol,  is 
laid  out  with  taste,  adorned  with  trees 
and  shrubbery,  and  contains  a number 
of  appropriate  monuments.  The  design 
of  a new  city  cemetery  has  been  formed. 

It  is  anticipated  that  the  price  of  the 
lots  will  be  so  low  as  to  permit  every 
family  to  own  one,  and  the  distance  not 
being  so  far  as  to  prevent  those  visiting 
it  that  do  not  own  carriages.  Indeed, 
it  was  intended  to  be  so  located  as  to 
serve  the  interests  of  all — so  that  he 
who  walks  through  necessity,  as  well 
as  he  who  rides,  may  find  it  an  agree- 
able and  convenient  place  of  resort — 
not  too  far  for  the  poor,  nor  too  near  for 
the  rich.  In  what  direction  the  city  will 
enlarge  itself,  it  is  now  impossible  to 
say.  If  the  most  remote  dell  was  taken 
j for  the  purpose,  no  one  can  tell  how 
| public  it  might  become  in  a few  years. 

The  State  Department,  Washington. 


292 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


The  Smithsonian  Institution,  at  Washington. 


The  Smithsonian  Institution  has  a no- 
ble endowment,  and  is  devoted  to  the  pro- 
motion of  science  in  its  various  branches. 
The  funds  bequeathed  for  its  foundation 
having  lain  for  a number  of  years,  accu- 
mulating in  value,  and  congress  having 
organized  it  in  1846,  it  has  commenced 
operations  with  flattering  prospects.  A 
large  edifice  has  been  erected,  valuable 
collections  have  been  begun,  and  the 
services  of  active  officers  engaged  ; so 
that  under  the  supervision  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  with  abundant  pecuniary 
means  at  its  disposal,  it  will  doubtless 
afford  important  aid  to  the  sciences  in 
time  to  come. 

Columbian  College  was  incorporated 
in  the  year  1821.  The  buildings  occu- 
py an  elevation  north  of  the  president’s 
house,  and  a medical  department  is  at- 
tached to  the  institution.  The  libraries 
contain  upward  of  four  thousand  volumes. 

The  Navyyard  contains  twenty-seven 
acres  of  ground,  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  southeast  of  the  capitol,  with  ranges 
of  stores,  shops,  dwellings  for  officers, 


barracks,  the  armory,  and  two  large 
ship-houses,  in  which  ships-of-war  of 
different  classes  are  constructed. 

Capture  of  Washington  by  the  British 
in  1814. — The  better  to  provide  for  the 
defence  of  Washington  and  the  neigh- 
boring country,  so  much  threatened  by 
the  enemy’s  fleet,  a new  military  district 
was  formed  in  the  summer  of  1814, 
making  the  tenth  district  in  number,  and 
embracing  Maryland,  the  district  of  Co- 
lumbia, and  a part  of  Virginia.  The 
president,  on  the  4th  of  J uly,  1S14,  made 
a requisition  on  the  governors  of  those 
states  for  ninety-three  thousand  militia, 
fifteen  thousand  of  whom  were  to  be 
raised  within  the  limits  of  the  new  mili- 
tary district.  One  thousand  regular 
troops  were  added,  and  the  whole  force 
placed  under  the  command  of  General 
Winder. 

But  the  news  was  received,  about  a 
fortnight  after  the  requisition  had  been 
made,  that  the  British  had  landed  at 
Benedict.  At  that  time  only  three  thou- 
sand men  had  been  collected,  and  these 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  293 


were,  of  course,  of  the  most  raw  and  un- 
disciplined description  of  troops.  The 
enemy’s  fleet  proceeded  to  invade  the 
shores  of  the  Chesapeake  in  three  di- 
visions. Admiral  Cochrane  proceeded 
up  the  Patuxent ; General  Gordon  sailed 
up  the  Potomac  against  Alexandria; 
and  General  Ross,  landing  at  Benedict, 
marched  for  Washington,  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  Patuxent,  a distance  of  twen- 
ty-seven miles,  intending  to  assist  Ad- 
miral Cochrane,  on  his  way,  in  destroy- 
ing Commodore  Barney’s  flotilla. 

•On  the  22d  of  August  they  appeared 
in  sight  of  Barney,  who  immediately 
destroyed  his  vessels,  and  fell  back  to 
join  General  Winder.  The  president 
of  the  United  States,  General  Armstrong, 
secretary  of  war,  and  several  other  heads 
of  departments,  visited  the  camp  at 
Marlborough,  and  decided  on  retreating 
toward  the  capital.  Expecting  the  en- 
emy to  advance  to  the  east  branch  of 
the  Potomac,  preparations  were  made 
for  its  defence ; but  it  was  discovered 
on  the  24th  that  they  were  approaching 
Bladensburg.  General  Stansbury  with 
two  thousand  two  hundred  Baltimore 
militia,  who  was  on  his  way  to  the  camp, 
was  ordered  back  to  that  point,  and  was 
soon  joined  by  General  Winder  and  the 
main  body.  The  president  and  heads 
of  departments  were  present  when  the 
battle  commenced,  but  they  soon  left  the 
field,  to  secure  the  important  documents 
in  their  offices,  and  hastened  to  Wash- 
ington. 

The  enemy  met  a spirited  resistance, 
and  had  indeed  a sharp  contest  to  main- 
tain, while  crossing  the  bridge,  where 
their  column  was  swept  by  the  cannon  of 
Commodore  Barney  from  the  redoubts, 
and  while  pressing  up  the  successive 
swells  crossed  by  the  road.  The  thick 
forest  on  both  sides  was  penetrated  with 
difficulty,  even  in  face  of  the  small  force 
opposed  to  them.  Before  long,  however, 
the  militia  broke  and  fled  in  disorder ; 
Com.  Barney  was  wounded  and  made 
prisoner,  and  the  day  was  decided. 

The  British  army  lost  no  time  in  ad- 
vancing to  Washington,  where  they  met 
with  no  serious  opposition  ; and  there 
they  set  fire  to  the  Capitol  and  other 
public  buildings,  mutilated  some  of  the 


ornaments  of  the  city,  and  after  a short 
stay,  took  up  their  march  back  to  their 
ships. 

The  enemy  evacuated  Washington  on 
the  evening  of  August  25th,  and  retired  . 
to  their  fleet,  having  lost  two  hundred 
and  forty-nine,  killed,  at  Bladensburg, 
and  suffered  a total  loss,  as  is  said,  of 
four  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  and 
about  five  hundred  prisoners  and  de- 
serters. 

Anecdotes  of  General  Washington. — 
The  following  may  be  here  introduced. 
First,  an  account  of  the  appointment  of 
Washington  to  the  supreme  command 
of  the  continental  army,  June  18, 1775 — 
from  a private  journal,  narrating  a con- 
versation with  John  Adams,  senior: — 

“The  army  was  assembled  at  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  under  General 
Ward,  and  congress  was  sitting  at  Phila- 
delphia. Every  day  new  applications  in 
behalf  of  the  army  arrived.  The  coun- 
try were  urgent  that  congress  should 
legalize  the  raising  of  the  army  ; as  they 
had  what  must  be  considered,  and  was 
in  law  considered,  only  a mob — a band  of 
armed  rebels.  The  country  was  placed 
in  circumstances  of  peculiar  difficulty 
and  danger.  The  struggle  had  begun, 
and  yet  everything  was  without  order. 
The  great  trial  now  seemed  to  be  in 
this  question,  Who  shall  be  the  com- 
mander-in-chief 1 It  was  exceedingly 
important,  and  was  felt  to  be  the  hinge 
on  which  the  contest  might  turn  for  or 
against  us.  The  southern  and  the  mid- 
dle states,  warm  and  rapid  in  their  zeal, 
were  for  the  most  part  jealous  of  New 
England,  because  they  felt  that  the  real 
physical  force  was  there.  What  then 
was  to  be  done]  All  New  England 
adored  General  Ward  : he  had  been  in 
the  French  war,  and  went  out  laden  with 
laurels.  He  was  a scholar  and  a states- 
man. Every  qualification  seemed  to 
I cluster  in  him ; and  it  was  confidently 
I believed  that  the  army  could  not  receive 
! any  appointment  over  him.  What  then 
was  to  be  done  I Difficulties  thickened 
at  every  step.  The  struggle  was  to  be 
long  and  bloody.  -Without  union,  all 
was  lost.  The  country,  and  the  whole 
country,  must  come  in.  One  pulsation 
must  beat  through  all  hearts.  The  cause 


294  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


was  one,  and  the  army  must  be  one. 
The  members  had  talked,  debated,  con- 
sidered, and  guessed,  and  yet  the  de- 
cisive step  had  not  been  taken.  At 
length  Mr.  Adams  came  to  his  conclu- 
sion. The  means  of  resolving  it  were 
somewhat  singular,  and  nearly  as  fol- 
lows : he  was  walking  one  morning  be- 
fore Congress  hall,  apparently  in  deep 
thought,  when  his  cousin  Samuel  Adams 
came  up  to  him  and  said  : — 

44  ‘ What  is  the  topic  with  you  this 
morning  V 

44  ‘Oh,  the  army,  the  army/  he  re- 
plied. ‘ I’m  determined  to  go  into  the 
hall,  this  morning,  and  enter  on  a full 
detail  of  the  state  of  the  colonies,  in  or- 
der to  show  an  absolute  need  of  taking 
some  decisive  steps.  My  whole  aim 
will  be,  to  induce  congress  to  appoint  a 
day  for  adopting  the  army  as  the  legal 
army  of  these  united  colonies  of  North 
America,  and  then  to  hint  at  my  election 
of  a commander-in-chief.’ 

“ ‘ Well,’  said  Samuel  Adams,  4 1 like 
that,  cousin  John;  but  on  whom  have 
you  fixed  as  that  commander  V 

44  4 I will  tell  you — George  Washing- 
ton, of  Virginia,  a member  of  this  house.’ 

“ 4 Oh,’  replied  Samuel  Adams,  quick- 
ly, ‘ that  will  never  do — never.’ 

“ 4 It  must  do — it  shall  do,’  said  John, 
4 and  for  these  reasons  : the  southern  and 
middle  states  are  both  to  enter  heartily 
in  the  cause,  and  their  arguments  are  po- 
tent : they  say  that  New  England  holds 
the  physical  power  in  her  hands,  and 
they  fear  the  result.  A New  England 
army,  a New  England  commander,  with 
New  England  perseverance,  all  united, 
appal  them.  For  this  cause  they  hang 
back.  Now,  the  only  course  is  to  allay 
their  fears,  and  give  them  nothing  to 
complain  of ; and  this  can  be  done  in  no 
other  way  but  by  appointing  a south- 
ern chief  over  this  force,  and  then  all 
rush  to  the  standard.  The  policy  will 
blend  us  in  one  mass,  and  that  mass  will 
be  resistless.’ 

44  At  this  Samuel  Adams  seemed  to 
be  greatly  moved.  They  talked  over 
the  preliminary  circumstances,  and  John 
asked  his  cousin  to  second  the  motion. 
Mr.  Adams  went  in,  took  the  floor,  and 
put  forth  all  his  strength  in  the  delinea- 


tions he  had  prepared,  all  aiming  at  the 
adoption  of  the  army.  He  was  ready 
to  own  the  army,  appoint  a commander, 
vote  supplies,  and  proceed  to  business. 
After  his  speech  had  been  finished,  some 
objected,  and  some  feared.  His  warmth 
increased  with  the  occasion,  and  to  all 
these  doubts  and  hesitations  he  replied 
thus  : — 

“ 4 Gentlemen,  if  this  mgress  will 
not  adopt  this  army  before  ten  moons 
have  set,  New  England  will  adopt  it,  and 
she  will  undertake  the  struggle  alone — 
yqs,  with  a strong  arm  and  a clean  con- 
science, she  will  front  the  foe  single- 
handed.’ 

44  This  had  the  desired  effect.  They 
saw  New  England  was  neither  playing 
nor  to  be  played  with,  and  they  agreed 
to  appoint  a day.  A day  was  fixed  : it 
came : Mr.  Adams  went  in,  took  the 
floor,  urged  the  measure,  and  after  some 
debate  it  passed. 

44  The  next  thing  was  to  get  a com- 
mander for  this  army,  with  supplies,  &c. 
All  looked  to  Mr.  Adams  on  the  occa- 
sion, and  he  was  ready.  He  then  took 
the  floor,  and  went  into  a minute  delin- 
eation of  the  character  of  General  Ward, 
bestowing  on  him  the  encomiums  which 
then  belonged  to  no  one  else.  At  the 
end  of  the  eulogy,  lie  said  : 4 But  this  is 
not  the  man  I have  chosen.’  He  then 
went  into  the  delineation  of  the  charac- 
ter of  a commander-in-chief,  such  as  was 
required  by  the  peculiar  situation  of  the 
colonies  at  that  juncture.  And  after  he 
had  presented  the  qualifications  in  his 
strongest  language,  and  given  the  rea- 
sons for  the  nomination  he  was  about  to 
make,  he  said  : — 

44  4 Gentlemen,  I know  these  qualifica- 
tions are  high,  but  we  all  know  they  are 
needful,  at  this  crisis,  in  this  chief.  Does 
any  one  say  they  are  not  to  be  obtained 
in  this  country  ] In  reply,  I have  to 
say  they  are ; they  reside  in  one  of  our 
own  body,  and  he  is  the  person  whom  I 
now  nominate — George  Washington, 
of  Virginia.’ 

j 44  Washington,  who  sat  on  Mr.  Adams’ 
right  hand,  was  looking  him  intently  in 

I the  face,  to  watch  the  name  he  was 
about  to  announce,  and,  not  expecting 

I it  would  be  his,  sprang  from  his  seat  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


295 


minute  he  heard  it,  and  rushed  into  an 
adjoining  room.  Mr.  Adams  had  asked 
his  cousin  Samuel  to  ask  for  an  adjourn- 
ment as  soon  as  the  nomination  was 
made,  in  order  to  give  the  members  time 
to  deliberate — and  the  result  is  before 
the  world. 

“ I asked  Mr.  Adams,  among  other 
questions,  the  following  : — 

“ ‘ Did  you  ever  doubt  of  the  success 
of  the  conflict  V 

“‘No,  no,’  said  he,  ‘not  for  a mo- 
ment. I expected  to  be  hung  and  quar- 
tered, if  I was  caught ; but  no  Inatter 
for  that — my  country  would  be  free ; I 
knew  George  the  Third  could  not  forge 
chains  long  enough  and  strong  enough 
to  reach  around  these  United  States.’  ” 

In  the  early  days  of  the  republic,  it 
was  customary  for  the  president  to  meet 
the  two  houses  of  congress, ' on  their 
assembling,  and  make  them  a speech, 
instead  of  sending  in  a formal,  careful- 
ly-written message  as  now.  Various 
reasons  conspired  to  bring  about  the 
change — reasons  of  convenience  which 
will  occur  on  reflection  to  every  mind, 
and  which  it  is  needless  now  to  specify. 
We  allude  to  the  ftiatter  as  necessary 
to  a better  understanding  of  the  extract 
below.  This  extract  is  taken  from  a 
long  and  very  interesting  communica- 
tion in  the  National  Intelligencer,  the 
anniversary  of  Washington’s  birthday. 
The  writer  describes  Washington  as  he 
saw  him  at  the  opening  of  congress  in 
Philadelphia. 

“ I stood  on  a stone  platform,  before 
the  door  of  the  hall,  elevated  by  a few 
steps  from  the  pavement,  when  the  car- 
riage of  the  president  drew  up.  It  was 
white,  or  rather  of  a light  cream-color, 
painted  on  the  panels  with  beautiful 
groups,  by  Cipriani,  representing  the 
four  seasons.  The  horses,  according  to 
my  recollection,  were  white,  in  unison 
with  the  carriage.  As  he  alighted,  and, 
ascending  the  steps,  paused  upon  the 
platform,  looking  over  his  shoulder,  in 
an  attitude  that  would  have  furnished 
an  admirable  subject  for  the  pencil,  he 
was  preceded  by  two  gentlemen  bear- 
ing long  white  wands,  who  kept  back 
the  crowd,  that  pressed  on  every  side 
to  get  a nearer  view.  At  that  moment 


I stood  so  near  I might  have  touched 
his  clothes;  but  I should  as  soon  have 
thought  of  touching  an  electric  battery. 
1 was  penetrated  with  a veneration, 
amounting  to  the  deepest  awe.  Nor 
was  this  the  feeling  of  a schoolboy  only  ; 
it  pervaded,  I believe,  every  human  be- 
ing that  approached  Washington  ; and 
I have  been  told,  that,  even  in  his  social 
and  convivial  hours,  this  feeling  in  those 
who  were  honored  to  share  them,  never 
suffered  intermission.  I saw  him  a hun- 
dred times  afterward,  but  never  with  any 
other  than  that  same  feeling. 

“ The  Almighty,  who  raised  up  for 
our  hour  of  need  a man  so  peculiarly 
prepared  for  its  whole  dread  responsi- 
bility, seems  to  have  put  an  impress  of 
sacredness  upon  his  own  instrument. 
The  first  sight  of  the  man  struck  the 
heart  with  involuntary  homage,  and  pre- 
pared everything  around  him  to  obey. 
When  he  ‘ addressed  himself  to  speak,’ 
there  was  an  unconscious  suspension  of 
the  breath,  while  every  eye  was  raised 
in  expectation.  At  the  time  1 speak  of, 
he  stood  in  profound  silence,  and  had 
that  statue-like  air  which  mental  great- 
ness alone  can  bestow.  As  he  turned 
to  enter  the  building,  and  was  ascending 
the  staircase  leading  to  the  congression- 
al hall,  I glided  in,  unperceived,  almost 
under  cover  of  the  skirts  of  his  dress, 
and  entered  instantly  after  him  into  the 
lobby  of  the  house,  which  was  of  course 
in  session  to  receive  him.  On  either 
hand,  from  the  entrance,  stood  a large 
cast-iron  stove ; and,  resolved  to  secure 
the  unhoped-for  privilege  I had  so  un- 
expectedly obtained,  I clambered,  boy- 
like, on  this  stove — fortunately  then  not 
much  heated — and,  from  that  favorable 
j elevation,  enjoyed  for  the  first  time  (what 
I have  since  so  many  thousands  of  times 
I witnessed  with  comparative  indifference) 

| an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  American 
congress  in  full  session,  every  member 
| in  his  place.  Shall  I be  pardoned  for 
j saying  its  aspect  was  very  different  from 
, what  we  now  witness  % There  was  an 
| air  of  decorum,  of  composure,  of  reflec- 
tion, of  gentlemanly  and  polished  dig- 
| nity,  which  has  fled,  or  lingers  with  here 
I and  there  a ‘ relic  of  the  olden  time.’ 

I “ The  house  seemed  then  as  com- 


296  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


posed  as  the  senate  now  is,  when  an 
impressive  speech  is  in  the  act  of  de- 
livery. On  Washington’s  entrance  the 
most  profound  and  death-like  stillness 
prevailed.  House,  lobbies,  gallery,  all 
were  wrapped  in  the  deepest  attention ; 
and  the  souls  of  that  entire  assemblage 
seemed  pouring  from  their  eyes  on  the 
noble  figure  which  deliberately,  and  with 
an  unaffected  but  surpassing  majesty, 
advanced  upon  the  broad  aisle  of  the 
hall  between  ranks  of  standing  senators 
and  members,  and  slowly  ascended  the 
steps  leading  to  the  speaker’s  chair.  I 
well  remember,  standing  at  the  head  of 
the  senate,  the  tall,  square,  somewhat 
gaunt  form  of  Mr.  Jefferson — conspic- 
uous from  his  scarlet  waistcoat,  bright 
blue  coat,  with  broad  bright  buttons,  as 
well  as  by  his  quick  and  penetrating  air, 
and  high-boned  Scottish  cast  of  features. 
There,  too,  stood  General  Knox — then 
secretary  of  war — in  all  the  sleek  ro- 
tundity of  his  low  stature,  with  a bold 
and  florid  face,  open,  firm,  and  manly  in 
its  expression.  But  I recollect  that  my 
boyish  eye  was  caught  by  the  appear- 
ance of  De  Yrujo,  the  Spanish  ambas- 
sador. He  stood  in  the  rear  of  the 
chair,  a little  on  one  side,  covered  with 
a splendid  diplomatic  dress,  decorated 
with  orders,  and  carrying  under  his  arm 
an  immense  chapeau  bras , edged  with 
white  ostrich  feathers.  He  was  a man 
totally  different  in  his  air  and  manner 
from  all  around  him,  and  the  very  an- 
tipode especially  of  the  Man  on  whom 
all  eyes  but  his  seemed  fixed  as  by  a 
spell.  I saw  many  other  very  striking 
figures  grouped  about  and  behind  the 
speaker’s  chair,  but  I did  not  know  their 
names,  and  had  no  one  to  ask;  besides, 
I dared  not  open  my  lips. 

“ The  president,  having  seated  him- 
self, remained  in  silence,  serenely  con- 
templating the  legislature  before  him, 
whose  members  now  resumed  their  seats, 
waiting  for  the  speech.  No  house  of 
worship,  in  the  most  solemn  pauses  of 
devotion,  was  ever  more  profoundly  still 
than  was  that  large  and  crowded  cham- 
ber. 

“ Washington  was  dressed  precisely 
as  Stuart  has  painted  him  in  Lord  Lans- 
down’s  full-length  portrait — in  a full  suit 


of  the  richest  black  velvet,  with  diamond 
knee-buckles,  and  square  silver  buckles 
set  upon  shoes  japanned  with  the  most 
scrupulous  neatness,  black  silk  stock- 
ings, his  shirt  ruffled  at  the  breast  and 
wrist,  a light  dress  sword,  his  hair  pro- 
fusely powdered,  fully  dressed,  so  as  to 
project  at  the  sides,  and  gathered  behind 
in  a silk  bag  ornamented  with  a large 
rose  of  black  riband.  He  held  his  cocked 
hat,  which  had  a large  black  cockade  on 
one  side  of  it,  in  his  hand,  as  he  ad- 
vanced toward  the  chair,  and,  when  seat- 
ed, laid  it  on  the  table. 

“ At  length,  thrusting  his  hand  within 
the  side  of  his  coat,  he  drew  forth  a roll 
of  manuscript,  which  he  opened,  and, 
rising,  held  it  in  his  hand,  while,  in  a 
rich,  deep,  full,  sonorous  voice,  he  read 
his  opening  address  to  congress.  His 
enunciation  was  deliberate,  justly  em- 
phasized, very  distinct,  and  accompanied 
with  an  air  of  deep  solemnity,  as  being 
the  utterance  of  a mind  profoundly  im- 
pressed with  the  dignity  of  the  act  in 
which  it  was  occupied,  conscious  of  the 
whole  responsibility  of  its  position  and 
action,  but  not  oppressed  by  it.  There 
was  ever  about  the  man  something  which 
impressed  the  observer  with  a convic- 
tion, that  he  was  exactly  and  fully  equal 
with  what  he  had  to  do.  He  was  never 
hurried,  never  negligent;  but  seemed 
ever  prepared  for  the  occasion,  be  it 
what  it  might.  If  I could  express  his 
character  in  one  word,  it  would  be  ap- 
propriateness. In  his  study,  in  his  par- 
lor, at  a levee,  before  congress,  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  he  seemed  to  be  just 
what  the  situation  required  him  to  be. 
He  possessed,  in  a degree  never  equalled 
by  any  human  being  I ever  saw,  the 
strongest  and  most  ever-present  sense 
of  propriety.  It  never  forsook  him,  and 
deeply  and  involuntarily  impressed  it- 
self upon  every  beholder. 

“ His  address  was  of  moderate  length ; 
the  topics  l have,  of  course,  forgotten ; 
indeed,  I was  not  of  an  age  to  appreciate 
them  ; but  the  air,  the  manner,  the  tone, 
have  never  left  my  mental  vision,  and 
even  now  seem  to  vibrate  on  my  ear. 

“ A scene  like  this,  once  beheld,  though 
in  earliest  youth,  is  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten. It  must  be  now  fifty  years  ago ; 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  297 

but  I could  this  moment  sit  down  and 
sketch  the  chamber,  the  assembly,  and 
the  Man. 

“ Having  closed  the  reading,  he  laid 
down  the  scroll,  and,  after  a brief  pause, 
retired  as  he  had  entered  ; when  the 
manuscript  was  handed,  for  a second 
reading,  to  Mr.  Beckley,  then  clerk  of 
the  house,  whose  gentlemanly  manner, 
clear  and  silver  voice,  and  sharp  articu- 
lation, I shall  ever  associate  with  the 
scene. 

“ When  shall  we  again  behold  such 
a congress  and  such  a president 

The  following  beautiful  eulogy  on 
Washington,  by  Lord  Brougham,  may 
with*  propriety  be  introduced  in  this 
place  : — 

“ With  none  of  that  brilliant  genius 
which  dazzles  ordinary  minds  ; with  not 
even  any  remarkable  quickness  of  ap- 
prehension ; with  knowledge  less  than 
almost  all  persons  in  the  middle  ranks, 
and  many  well  educated  of  the  humbler 
classes,  possess — this  eminent  person 
is  presented  to  our  observation  clothed 
in  attributes  as*  modest,  as  unpretend- 
ing, as  little  calculated,  to  strike  or  to 
astonish,  as  if  he  had  passed  unknown 
through  some  secluded  region  of  private 
life.  But  he  had  a judgment  sure  and 
sound  ; a steadiness  of  mind  which  never 
suffered  any  passion,  or  even  any  feel- 
ing to  ruffle  its  calm ; a strength  of  un- 
derstanding which  worked  rather  than 
forced  its  way  through  obstacles,  re- 
moving or  avoiding  rather  than  over- 
leaping them.  His  courage,  whether  in 
battle  or  in  council,  was  as  perfect  as 
might  be  expected  from  this  pure  and 
steady  temper  of  soul.  A perfectly  just 
man,  with  a thoroughly  firm  resolution 
never  to  be  misled  by  others,  any  more 
than  by  others  overawed  ; never  to  be 
seduced  or  betrayed,  or  hurried  away 
by  his  own  weakness  or  self-delusions, 
any  more  than  by  other  men’s  arts  ; nor 
even  to  be  disheartened  by  the  most 
complicated  difficulties,  any  more  than 
spoiled  on  the* giddy  heights  of  fortune — 
such  was  this  great  man  : whether  we 
regard  him  sustaining  alone  the  whole 
weight  of  campaigns,  all  but  desperate, 
or  gloriously  terminating  a just  warfare 
by  his  resources  and  his  courage ; pre- 

siding  over  the  jarring  elements  of  his 
political  council,  alike  deaf  to  the  storms 
of  all  extremes  ; or  directing  the  forma- 
tion of  a new  government  for  a great 
people,  the  first  time  that  so  vast  an 
experiment  had  ever  been  tried  by  man  ; 
or  finally  retiring  from  the  supreme 
power  to  which  his  virtues  had  raised 
him  over  the  nation  he  had  created,  and 
whose  destinies  he  had  guided  as  long 
as  his  aid  was  required — retiring  with 
the  veneration  of  all  parties,  of  all  na- 
tions, of  all  mankind,  in  order  that  the 
rights  of  man  might  be  conserved,  and 
that  his  example  never  might  be  ap- 
pealed to  by  vulgar  tyrants.  This  is  the 
consummate  glory  of  the  great  Ameri- 
can— a triumphant  warrior*  where  the 
most  successful  had  a right  to  despair ; 
a successful  ruler  in  all  the  difficulties 
of  a course  wholly  untried ; but  a war- 
rior whose  sword  only  left  its  sheath 
when  the  first  law  of  our  nature  com- 
manded it  to  be  drawn ; and  a ruler  who, 
having  tasted  of  supreme  power,  gently 
and  unostentatiously  desired  that  the  cup 
might  pass  from  him,  nor  would  suffer 
more  to  wet  his  lips  than  the  most  sol- 
emn and  sacred  duty  to  his  country  and 
his  God  required ! 

“ To  his  latest  breath  did  this  great 
patriot  maintain  the  noble  character  of 
a captain  the  patron  of  peace,  and  a 
statesman  the  friend  of  justice.  Dying, 
he  bequeathed  to  his  heirs  the  sword 
which  he  had  worn  in  the  war  of  liberty, 
charging  them  ‘ never  to  take  it  from 
the  scabbard  but  in  self  defence,  or  in 
defence  of  their  country  and  her  free- 
dom ; and  commanding  them,  that  when 
it  should  thus  be  drawn,  they  should 
never  sheath  it  nor  ever  give  it  up,  but 
prefer  falling  with  it  in  their  hands  to 
the  relinquishment  thereof’ — words,  the 
simple  eloquence  and  majesty  of  which 
are  not  surpassed  in  the  oratory  of 
Athens  and  Rome. 

“ It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  historian 
and  sage  in  all  ages  to  omit  no  occasion 
of  commemorating  this  illustrious  man; 
and  until  time  shall  be  no  more,  will  a 
test  of  the  progress  which  our  race  has 
made  in  wisdom  and  in  virtue,  be  de- 
rived from  the  veneration  paid  to  the 
immortal  name  of  Washington  !” 

298  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


Character  of  Delates  in  Congress. — 
The  following  is  from  a letter  by  a late 
English  traveller : — 

“ I have  frequently  visited  the  halls 
of  the  national  legislature,  since  my  ar- 
rival here,  for  the  purpose  of  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  operations  of  the 
government,  and  of  listening  to  the  elo- 
quence which  is  sometimes  to  be  heard 
within  them.  It  strikes  me  that  there 
is  a considerable  difference  between  the 
eloquence  of  the  British  parliament  and 
that  of  the  American  congress.  In  the 
latter,  they  only  are  distinguished  and 
have  influence  who  handle  the  subject 
under  discussion  with  ability — grasp  it 
comprehensively — are  familiar  with  all 
its  bearings — bring  to  it  a mind  con- 
versant with  all  its  details,  and  cast  upon 
it  a concentrated  blaze  of  light.  In  par- 
liament, such  a speaker  would  not  be 
regarded  as  the  most  effective,  or  carry 
his  point  so  easily,  as  one  who  avoids 
the  real  merits  of  the  question,  plays 
upon  the  outskirts  of  the  subject,  retorts 
with  brilliancy,  and  detects  and  exposes 
the  inconsistencies  of  his  opponent.  In 
congress,  however,  on  all  questions  in 
which  party  considerations  are  involved, 
no  speaker,  whatever  may  be  the  power 
of  his  intellect,  the  extent  of  his  know- 
ledge, the  flow  of  his  diction,  or  the 
beauty  of  his  elocution,  will  carry  a sin- 
gle vote  beyond  the  limit  of  the  party 
to  which  he  belongs,  or  the  principles 
or  doctrines  supported  by  those  who 
elect  him.  Almost  every  member  of 
both  branches  of  the  legislature  either 
speaks,  or  is  expected  to  speak ; but 
wo  him  who  shall  have  the  hardy  inde- 
pendence to  yield  to  the  influence  of 
truth,  or  be  swayed  by  the  power  of 
eloquence,  and  shall  dare  to  throw  aside 
the  reins  of  party,  and  think  and  act  for 
himself.  He  knows  that  his  fate  would 
be  at  once  sealed,  and  his  political  ca- 
reer closed,  perhaps  for  ever.  If  a mem- 
ber of  the  senate,  the  legislature  of  the 
state  which  elects  him  would,  in  all 
probability,  recommend  him  to  resign  ; 
and  if  a representative,  his  constituents 
would  sei}d  another  in  his  place.  The 
eloquence  which  is  employed,  therefore, 
is  not  intended  so  much  for  this  arena 
as  for  the  people  among  whom  prose- 


lytes are  to  be  made,  and  who  are  either 
to  be  brought  over  to  the  principles 
which  the  orator  maintains,  or  retained 
in  the  errors  which  he  supports.  An 
angel’s  tongue  could  not  move  the  po- 
litical partizan  from  the  course  his  con- 
stituents expect  him  to  pursue,  and  the 
contest  between  the  orators  on  both  sides 
in  congress  is  a mere  intellectual  glad- 
iatorial combat,  without  any  other  pur- 
pose there  than  to  exhibit  their  respec- 
tive powers  of  eloquence,  and  call  to- 
gether a numerous  audience  to  listen  to 
them.  Members  of  the  legal  profession 
are  very  numerous  in  both  houses  of 
congress.  Few  of  any  other  profession 
obtain  the  honor  of  a seat  in  that  assem- 
bly, and  of  course  most  of  them  are 
speakers,  if  not  what  may  be  called  ora- 
tors. In  congress,  as  well  as  in  parlia- 
ment, there  are  many  very  common  men 
both  as  to  education  and  talents — in  so 
large  an  assembly,  and  chosen  as  they 
are,  that  must  be  expected.  Even  amon g 
the  educated  and  talented,  there  will 
often  be  some  decidedly  superior  to  the 
rest.  In  the  senate  of  the  United  States 
this  is  strikingly  exemplified.  I do  not 
hazard  much  in  saying,  that  there  is  not 
to  be  found  at  this  time  an  equal  body 
of  men  of  higher  intellectual  powers,  or 
greater  general  intelligence.  I have  be- 
come  personally  acquainted  with  most  of 
them — witnessed  their  battles  of  mind, 
and  listened  to  their  eloquence;  and  I 
am  satisfied  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  surpass  them.” 

The  Prospects  of  Washington. — 
On  the  completion  of  the  Chesapeake 
and  Ohio  canal,  the  cities  of  this  district 
are  destined*  to  a rapid  augmentation  in 
population  and  wealth.  Few  persons 
but  those  who  have  resided  here,  know 
of  the  immense  resources  of  this  locality. 
The  water-power  of  the  Potomac  and 
its  branches  is  immense,  sufficient  to 
turn  hundreds  of  mills,  and  the  agricul- 
tural advantages  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity are  superior,  or  at  least  equal  t6, 
those  of  any  other  section  of  the  coun- 
try. From  the  coal-mines  in  Cumber- 
land and  its  vicinity  alone,  large  fortunes 
can  easily  be  realized.  The  supply 
of  that  useful,  that  necessary  article  to 
comfort  and  enterprise,  in  its  quantity, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  299 


has  exceeded  alike  belief  and  calcula- 
tion. The  Union  can  be  for  a long  time 
furnished  with  the  sole  products  of  these 
mines. 

An  investment  of  capital  here  by  the 
enterprising  citizens  of  the  north,  would 
be  sure  of  rapid  and  abundant  returns. 
It  is  incredible  that  the  attention  of  the 
sagacious  capitalists  of  New  England 
and  New  York  should  not,  ere  this,  have 
been  directed  to  this  quarter. 

The  anticipations  of  General  Wash- 
ington may  yet  be  realized.  It  is  said, 
that  in  the  papers  of  that  illustrious  man 
has  been  found  a calculation  of  what 
would  be  the  value  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
estate,  when  Alexandria  should  assume 
that  importance  in  the  rank  of  commer- 
cial cities  which  her  happy  position  in- 
tended. 

The  completion  of  the  canal  will  be 
consummated  in  little  more  than  a year. 
Its  resumed  continuation  will,  of  itself, 
give  a great  impetus  to  all  kinds  of  en- 
terprise, and  additional  value  to  real 
estate,  in  the  cities  and  country  at  and 
near  its  terminus  ; and  it  is  confidently 
anticipated  that  the  metropolis  will  yet 
attain  to  eminence  among  wealthy  and 
populous  cities. 

The  Cumberland  Road. — This  grand 
work,  which  long  engaged  the  solici- 
tude of  congress,  and  was  constructed 
and  kept  in  repairs  at  great  expense 
from  the  national  treasury,  has  its  com- 
mencement at  Washington,  and  extends 
thence  through  Fredericksburg  (Mary- 
land), and  through  a considerable  portion 
of  Virginia.  It  is  broad,  ascends  and  de- 
scends the  hills  and  mountains  by  easy 
grades,  and,  whenever  the  soil  and  cir- 
cumstances are  favorable,  offers  a smooth 
and  hard  surface.  It  has  proved  of  great 
value  to  the  regions  through  which  it 
passes,  and  is  a monument  to  the  skill 
of  American  road-makers,  as  well  as  to 
the  liberality  of  congress  toward  a por- 
tion of  the  country,  although  a later  con- 
struction of  the  constitution  has  put  an 
end  to  the  appropriation  of  money  to 
works  of  such  a nature. 

One  of  the  finest  views  of  Washing- 
ton, Georgetown,  and  the  surrounding 
land  and  water,  is  found  at  an  elevated 
point  of  the  Cumberland  road,  three  or 


four  miles  west.  From  that  spot  the  eye 
embraces  a wide  and  beautiful  scene : 
the  broad,  shining  surface  of  the  Poto- 
mac, from  where  it  emerges  from  be- 
tween the  high  and  rocky  banks  which 
confine  its  channel  above  Georgetown, 
to  where  it  begins  to  spread  out  in  front 
of  that  city,  and  where,  divided  by  the 
gently-sloping  lawns  of  Mason’s  island, 
it  extends  on  one  side  along  the  Virginia 
shore,  and  widening  on  the  other,  ap- 
pears to  wash  the  foundations  of  the 
president’s  house  as  it  skirts  along  W ash- 
ington,  and,  passing  by  the  point  where 
was  erected  the  longest,  if  not  the  last, 
bridge  that  can  ever  be  thrown  across 
it,  passes  on  to  Greenleaf’s  point,  where 
it  receives  the  waters  of  its  western 
branch.  These  together  form  a spa- 
cious bay,  the  northeastern  extremity  of 
which  is  occupied  by  the  United  States 
navyyard,  while  a canal  crosses  the  low 
cape  which  separates  them.  Further 
down  the  Potomac  is  seen  a part  of  its 
broad  course,  almost  to  the  spot  where 
it  receives  a sad  and  noble  gloom  from 
the  overhanging  precipices  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

“ Roll  softly,  Potomac!  thou  wearest  away 
The  shore  that  he  trod,  and  the  dust  where  he  lay.” 

At  a spot  on  the  shore  of  this  stream, 
at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  a little  above 
Georgetown,  at  a convenient  landing- 
place  for  boats,  tradition  reports  that 
General  Braddock  debarked  with  his 
troops,  when  proceeding  on  his  fatal 
expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesne,  in 
the  French  war.  The  place  formerly 
bore  the  name  of  “ Braddock’s  land- 
ing,” and  is  interesting  from  its  associa- 
tion with  the  history  of  the  country  at 
that  melancholy  period,  and  with  the 
early  life  of  General  Washington,  who 
so  highly  distinguished  himself  in  the 
unfortunate  catastrophe  which  termin- 
ated the  expedition. 

The  wild,  picturesque  scenery  which 
marks  this  part  of  the  course  of  the 
Potomac,  and  to  which  we  have  before 
referred,  bears  marks  of  the  violence 
with  which  the  current  pours  by  in  the 
season  of  floods.  Evidence  of  its  rav- 
ages may  often  be  noticed  by  the  pas- 
senger, who  will  not  be  surprised  that 
even  the  chain  bridge,  constructed  with 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 


300 


so  much  caution,  solidity,  and  skill,  I 
proved  insufficient  to  avoid  or  to  resist 
its  impetuosity.  During  a high  flood, 
about  five  years  ago,  it  was  swept  away, 
the  piers  receiving  so  much  injury  as  to 
discourage  its  restoration. 

Among  the  numerous  objects  in  Wash- 
ington worthy  of  particular  attention, 
most  of  which  have  been  alluded  to  in  a 
passing  manner,  are  several  of  the  paint- 
ings and  sculptures  which  adorn  the 
rotunda  of  the  capitol. 

The  “ Declaration  of  Independence ” 
presents  a grave,  deliberative  assembly 
(the  old  congress),  at  an  instant  when  a 
scene  of  the  highest  importance  and  the 
greatest  results  was  performing.  The 
select  committee,  appointed  to  draw  up 
a statement  of  rights  and  injuries,  are 
in  the  act  of  presenting  their  report, 
which  was  the  original  of  the  document 
since  so  celebrated  throughout  the  world 
as  the  “ Declaration  of  Independence.” 
John  Hancock  is  seated  in  the  chair  of 
the  speaker,  and  the  members  are  ranged 
at  their  desks  ; while  Thomas  J efferson, 
John  Adams,  and  Benjamin  Franklin 
(the  committee),  in  the  foreground,  are 
presenting  the  report  to  Hancock.  All 
the  personages  present  are  represented 
by  portraits  for  which  they  sat — many 
of  them  to  the  artist  himself.  A few 
exceptions,  however,  are  to  be  made — 
those  who  were  dead  before  he  began 
his  task,  and  who  left  no  portraits  be- 
hind them.  The  hall,  which  is  still  pre- 
served in  its  original  condition  (in  the 
old  statehouse  in  Philadelphia),  is  ac- 
curately given  in  the  picture. 

The  “ Surrender  of  Bur goync:”  here 
the  British  forces,  who  surrender  after 
the  battles  of  Saratoga,  are  seen  march  - 
I ing  out  of  camp,  after  stacking  their 
arms,  on  a small  plain  on  the  Hudson,  to 
which  they  had  retreated.  The  Ameri- 
can staff  occupy  a conspicuous  position  ; 
and  the  whole  effect,  increased  by  the  pic- 
turesque scenery  of  the  spot,  is  striking 
and  highly  agreeable.  Some  of  the 
American  troops,  occupying  neighbor- 
ing eminences,  had  convinced  the  de- 
feated invaders  that  further  retreat  was 
impossible  ; and  the  event  thus  recorded 
marks  one  of  the  most  important  periods 
of  the  revolutionary  war. 


The  “ Surrender  at  Yorktown?”  in 
this  picture,  the  American  army,  with 
the  French  allies,  is  presented  drawn 
up  in  two  parallel  lines — seen  in  per- 
spective in  the  fields  of  Yorktown — and 
the  head  of  the  British  column  is  march- 
ing between  them  toward  the  spectator  : 
presenting  accurate  and  spirited  por- 
traits of  many  of  the  distinguished  men 
of  the  day  belonging  to  the  three  great 
nations  represented.  The  splendor  of 
military  costume  is  beautifully  harmon- 
ized with  the  pacific  aspect  of  the  scene, 
and  the  pleasing  anticipations  which  it 
was  well  calculated  to  excite. 

“ General  Washington  resigning  his 
Commission ,”  the  closing  picture  of  this 
invaluable  series,  gives  a view  of  the 
old  hall  occupied  by  congress  at  that 
period  (in  Annapolis,  Maryland) ; and  the 
illustrious  hero  of  the  piece  is  placed 
in  a dignified  attitude,  well  correspond- 
ing with  his  character  and  the  nature 
of  the  scene.  On°i  of  the  most  interest- 
ing individuals  introduced  among  the 
spectators  is  Lady  Washington,  accom- 
panied by  several  members  of  the  family 
and  friends. 

Four  other  scenes  connected  with 
the  revolution  were  painted  by  Colonel 
Trumbull,  which  were  not  chosen  by 
congress,  although  not  on  account  of 
their  want  of  interest  or  value. 

The  “ Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,"  the 
first  in  the  series  of  historical  pictures, 
represents  the  instant  when  the  Brkish 
troops,  with  some  of  their  officers  at 
their  head,  were  making  their  last  and 
successful  assault  upon  the  height  wlrnso 
name  was  rendered  so  famous  by  the 
events  of  that  day.  General  Warren  has 
just  fallen,  and  Putnam  is  seen  pressing 
from  behind  toward  the  front,  sword  in 
hand  ; while  the  mingling  of  Americans, 
some  of  them  in  their  simple  working- 
dresses,  with  the  splendid  uniforms  of 
their  enemies — the  combinations  and 
contrasts  of  figures  and  groups,  many  of 
them  in  costumes  and  with  forms  and 
features  copied  from  life,  by  an  artist 
who  was  a contemporary  and  a fellow- 
soldier — together  with  the  importance 
and  the  animated  action  of  the  scene, 
give  this  fine  picture  an  interest  of  a 
superior  kind,  and  impress  the  feelings 


DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  301 


of  the  spectator  in  a degree  which  it 
would  be  difficult  to  express. 

The  “ Battle  of  Frincetonf  a scene 
I of  a like  character,  and  painted  in  a sim- 
ilar spirit  by  the  same  accomplished  and 
faithful  hand,  exhibits  the  fall  of  General 
Mercer,  in  full  view  of  the  venerable  in- 
stitution of  learning,  Nassau  hall,  around 
and  even  within  which  lay  the  scene  of 
that  day’s  sanguinary  struggle.  A Brit- 
ish grenadier,  in  the  brilliant  dress  of 
his  corps,  is  in  the  act  of  thrusting  his 
bayonet  into  the  body  of  the  gallant 
officer,  but  is  restrained  by  a timely 
hand.  Here,  also,  the  mingling  of  sol- 
diers of  the  two  armies,  in  various  atti- 
| tudes  and  all  in  energetic  action,  pro- 
duces a similar  excitement  of  the  mind  ; 
while  the  consciousness  that  most  of  the 
principal  personages  are  represented  by 
true  portraits,  adds  inestimable  value  to 
this,  no  less  than  to  the  other  pictures 
of  the  Trumbull  series. 

Georgetown. — This  is  a town  and 
port  of  entry  of  considerable  trade,  situ- 
ated west  of  Washington,  from  which  it 
is  separated  by  Rock  creek,  over  which 
are  two  bridges,  affording  a convenient 
connexion  between  the  two  cities,  the 
centres  of  which  are  about  two  miles 
, apart. 

The  ground  on  which  the  town  stands 
is  irregular,  and  rises  to  a considerable 
height  above  the  Potomac,  on  which 
the  city  fronts.  The  scenery  around 
is  varied  and  pleasant,  and  on  the  west 
stand  the  picturesque  and  rocky  hills, 
which  here  begin  to  change  the  aspect 
of  the  river’s  banks.  The  falls  are  soon 
discovered,  by  following  up  the  narrow 
gorge  through  which  the  stream  winds, 
and  through  which  proceeds  the  Poto- 
mac canal,  the  largest  work  of  the  kind 
in  Virginia,  or  in  any  of  the  southern 
states.  . 

The  Cannon  Foundry  is  situated  in  a 
secluded  valley  of  these  hills,  and  on  the 
summit  of  them  stands 

The  Roman  Catholic  College.— There 
are  two  large  buildings  belonging  to  it, 
and  it  has  a president,  fourteen  profes- 
sors, about  one  hundred  and  forty  stu- 
dents, and  twenty-five  thousand  volumes 
in  its  library.  The  commencement  is 
held  in  July.  I 


The  Nunnery , or  convent  of  the  Visit- 
ation, is  at  a short  distance  from  the 
college.  It  was  founded  in  1798,  and 
contains  sixty  or  seventy  nuns,  some  of 
whom  are  employed  in  the  female  school 
attached  to  the  institution. 

Chain-Bridge  across  the  Fotomac. — 
Two  miles  above  Georgetown,  in  the 
midst  of  the  wild  and  romantic  scenery 
which  there  marks  the  borders  of  the 
stream,  a light  bridge,  constructed  of 
wire,  was  thrown  across  the  channel,  a 
few  years  ago.  Two  heavy  abutments 
of  stone  were  built  on  the  banks,  nar- 
rowing the  bed  of  the  stream  as  far  as 
seemed  judicious,  and  at  their  extremi- 
ties were  raised  columns  strong  enough 
to  sustain  the  iron  supporters.  Depend- 
ing from  the  latter,  strong  wires  were 
extended  down  to  the  horizontal  mass 
of  woven  wire,  which  formed  the  main 
part  of  the  bridge,  and  on  which  the 
floor  was  laid  ; and  the  whole  fabric, 
when  completed,  presented  the  neat  and 
light  appearanc#  of  the  drawing. 

This  spot  is  ten  miles  below  the  Great 
falls  of  the  Potomac,  where  the  stream 
is  pressed  through  a passage  only  one 
hundred  yards  in  vfidth,'  and  falls  thirty 
or  forty  feet  into  a rocky  basin.  Pas- 
sing on  nearly  four  miles,  it  reaches  the 
head  of  the  Little  falls,  or  rapids,  the 
descent  of  which  is  much  more  gradual, 
over  broken  rocks  and  a channel  rather 
rapidly  descending  all  the  way  to  tide- 
water : about  thirty-five  feet  in  all. 

Several  wooden  bridges  had  been 
erected  across  the  Potomac,  in  this-  part 
of  its  course,  which  had  been  torn  away 
by  the  ice  or  the  current  in  the  violent 
annual  floods  ; and  the  wire  bridge  was 
adopted  with  the  expectation  that  it 
would  prove  more  durable.  The  nature 
of  the  valley  through  which  the  Potomac 
flows,  renders  the  rising  of  the  water,  at 
certain  seasons,  remarkably  great  and 
sudden  ; and  the  force  of  the  current  at 
this  place,  especially  when  loaded  with 
floating  ice,  is  quite  irresistible.  Piers 
can  not  be  expected  to  stand  long  in  the 
bed  of  the  river,  however  solid  and  firm  ; 
and  the  only  safe  alternative  was  to  ex- 
tend a light  bridge  from  shore  to  shore, 
without  venturing  to  seek  support  in  the 
middle. 


302  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


Shannondale  Springs. 

VIRGINIA. 

This  state  is  bounded  north  by 
Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  Maryland ; 
east  by  Maryland  and  the  Atlantic ; 
south  by  North  Carolina  and  a small 
part  of  Tennessee ; and  west  by  Ken- 
tucky and  Ohio.  The  south  ern  boun- 
dary alone  is  a straight  line,  run- 
ning on  a parallel  of  north  latitude, 
nearly  coinciding  with  the  boundary 
between  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
almost  to  its  western  termination — 
that  is,  to  the  Tennessee  river.  The 
northwestern  boundary  is  formed  by 
Ohio  river,  which  is  followed  up  to 
where  it  crosses  the  western  line  of 
Pennsylvania,  giving  to  Virginia  a long  and  narrow  gore  of  land,  which  separates 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  for  a considerable  distance,  in  a singular  manner.  The 
northeastern  boundary  is  formed  by  the  Potomac,  whose  tortuous  course  gives  it 
an  irregular  outline. 

The  state  is  crossed  by  the  ridges  of  the  Allegany  mountains,  from  southwest 
lo  northeast,  which  give  it  a considerable  diversity  of  climate,  soil,  and  produc- 
tions, and  in  which  the  principal  rivers  have  their  sources. 

Virginia  embraces  a larger  territory  than  any  other  of  the  old  states,  and  is 
remarkable  for  the  varieties  of  surface  and  climate  which  it  contains.  The  Alle- 
gany mountains  mark  out  one  of  the  four  natural  divisions  of  the  territory.  Next 
east  of  this  lies  the  hilly  region,  beyond  which  is  sea-alluvion.  The  fourth  sec- 
tion is  a peculiar  feature  by  which  this  state  is  distinguished  from  Maryland  and 
North  Carolina,  which  lie  adjacent  on  the  north  and  south.  It  is  a broad  tract, 
which  slopes  west,  and  is  drained  into  the  Mississippi  through  the  Ohio,  partly 
by  the  Kenhawa  and  other  tributaries  of  that  river  Itself,  and  partly,  in  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  303 


more  southern  parts,  by  the  Tennessee 
river. 

There  is  a remarkable  spot  some  dis- 
tance southwest  of  the  centre  of  the 
state,  where  some  of  the  highest  sources 
of  several  of  the  principal  rivers  of  the 
state  rise  within  a short  distance,  though 
flowing  in  different  directions:  James 
river,  which  empties  near  the  southern 
extremity  of  Chesapeake  bay ; Tennes- 
see river,  which  flows  southwest  and 
then  west  through  the  state  of  Tennes- 
see ; and  the  Kenhawa,  running  into 
the  Ohio. 

Though  the  zones  of  Virginia  are  not 
very  distinctly  marked,  each  part  has 
its  appropriate  character.  The  oceanic 
i section  of  Virginia  is  its  tropical  climate. 
Latitude,  exposure,  and  depressed  level, 
all  combine  to  give  the  Chesapeake  coun- 
ties a more  elevated  temperature  than 
is  found  in  the  interior.  This  difference 
is  seen  on  vegetation.  In  the  lower 
counties  cotton  may  be  cultivated  suc- 
cessfully, while  the  uncertainty  of  grain 
and  meadow-grasses  evinces  a southern 
summer.  The  middle,  in  all  the  Atlan- 
tic states  south  from  Pennsylvania,  we 
find  to  be  the  Arcadia  of  the  state.  Mid- 
dle Virginia  is,  however,  blended  with 
the  mountainous,  the  former  containing 
the  whole  or  great  part  of  the  valley  coun- 
ties, Berkley,  Jefferson,  Frederick,  Shen- 
andoah, Rockingham,  Augusta,  Rock- 
bridge, Botetourt,  Montgomery,  Wythe, 
and  Washington.  The  real  mountain 
section  lies  northwest  from  the  middle, 
and  extends  to  the  Ohio.  The  extreme 
western  part  is,  indeed,  composed  of  a 
congeries  of  hills  with  alluvial  bottoms, 
but  the  actual  mountain  ridges  approach 
so  near  Ohio  river,  and  the  hills  ‘are  in 
themselves  so  generally  abrupt  and  lofty, 
as  to  give  an  alpine  appearance  to  the 
country.  Taken  as  a whole,  central 
Virginia  *has  the  best  soil,  though  in  the 
mountainous  part  there  is  much  that  is 
excellent.  With  the  exception  of  the 
southeastern  counties,  grain  and  orchard 
fruits  are  highly  congenial  to  Virginia, 
and  their  various  products  are  the  nat- 
ural, actual,  and  we  may  safely  say  the 
permanent,  staples  of  the  state.  Of 
metals,  iron  ore  is  abundant  in  the  cen- 
tral and  western  sections.  Brine  has 


been  procured  on  the  Great  Kenhawa, 
and  salt  extensively  manufactured.. 

The  Natural  Bridge  over  Cedar  creek, 
twelve  miles  southwest  of  Lexington,  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
natural  curiosities  in  the  world.  The 
following  is  Mr.  Jefferson’s  description, 
in  his  Notes  on  Virginia: — 

“ It  is  on  the  ascent  of  a hill  which 
seems  to  have  been  cloven  through  its 
length  by  some  great  convulsion.  The 
fissure,  just  by  the  bridge,  is  by  some 
admeasurements  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty feet  deep,  by  others  only  two  hun- 
dred and  five.  It  is  about  forty-five  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  ninety  feet  at 
the  top  : this,  of  course,  determines  the 
length  of  the  bridge,  and  its  height  from 
the  water ; its  breadth  in  the  middle  is 
about  sixty  feet,  but  more  at  the  ends  ; 
and  the  thickness  of  the  mass,  at  the 
summit  of  the  arch,  is  about  forty  feet. 
A part  of  this  thickness  is  constituted 
by  a coat  of  earth,  which  gives  growth 
to  many  large  trees  ; the  residue,  with 
the  hill  on  both  sides,  is  one  solid  rock 
of  limestone.  The  arch  approaches  the 
semi-elliptical  form  ; but  the  larger  axis 
of  the  ellipse,  which  would  be  the  chord 
of  the  arch,  is  many  times  longer  than 
the  transverse.  Though  the  sides  of 
this  bridge  are  provided  in  some  parts 
with  a parapet  of  fixed  rocks,  yet  few 
men  have  resolution  to  walk  to  them 
and  look  over  into  the  abyss  : you  in- 
voluntarily fall  on  your  naiids  and  feet, 
creep  to  the  parapet,  and  peep  over  it. 
Looking  down  from  this  height  about  a 
minute  gave  me  a violent  head-ache.  If 
the  view  from  the  top  be  painful  and  in- 
tolerable, that  from  below  is  delightful 
in  an  equal  extreme  ; it  is  impossible  for 
the  emotions  arising  from  the  sublime 
to  be  felt  beyond  what  they  are  here  : 
so  beautiful  an  arch,  so  elevated,  so 
light,  and  springing,  as  it  were,  up  to 
heaven  ! the  rapture  of  the  spectator  is 
really  indescribable  ! The  fissure  con- 
tinuing narrow,  deep,  and  straight,  for 
a considerable  distance  above  and  be- 
low the  bridge,  opens  a short  but  very 
pleasing  view  of  the  North  mountain  on 
one  side,  and  Blue  ridge  on  the  other, 
at  the  distance,  each  of  them,  of  about 
five  miles.  This  bridge  is  in  the  county 


304  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


Natural  Bridge  over  Cedar  Creek. 


of  Rockbridge,  to  which  it  has  given 
name,  and  affords  a public  and  commo- 
dious passage  over  a valley  which  can 
not  be  crossed  elsewhere  for  a consider- 
able distance.  The  stream  passing  un- 
der it  is  called  Cedar  creek ; it  is  a 
water  of  James  river,  and  sufficient  in 
the  driest  seasons  to  turn  a gristmill, 
thousfh  its  fountain  is  not  more  than  two 
miles  above.” 

The  description  of  Jefferson  first  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  travellers  to  this 
remarkable  spot.  Of  recent  descrip- 
tions, the  best  is  that  by  Miss  Martineau, 
which  is  truly  characteristic  and  inter- 
esting, and  is  as  follows  : — 

“ At  a mile  from  the  bridge,  the  road 
turns  off  through  a wood.  While  the 
stage  rolled  and  jolted  along  the  ex- 
tremely bad  road,  Mr.  L.  and  I went  pry- 
ing about  the  whole  area  of  the  wood, 
poking  our  horses’  noses  into  every 
thicket,  and  between  any  two  pieces  of 
rock,  that  we  might  be  sure  not  to  miss 
our  object;  the  driver  smiling  after  us, 
whenever  . he  could  spare  attention  from 


his  own  not  very  easy  task,  of  getting 
his  charge  along.  With  all  my  atten- 
tion, I could  see  no  precipice,  and  was 
concluding  to  follow  the  road  without 
any  more  vagaries,  when  Mr.  L.,  who 
was  a little  in  advance,  waved  his  whip 
as  he  stood  beside  his  horse,  and  said  : 
‘ Here  is  the  bridge  !’  I then  perceived 
that  we  were  nearly  over  it,  the  piled 
rocks  on  either  hand  forming  a barrier, 
which  prevents  a careless  eye  from  per- 
ceiving the  ravine  which  it  spans.  I 
turned  to  the  side  of  the  road,  and  rose 
in  my  stirrup  to  look  over,  but  I found 
it  would  not  do.  I went  on  to  the  inn, 
deposited  my  horse,  and  returned  on 
| foot  to  the  bridge. 

“ With  all  my  efforts,  I could  not  look 
down  steadily  into  what  seemed  the  bot- 
tomless abyss  of  foliage  and  shadow. 
From  every  point  of  the  bridge  1 tried, 
and  all  in  vain.  I was  heated  and  ex- 
tremely hungry,  and  much  vexed  at  my 
own  weakness.  The  only  way  was  to 
go  down  and  look  up  ; though  where  the 
1 bottom  could  be  was  past  my  imagining, 


■! 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  305 


the  view  from  the  top  seeming  to  be  of 
foliage  below  foliage  for  ever. 

“ The  way  to  the  glen  is  through  a 
field  opposite  the  inn,  and  down  a steep, 
rough,  rocky  path,  which  leads  under 
the  bridge,  and  a few  yards  beyond  it. 
I think  the  finest  view  of  all  is  from  this 
path,  just  before  reaching  the  bridge. 
The  irregular  rock,  spanning  a chasm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  height, 
and  from  sixty  to  ninety  in  width,  is 
exquisitely  tinted  with  every  shade  of 
gray  and  brown  ; while  trees  encroach 
from  the  sides,  and  overhang  from  the 
top,  between  which  and  the  arch  there 
is  an  additional  depth  of  fifty-six  feet. 
It  was  now  early  in  J uly ; the  trees  were 
in  their  brightest  and  thickest  foliage ; 
and  the  tall  beeches  under  the  arch  con- 
trasted their  verdure  with  the  gray  rock, 
and  received  the  gilding  of  the  sunshine, 
as  it  slanted  into  the  ravine,  glittering 
in  the  drip  from  the  arch,  and  in  the 
splashing  and  tumbling  waters  of  Cedar 
creek,  which  ran  by  our  feet.  Swal- 
lows were  flying  about  under  the  arch. 
What  others  of  their  tribe  can  boast  of 
such  a home  I 

“ We  crossed  and  recrossed  the  creek 
on  stepping-stones,  searching  out  every 
spot  to  which  any  tradition  belonged. 
Under  the  arch,  thirty  feet  from  the  water, 
the  lower  part  of  the  letters  G.  W.  may 
be  seen,  carved  in  the  rock.  When 
Washington  was  a young  man  he  climbed 
up  hither,  to  leave  this  record  of  his 
visit.  There  are  other  inscriptions  of  the 
same  kind ; and  above  them  a board,  on 
which  are  painted  the  names  of  two  per- 
sons, who  have  thought  it  worth  while 
thus,  to  immortalize  their  feat  of  climb- 
ing highest.  But  their  glory  was  but 
transient,  after  all.  They  have  been  out- 
stripped by  a traveller,  whose  achieve- 
ment will  probably  never  be  rivalled  ; 
for  he  would  not  have  accomplished  it 
if  he  could,  by  any  means,  have  declined 
the  task.  Never  was  a wonderful  deed 
more  involuntarily  performed.  There 
is  no  disparagement  to  the  gentleman 
in  saying  this  : it  is  only  absolving  him 
from  the  charge  of  foolhardiness. 

“ This  young  man,  named  Blacklock, 
accompanied  by  two  friends,  visited  the 
natural  bridge ; and,  being  seized  with 


the  ambition  appropriate  to  the  place, 
of  writing  his  name  highest,,  climbed  the 
rock  opposite  to  the  part  selected  by 
Washington,  and  carved  his  initials. 
Others  have  perhaps  seen  what  Mr. 
Blacklock  had  overlooked — that  it  was 
a place  easy  to  ascend,  but  from  which 
it  is  impossible  to  come  down.  He  was 
forty  feet  or  more  from  the  path  ; his 
footing  was  precarions  ; he  was  weary 
with  holding  oil  while  carving  his  name  ; 
and  his  head  began  to  swim  when  he 
saw  the  impossibility  of  getting  down 
again.  He  called  to  his  companions 
that  his  only  chance  was  to  climb  up 
upon  the  bridge,  without  hesitation  or 
delay.  They  saw  this,  and  with  anguish 
agreed  between  themselves  that  the 
chance  was  a very  bare  one.  They 
cheered  him,  and  advised  him  to  look 
neither  up  nor  down.  On  he  went, 
slanting  upward  from  under  the  arch, 
creeping  round  a projection,  on  which 
no  foothold  is  visible  from  below,  and 
then  disappearing  in  a recess  filled  up 
with  foliage.  Long  and  long  they  wait- 
ed, watching  for  motion,  and  listening 
for  crashing  among  the  trees.  He  must 
have  been  now  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  them.  At  length  their  eyes 
were  so  strained  that  they  could  see  no 
more,  and  they  had  almost  lost  all  hope. 
There  was  little  doubt  that  he  had  fallen 
while  behind  the  trees,  where  his  body 
would  never  be  found.  They  went  up 
to  try  the  chance  of  looking  for  him 
from  above.  They  found  him  lying  in- 
sensible on  the  bridge.  He  could  just 
remember  reaching  the  top,  when  he 
immediately  fainted.” 

Passage  through  the  Blue  Ridge.— 
The  following  interesting  description 
is  in  Jefferson’s  Notes  on  Virginia  : — 

“ The  passage  of  the  Potomac  through 
the  Blue  ridge  is  one  of  the  most  stu- 
pendous scenes.  You  stand  on  a very 
high  point  of  land  ; on  your  right  comes 
up  the  Shenandoah,  having  ranged  along 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  a hundred  miles 
to  seek  a vent;  on  your  left  approaches 
the  Potomac,  in  quest  of  a passage  also; 
in  the  moment  of  their  junction,  they 
rush  together  against  the  mountain,  rend 
it  asunder,  and  pass  off  to  the  sea.  The 
first  glance  of  this  scene  hurries  our  senses 


20 


306 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


into  the  opinion  that  this  earth  has  been 
created  in  time ; that  the  mountains  were 
formed  first;  that  the  rivers  began  to 
flow  afterward ; that  in  this  place  par- 
ticularly they  have  been  dammed  up  by 
the  Blue  ridge  of  mountains,  and  have 
formed  an  ocean  which  filled  the  whole 
valley;  that,  continuing  to  rise,  they 
have  at  length  broken  over  at  this  spot, 
and  have  torn  the  mountain  down  from 
its  summit  to  its  base.  The  piles  of 
rock  on  each  hand,  but  particularly  on 
the  Shenandoah,  the  evident  marks  of 
their  disrupture  and  evulsion  from  their 
beds  by  the  most  powerful  agents  of 
nature,  corroborate  the  impression.  But 
the  distant  finishing  which  nature  has 
given  to  the  picture,  is  of  a very  differ- 
ent character;  it  is  a true  contrast  to 
the  foreground  ; it  is  as  placid  and  de- 
lightful as  that  is  wild  and  tremendous; 
for  the  mountain  being  cloven  asunder, 
she  presents  to  your  eye,  through  the 
cleft,  a small  catch  of  smooth  blue  hori- 
zon, at  an  infinite  distance  in  the  plain 
country,  inviting  you,  as  it  were,  from 
the 'riot  and  tumult  roaring  around,  to 
pass  through  the  breach  and  participate 
of  the  calm  below.  Here  the  eye  ulti- 
mately composes  itself;  and  that  way, 
too,  the  road  happens  actually  to  lead. 
You  cross  the  Potomac  above  the  junc- 
tion, pass  along  its  side  through  the  base 
of  the  mountain  for  three  miles,  its  ter- 
rible precipices  hanging  in  fragments 
over  you,  and,  within  about  twenty  miles, 
reach  Fredericktown,  and  the  fine  coun- 
try round  that.  This  scene  is  worth  a 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic ; yet  heie, 
as  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  natural 
bridge,  are  people  who  have  passed  their 
lives  within  half  a dozen  miles,  and  have 
never  been  to  survey  these  monuments 
of  a war  between  rivers  and  mountains, 
which  must  have  shaken  the  earth  itself 
to  its  centre.”  , | 

Wier's  Cave , on  the  northwest  side 
of  the  Blue  ridge,  is  between  two  and 
three  thousand  feet  in  length,  and  com-  j 
prises  various  apartments,  containing  , 
beautiful  stalactites  and  incrustations,  , 
which  display  the  most  sparkling  bril- 
liancy when  surveyed  by  the  light  of  a 
torch.  Near  this  there  is  another  sin- 
gular cavern,  called  Madison’s  cave ; and 


in  one  of  the  ridges  of  the  Allegany 
mountains  is  Blowing  cave,  from  which  a 
current  of  air  continually  issues,  strong 
enough  to  prostrate  the  weeds  at  the  dis- 
tance of  sixty  feet.  One  of  the  largest 
mounds  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  is  in 
Virginia,  near  the  Ohio,  fourteen  miles 
below  Wheeling.  It  is  about  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  sixty 
at  the  top,  and  the  perpendicular  height 
is  seventy  feet.  It  contains  thousands 
of  human  skeletons. 

Valley  of  Virginia. — After  leaving 
Winchester,  distant  from  Woodstock 
about  thirty  miles  east  or  northeast,  we 
bid  farewell  to  everything  like  a rail- 
road, and  plunge  into  the  midst  of  the 
valley  of  Virginia.  The  country  is  un- 
dulating in  its  surface,  of  limestone  for- 
mation, and  distinguished  for  its  roman- 
tic and  beautiful  scenery.  Through  this 
valley  flows  the  majestic  Shenandoah, 
one  of  those  rivers  still  bearing  its  an- 
cient Indian  name,  too  melodious  and 
expressive  to  be  changed  for  a better. 

The  Shenandoah  flows  on,  a limpid 
stream,  shelving  rocks,  lying  in  strata, 
being  often  visible  on  its  bottom.  Thus 
the  river  pursues  its  course  to  Harper’s 
Ferry,  where,  joining  its  forces  to  the 
Potomac,  it  yields  its  name  to  that  river, 
and  having  saluted  the  president’s  man- 
sion familiarly,  and  the  United  States 
capitol  at  a more  respectful  distance,  pro- 
ceeds to  bury  itself  in  the  ocean.  Here 
are  some  fine  views  of  the  Blue  ridge, 
that  famous  cordon  of  mountains,  stretch- 
ing itself  like  a giant  rampart  across  the 
state,  ascending  majestically  toward  the 
sky  in  ambitious  and  impressive  forms, 
catching  and  deepening  its  serene  ceru- 
lean blue,  and  spreading  its  own  ample 
shadows  over  the  far-reaching  vale  be- 
low. Here  a painter’s  brush  would  find 
strong  and  striking  originals;  the  poet’s 
i lyre  would  waken  the  sweetest  music 
; among  the  mountain  solitudes  above,  or 
the  green  sequestered  shades  below. 
This,  too,  is  the  region  of  thriving  farm- 
ers, of  fat  cattle,  and  fertile  lands.  In 
this  valley  there  are  many  Germans  and 
descendants  of  Germans. 

Twenty-five  miles  west  of  TV  inchester 
section  or  an  adjunct  of  the  Blue 


is  a 


ridge,  sometimes  called  the  Ice  moun- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  307 


tain,  from  a very  peculiar  formation  of 
a subterrene,  or  rather  a subsaxumous 
coat  of  ice,  which,  on  turning  up  a stone 
on  the  warmest  day  of  summer,  discov- 
ers itself  with  a refreshing  coolness.  It 
is,  iri  fact,  a natural  and  magnificent  re- 
frigerator. No  night  can  be  passed  here 
without  feeling  the  necessity  of  a blan- 
ket. The  usual  place  of  resort  in  the 
vicinity  goes  by  the  name  of  “ Capon 
springs.” 

Taking  the  summit  of  the  Alleganies 
as  a central  point  of  view  to  overlook 
the  state,  we  find  first  a wide  tract  of 
adjacent  country,  diversified  with  all  the 
irregularity  of  a mountainous  region, 
varying  from  rough  and  rocky  heights, 
to  picturesque  and  shady  valleys,  many 
of  which  are  rich  in  mines  and. mineral 
springs,  where  the  crowds  of  gay  visit- 
ers, mifigling  with  invalids,  enliven  the 
picturesque  scenes  with  groups  strongly 
contrasting  with  the  wildness  and  soli- 
tude of  nature. 

Next  eastward  of  this  lies  a section, 
extending  to  tidewater  in  the  rivers, 
which  amounts  to  15,386  square  miles; 
and  between  that  and  the  eastern  boun- 
dary is  another,  with  its  lower  level  and 
navigable  waters,  and  also  the  sites  of 
the  old  settlements,  having  an  area  of 
11,805  square  miles. 

But  the  western  section,  lying  beyond 
the  Alleganies,  is  the  most  extensive  and 
flourishing.  It  contains  28,387  square 
miles.  Climate,  soil,  situation,  and  the 
origin  of  the  people,  have  great  influ- 
ence in  stamping  a variety  of  character- 
istics on  these  different  districts  ; for 
while  the  low  eastern  regions  are  warm, 
and  the  soil  cultivated  by  slaves,  facilities 
for  navigation  have  raised  large  towns 
amid  extensive  plantations;  in  the  high- 
er districts,  other  objects  and  modes  of 
culture  have  been  adopted,  while  slaves 
are  less  numerous,  and  they  often  work 
side  by  side  with  their  masters.  The 
relations  established  by  the  natural  fea- 
tures of  the  western  district  cement  the 
people  more  intimately  with  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  than  with  those  of  the  At- 
lantic borders.  So  great  is  the  difference 
of  seasons  found  in  different  parts  of 
Virginia,  that  vegetation  is  often  far  ad- 
vanced in  the  spring  at  Wheeling  when 


it  is  hardly  perceptible  along  the  ridge 
which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Monon- 
j gahela  from  those  of  the  Ohio,  in  that 
! remarkable,  narrow,  northwest  gore  of 
land  before  mentioned.  The  mean  ele- 
vation of  central  Virginia  is  eighteen 
hundred  or  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
j Ohio,  the  descent  to  which  is  by  several 
plains  or  natural  terraces — gradually 
| descending  to  the  west.  The  climate 
of  the  mountainous  regions  resembles 
that  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  as  high  up  as 
latitude  forty  three  degrees. 

There  is  a remarkable  mountain-ridge 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  distant  from 
the  Blue  ridge,  to  which  it  is  related 
as  the  Blue  ridge  is  to  the  Alleganies 
proper.  It  may  be  traced  through  Ma- 
j ryland  in  the  Parr-spring  ridge,  Penn- 
sylvania (where,  as  in  Virginia,  it  has  no 
distinctive  name),  and  through  New  Jer- 
sey in  the  Schooley’s  mountain  ridge. 

The  counties  through  which  the  ridge 
passes  in  Virginia  are  Loudoun,  Fau- 
quier, Culpepper,  Orange,  Albemarle, 
Nelson,  Amherst,  Bedford,  Franklin,  and 
Henry. 

On  most  maps  the  mountains  present 
a confused  mass ; but  they  are,  in  fact, 
divided  into  five  or  six  distinct  ridges. 
Indeed,  says  Darby,  “the  whole  state, 
from  the  head  of  tidewater  to  Ohio  river, 
is  formed  of  a series  of  mountain-chains 
and  intervening  valleys.”  But  the  Blue 
ridge  is  the  most  prominent,  stands  very 
detached,  has  the  highest  points  in  the 
Appalachian  chain  southwest  of  Dela- 
ware river,  and  everywhere  marks  the 
lines  between  counties. 

The  interior  of  Virginia  was  almost 
uninhabited,  even  by  savages,  when  the 
country  was  first  known  to  Europeans. 
A few  tribes  only  occupied  any  part  of 
its  surface,  and  these  dwelt  chiefly  along 
the  tidewaters.  It  is  capable  of  sup- 
porting a population  of  three  millions, 
even  if  the  arable  parts  were  as  thickly 
inhabited  as  some  of  the  most  populous 
| districts  ; but  a combination  of  causes 
has  prevented  the  increase  for  some 
years  past.* 

* We  improve  this  allusion  to  the  agricultural  resources 
of  this  state,  to  introduce  in  a note  the  following  interest 
ing  letter  from  a soil  of  Virginia,  the  Hon.  William  C. 
Rives,  our  minister  to  France.  It  has  reference  to  his 
I visit  to  the  World’s  Fair  at  London ; and  some  valua- 


Potomac  River.  — This  noble  river 
abounds  with  fish,  the  principal  being 
the  white  shad,  the  herring,  and  the  stur- 
geon. The  latter  is  taken  in  a manner 
said  to  be  peculiar  to  this  section  of  the 
country 


The  sturgeon  is  a noble  deni- 


ble  practical  remarks  will  be  found  in  it  respecting  the 
^application  of  science  to  the  development  of  the  natural 
resources  of  the  state.  It  also  records  the  success,  in  Eng- 
land, of  M'Cormick’s  reaping-machine,  the  invention  of  a 
citizen  of  this  ancient  commonwealth  : — 

“ Paris,  Tuesday , September  30,  1851. 
“My  Dear  C : Having  a week  or  two  at  my  dis- 

posal during  the  last  days  of  the  summer.  I determined  to 
go  over  the  channel  and  see  for  myself  that  of  which  the 
description  had  filled  so  many  mouths  and  newspapers 
for  the  last  four  or  five  months — the  Great  Exhibition, 
or  what  the  French  more  appropriately  call  it.  the  Expo- 
sition XJniverselle.  I am  not  prepared  to  say  with  the 
queen  of  Sheba,  after  her  inspection  of  the  riches  of  Solo- 
mon, ‘The  half  was  not  told  me;’  but,  on  the  contrary, 
making  some  deduction  from  the  oriental  extravagance 
with  which  this  wonder  of  the  age  has  been  celebrated 
by  both  pen  and  tongue,  I am  yet  free  to  say  enough  re- 
mained to  make  it  an  object  of  just  and  rational  curiosity 
to  all  who  were  in  circumstances  to  visit  it. 

“ A visit  to  the  Crystal  Palace  is,  in  truth,  a sort  of  figu- 
rative voyage  of  circumnavigation,  by  which,  within  the 
limits  of  a comparatively  small  space,  and  by  a few  days’ 
industrious  observation,  you  traverse  successively  the  va- 
rious quarters  of  the  globe,  and  see  before  you  the  pro- 
ductions, the  arts,  the  riches,  and  in  some  degree  the 
respective  national  manners  and  customs  of  them  all. 
And  yet  this  is  so  contrived  as  to  leave  upon  the  mind  of 
the  beholder  a strong  impression  of  the  material  superi- 
ority, if  not  supremacy,  of  one  of  these  nations  over  all 
the  rest.  England  has  the  vast  advantage  in  the  Exhi 
bition  of  being  at  home.  One  full  half  of  the  fairy  build- 
ing is  allotted  to  the  display  of  her  riches  and  resources, 
her  industry  and  power— in  which  her  vast  tributary  pos- 
sessions in  the  East  and  the  West  (India,  Canada,  and  the 
isles  of  the  ocean),  all  glittering  with  barbaric  pomp,  are 
made  to  revolve  in  due  order  around  the  central  orb,  daz- 
zling by  the  splendor  of  her  own  accumulated  and  gor- 
geous wealth.  The  mind  is  so  acted  upon  by  this  studi- 
ous display  of  boundless  dominion,  and  riches,  and  power, 
in  the  hands  of  a single  nation,  that  it  hardly  recovers  from 
the  impression  in  passing  through  the  successive  depart- 
ments allotted  to  other  nations  ; for  however  well  filled 
many  of  them  are  with  the  choicest  productions  of  ex- 
quisite taste  and  superior  skill,  they  all  seem  dwarfed  in 
comparison  with  the  gigantic  development  of  England  at 
home.  In  this  state  ot  ''exhibited  inferiority,  these  nations 
may  legitimately  take  to  themselves  the  consolation  of  the 
lion  prostrate  beneath  the  man  in  the  painting— that  the 
man,  and  not  the  lion,  was  the  painter  ! 

“ If  France,  which  originated  the  idea  of  an  exhibition 
of  the  products  of  the  arts  and  industry  of  all  nations,  had 
been  permitted  by  her  internal  condition  to  carry  it  into 
execution,  and  Paris  instead  of  London  had  been  the  scene 
of  its  presentation,  a very  great  difference  would,  doubt- 
less, have  been  made  in  the  relative  position  and  appear- 
ance of  the  competing  nations.  In  that  case,  the  advan- 
tage of  being  chez  soi,  concurring  with  her  unrivalled  taste 
and  artistic  science,  and  the  wonderful  resources  of  her 
national  genius  and  industry,  would  have  assigned  to  her 
the  rank  of  primacy  which  is  now  held  by  England  in  the 
London  Exhibition.  Nor  would  the  other  nations  have 
had  reason  to  complain  of  the  change  of  venue.  The  bright 
climate  of  France,  and  the  cordial  and  genial  temper  of 
the  people,  so  readily  fraternizing  with  the  other  families 
of  mnnkind,  would  have  made  ot  what  has  been  a stern 
and  somewhat  jealous  encounter  of  rival  pretensions,  a 
real  jubilee  of  the  heart  and  senses,  marking  an  era  in  the 
social  intercourse  and  happiness  of  nations,  as  well  as  in 
their  industrial  progress.  As  it  is,  the  Exhibition  has 
mainly  the  character  of  a highly  successful  speculation, 
very  sagaciously  managed,  on  British  account. 

“ You  will  wish  to  know  what  sort  of  figure  we  of  the 
United  States  have  made  in  this  great  international  con- 
gress of  industry  and  the  arts.  The  objects  which  occu- 


zen  of  the  waters,  weighing  from  seven- 
ty-five to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
Every  passenger  up  the  Potomac  has 
probably  seen  the  prodigious  leaps  of  this 
fish,  sometimes  to  the  height  of  ten  feet, 
and  his  alacrity  at  mounting  a cascade. 


py  much  the  largest  space  in  the  Exhibition,  and  which 
have  been  the  chief  points,  indeed,  of  popular  attraction, 
are  objects  of  luxury  and  ornament,  exceedingly  costly 
in  both  their  material  and  workmanship,  and  intended  to 
minister  to  the  factitious  wants  of  overgrown  wealth. 
In  the  British  department  alone  T counted  not  less  than 
twenty  large  rooms,  with  the  inscription  in  glaring  capi- 
tals above  them  of  the  adored  ‘ precious  metals.’  The 
same  general  character  of  costly  magnificence,  varying 
only  in  the  details,  predominated  in  all  the  rest  of  the  Eu- 
ropean departments,  from  the  exquisite  mosaics  of  Italy, 
and  the  rich  silks,  and  porcelains,  and  jewelry,  of  France, 
to  the  beautiful  and  elaborate  malachites  of  Russia,  and 
was  conspicuous  even  in  the  ‘barbaric  pearl  and  gold’  of 
the  Asiatic  and  African  contributions. 

“ In  entering  into  a competition  of  so  much  gorgeous- 
ness as  this,  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that  so  young, 
and  simple,  and  republican  a people  as  that  of  the  United 
States,  would  make  a very  brilliant  debut.  I always  re- 
gretted, therefore,  that  we  entered  the  lists  as  general 
competitors.  If  we  had  gone  in  simply  and  avowedly  to 
show  the  nations  of  the  Old  World  some  of  the  most  valu- 
able improvements  we  had  made  in  those  manly  and  use- 
ful arts  adapted  to  our  circumstances  and  vigorous  youth, 
and  had  contented  ourselves  with  an  allotment  of  space 
proportioned  to  that  object,  we  should  have  avoided  some 
mortification,  at  first,  to  our  national  pride.  A large  space, 
however,  was  demanded  in  the  outset  for  the  display  of 
American  contributions,  which,  after  successive  retrench- 
ments, remained  imperfectly  filled,  and  the  effigy  of  the 
American  eagle,  in  very  exaggerated  and  colossal  propor- 
tions, was  conspicuously  placed  above  the  whole.  ‘ The 
Times,'  the  Coryphaeus  of  the  English  press,  immediately 
seized  upon  these  circumstances  with  its  accustomed  be- 
nevolence toward  the  United  States,  taunting  us  with  ‘ the 
solitude  in  the  Crystal  Palace  over  which  the  American 
eagle  stretched  its  mighty  wings,’  and  representing  ‘ the 
space  we  had  grasped  in  the  Exhibition’  as  being  as  ‘im- 
perfectly occupied  as  our  vast  continent.* 

“ In  spite  of  these  mistakes  of  our  own,  and  the  ill-na- 
tured use  made  of  them  to  our  disadvantage  by  the  critics, 
the  solid  and  intrinsic  merit  of  the  American  part  of  the 
Exhibition  finally  made  itself  felt  and  appreciated  by  all, 
and  it  is  now,  1 think,  universally  admitted,  even  in  Eng- 
land, where  so  many  jealousies  and  prejudices  are  to  be 
overcome,  that,  in  an  industrial  and  useful  point  of  view, 
no  nation  contributed  more  to  the  Exhibition  than  the 
United  States.  I am  most  happy  to  be  able  to  say  to  you 
that  nothing  has  had  so  powerful  an  agency  in  working 
out  this  honorable  result  for  our  national  reputation  as  a 
Virginian  invention,  of  which  you  were  one  of  the  ear- 
lie.-.t  patrons,  and  which  has  received  the  highest  honors 
at  the  Exhibition,  and  is  now  making  a sort  of  triumphal 
progress  through  England — I mean  M‘Cormiek’s  reaping- 
machine.  It  was  the  successful  trial  of  this  machine  on 
the  farm  of  Mr.  Mechi,  at  Tip  Tree,  on  the  29th  of  July 
last — eliciting  as  it  did  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all 
who  witnessed  it — that  commenced  the  reaction  in  favor 
of  the  American  contributions  to  the  Exhibition.  The 
English  people  began  then  to  think  that  some  'good  thing 
might  come  out  of  our  transatlantic  Nazareth,’  and  from 
time  to  time  they  bestowed  something  more  than  a pas- 
sing, supercilious  glance  at  the  American  department  of 
the  Crystal  Palace,  and  found  in  it  other  products  of  Amer- 
ican genius  and  skill,  >vhich  convinced  them  that,  in  this 
age  of  progress  and  invention,  stimulated  to  extraordinary 
fecundity  in  the  New  World,  there  are  not  a few  things 
they  may  learn  with  advantage  of  younger  nations  than 
themselves. 

“Of  these  other  achievements  of  American  ingenuity 
I have  not  the  time  to  speak.  You  have  seen  them  all 
noticed  in  the  newspaper  reports  of  the  Exhibition  : they 
have,  the  greater  part  of  them  undoubtedly,  a very  high 
order  of  merit;  but  I think  I am  not  misled  by  a natural 
partiality  for  an  invention  of  my  own  state  when  I say 
that  the  reaping-machine  has  done  most  of  all  to  redeem 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  309 


It  is  recorded  that  during  the  revolution- 
ary war,  one  of  these  enormous  fish  de- 
scended from  an  aerial  leap  into  a ferry- 
boat, and  falling  into  the  lap  of  an  officer 
seated  on  the  gunwale,  broke  his  thigh  ! 
It  is  caught  in  the  Potomac  by  a naked 

the  honor  of  our  country  in  the  trying,  and,  to  us  for  a 
time,  apparently  hopeless  contests  of  the  Exhibition.  In 
proof  of  this,  it  is  sufficient  to  mention  the  fact  that  it  is 
invariably  placed  at  the  head  of  all  the  American  triumphs 
in  the  various  notices  of  the  exhibition  which  have  been 
from  time  to  time  published  by  the  European  press.  1 
have  now  before  me  the  leading  article  of  4 The  Times’  of 
the  2d  instant — the  first  number  of  that  journal  which  ac- 
knowledged the  substantial  success  of  the  American  part 
of  the  Exhibition — in  which  that  success  and  the  reaping- 
machine,  which  so  much  contributed  to  it,  are  thus  no- 
ticed : — 

“ - On  the  other  hand,  it  is  beyond  all  denial  that  every 
practical  success  of  the  season  belongs  to  the  Americans. 
Their  consignments  showed  poorly  at  first,  but  came  out 
well  upon  trial.  Their  reaping-machine  has  carried  con- 
viction to  the  heart  of  the  British  agriculturist.  Their  re- 
volvers threaten  to  revolutionize  military  tactics  as  com- 
pletely as  the  original  discovery  of  gunpowder.  Their 
yacht  takes  a class  to  itself.’ 

“ And  again,  in  an  article  of  the  same  journal  of  the  27th 
instant,  reviewing  the  general  result  of  the  Exhibition,  are 
the  following  remarks  : — 

“ 4 One  point  that  strikes  us  forcibly  on  a survey  of  the 
last  few  months  is,  the  extraordiary  contrast  which  the 
attractive  and  the  useful  features  of  the  display  present. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  American  department  was, 
at  first,  regarded  as  the  poorest  and  least  interesting  of  all 
foreign  countries.  Of  late  it  has  justly  assumed  a position 
of  the  first  importance,  as  having  brought  to  the  aid  of  our 
distressed  agriculturists  a machine  which,  if  it  realizes  the 
anticipations  of  competent  judges,  will  amply  remunerate 
England  for  all  her  outlay  connected  with  the  Great  Exhi- 
bition. The  reaping-machine  from  the  United  States  is 
the  most  valuable  contribution  from  abroad  to  the  stock 
of  our  previous  knowledge  that  we  have  yet  discovered, 
and  several  facts  in  connection  with  it  are  not  a little  re- 
markable.’ 

“It  has  been  a source  of  patriotic  and  I trust  legitimate 
pride  to  me,  as  a Virginian,  that  an  invention  emanating 
from  my  own  state,  and  I may  say  from  my  own  neigh- 
borhood indeed,  has  done  so  much  to  procure  honor  to 
the  American  name  abroad,  and  to  vindicate  the  claims  of 
American  genius  and  enterprise  to  the  respect  and  grati- 
tude of  other  nations.  In  these  feelings  you  and  your 
friends  around  you,  who  know  so  well  both  the  invention 
and  the  inventor,  will.  I am  sure,  largely  share.  I can  not 
describe  to  you  the  feelings  of  home  delight,  not  unmixed 
with  triumph,  with  which,  on  one  of  the  days  that  I at- 
tended she  Exhibition,  I saw  the  4 Virginia  Grain-Reaper’ 
(for  by  that  name  M'Cormick  himself  entered  his  machine 
on  the  official  catalogue  of  the  Exhibition)  as  much  sur- 
rounded by  curious  and  interested  spectators  as  the  price- 
less Indian  diamond — the  Koh-i-noor,  or  Mountain  of  Light 
— which  usually  attracts  the  largest  and  most  eager  crowds. 
It  is  in  the  country,  however,  when  it  is  at  work,  sweep- 
ing with  ease  over  its  fifteen  or  twenty  acres  of  thick- 
standing wheat  a day,  that  it  excites  the  strongest  enthu- 
siasm, as  it  achieves  its  greatest  triumphs.  On  some  of 
these  occasions  as  many  as  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thou- 
sand persons  have,  been  assembled  to  witness  its  perform- 
ance ; and  they  have  cheered  it  with  loud  and  hearty  plau- 
dits, when  it  has  finished  a row  or  turned  a corner  of  the 
field,  as  if  it  were  some  great  living  hero  or  conqueror. 
MCormick  himself  has  been  feted;  and  when  in  acknowl- 
edging a toast,  with  true  Washingtonian  modesty  and 
Spartan  brevity,  he  said  he  was  4 more  accustomed  to 
working  than  speaking,  and  preferred  always  that  his  ma- 
chine should  speak  for  itself,’  he  brought  down  as  thun- 
dering applause  as  ever  greeted  an  orator  in  the  house  of 
commons. 

“Everybody  in  England  now  wonders  that  a machine 
at  once  so  simple  and  so  effective,  and  so  precisely  adapted 
to  the  wants  of  British  agriculture,  should  never  have 
been  invented  and  brought  to  perfection  by  some  of  their 
own  people,  and  that  it  should  have  been  reserved  for  a 


hook  attached  to  a line,  and  drawn  with 
skill  under  the  belly.  It  is  remarkable 
that  this  fish  is  good  only  in  certain  riv- 
ers : those  of  the  Delaware  being  thought 
unfit  to  eat,  while  those  of  the  Hudson 
and  Potomac  are  considered  a delicacy. 

modest  inhabitant  of  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  more  than 
three  thousand  miles  distant,  to  conceive,  and  execute, 
and  bring  to  them,  what  so  exactly  suited  them,  without 
their  having  been  able  previously  to  form  a distinct  con- 
ception either  of  its  nature  or  its  practicability.  What 
renders  this  the  more  extraordinary  (and  it  is  a circum- 
stance which  greatly  enhances  both  the  merit  and  the  glory 
of  the  American  invention)  is,  that  the  minds  of  the  most 
ingenious  mechanicians  in  Great  Britain  had  been  earnest- 
ly directed  to  the  same  object,  for  the  catalogue  of  the 
Exhibition  registers  no  less  than  eight  different  but  very 
imperfect  essays  toward  its  accomplishment.  My  own 
observation  least  year  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society  of  England,  convinced  me  that  a good 
reaping-machine  was  the  great  desideratum  in  British  ag- 
riculture. In  the  immense  and  almost  infinitely  diversi- 
fied collection  of  agricultural  implements  displayed  there, 
no  instrument  of  that  kind  was  seen  ; and  yet  it  was  evi- 
dent that,  in  a climate  so  humid  and  uncertain,  some  ac- 
celerated and  at  the  same  time  economical  process  of  get- 
ting in  their  harvest  was  a matter  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance. I immediately  wrote,  to  our  friend  C.  J.  Meriwether 
(as  he  will  doubtless  recollect),  that  if  the  Virginia  reaper 
were  sent  out  to  the  Great  Exhibition  of  the  next  year, 
for  which  the  arrangements  were  then  commencing,  it 
would  make  the  fortune  of  its  inventor.  It  has  not  only 
done  this,  but  it  has  reaped  a harvest  of  honor  and  renown 
for  himself,  his  native  state,  and  the  reputation  of  American 
genius  in  general,  which  is  a result  far  more  to  be  prized. 

44  With  this  encouraging  example  before  us,  are  we  not 
strongly  invited  to  some  change  in  the  direction  which 
has  been  heretofore  so  exclusively  given  to  the  youthful 
talent  of  our  state  1 As  soon  as  our  young  men  leave  col- 
lege, they  crowd  by  hundreds  into  what  are  called  the 
learned  professions,  which  are  already  filled  to  repletion  ; 
or  they  devote  themselves  to  a still  more  sterile  and  un- 
profitable employment  of  their  faculties,  for  both  them- 
selves and  the  country,  in  mere  party  politics.  If  the 
same  amount  of  mind  and  energy  were  applied  to  those 
useful  practical  pursuits  in  which  science  is  the  auxiliary 
of  art  in  indefinitely  multiplying  the  results  of  labor,  and 
unfolding  the  latent  capabilities  of  nature,  what  a magical 
change  would  soon  be  manifested  in  the  prosperity  and 
power  of  our  ancient  commonwealth — rich,  as  all  admit 
her  to  be,  in  every  element  of  moral,  intellectual,  and  ma- 
terial wealth  ! 

“In  reflecting  upon  this  subject,  as  I often  do  with  a 
solicitude  ever  alive  to  the  honor  and  destinies  of  my 
native  state,  I have  thought  that  some  modification  of 
the  systems  of  education  pursued  in  most  of  our  public 
schools  would  greatly  contx’ibute,  and  is  perhaps  indis- 
pensable, to  introduce  the  change  which  appears  so  desi- 
rable in  the  active  direction  of  our  mental  resources. 
Could  not  that  education  be  made  more  practical,  without 
abating  anything  from  the  high  standard  of  science  and 
learning  which  should  characterize  it,  simply  by  giving 
more  development  to  the  applications  of  science  to  the  va- 
rious branches  of  industry  and  art,  as  is  done  in  the  admi- 
rable institutions  of  this  country,  the  Ecole  Poly  technique, 
the  Ecole  des  Pouts  et  Chaussees,  the  Ecole  des  Mines,  and 
the  Ecole  Centrale  des  Arts  et  Manufactures,  from  which 
England,  with  her  usual  sagacity,  has  taken  a hint  in  the 
establishment  of  her  4 Government  School  of  Mines  and 
Science  applied  to  the  Arts,’  not  being  able  to  engraft 
these  new  studies  upon  the  ancient  and  chartered  systems 
of  her  universities.  Whether  the  object  is  to  be  accom- 
plished with  us  by  some  modification  in  existing  institu- 
tions, or  by  the  establishment  of  new  and  special  institu- 
tions, is  a question  on  which  I am  not  prepared  to  pro- 
nounce an  opinion.  Those  who  are  more  competent  than 
myself,  recognising  the  utility  of  the  end.  will,  I trust, 
devise  the  proper  means,  and  my  prayers  will  be  for  the 
success  of  whatever  they  shall  adopt,  as  they  ever  are  for 
the  happiness  and  prosperity,  in  all  things,  of  my  native 
land.  Most  truly  and  faithfully  yours, 

44  W.  C.  Rives.” 


- ■ — • , 

310  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 

The  wild  birds  which  frequent  the 
bosom  and  shores  of  the  Potomac,  are 
very  numerous.  Among  them  are  the 
swan,  the  wild  goose,  the  red-head  shov- 
eler,  the  black-head  shoveler,  the  duck 
and  mallard,  the  black  duck,  the  blue- 
winged teal,  the  green-winged  teal,  the 
widgeon,  and  the  far-celebrated  can- 
vass-back. This  duck,  which  we  believe 
is  unrivalled  in  the  world  for  richness  of 
flavor,  is  one  of  a class  called  drift-fowl, 
from  their  habit  of  floating  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  river  when  at  rest.  The  two 
species  of  shoveler  have  the  same  habit, 
and  are  scarcely  inferior  in  flavor.  The 
canvass-back,  it  is  supposed,  breeds  on 
the  borders  of  the  northern  lakes,  or  on 
the  shores  of  Hudson’s  bay  ; and  in  their 
migrations  confine  their  pasture  almost 
exclusively  to  the  Chesapeake  and  Po- 
! tomac.  It  is  well  ascertained  that  they 
feed  on  the  bulbous  root  of  a grass  which 
grows  on  the  flats  in  these  rivers,  and 
which  is  commonly  known  as  wild  cel- 
ery. It  is  said,  that  during  a hard 
winter,  some  forty  years  ago,  a strong 
wind  blew  so  much  of  the  water  off  the 
flats  of  James  river,  that  the  remainder 
froze  to  the  bottom,  enclosing  the  long 
tops  of  this  grass  so  closely  in  the  ice, 
that  when  it  broke  up,  and  was  floated 
off  in  the  spring,  it  tore  whole  fields  of 
it  up  by  the  roots,  and  destroyed  the 
pasture.  Since  that  time  the  canvass- 
back  has  never  been  seen  on  the  river. 

The  bald  duck  feeds  very  frequently 
among  these  water-fowl;  and  not  hav- 
ing the  power  to  dive  entirely  under 
water  in  search  of  food,  he  watches  for 
the  rising  of  the  canvass-back,  and,  by 
his  superior  quickness  on  the  wing, 
seizes  on  the  celery  the  moment  it  ap- 
pears, above  the  surface,  and  escapes 
with  it  to  the  shore. 

The  canvass-back  is  often  shot  from 
behind  blinds  of  brush,  which  conceal 
the  sportman,  in  the  midst  of  the  feed- 
ing ground.  There  is  a practice,  how- 
ever, of  “ tolling  them  in,”  as  it  is  called, 
by  shaking  a colored  handkerchief  tied 
i t-o  the  branch  of  a decayed  tree.  On 
what  propensity  of  the  bird  the  success 
of  this  manoeuvre  is  founded,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say.  There  is  no  doubt 
of  the  fact,  however,  that  they  are  thus 

decoyed  within  gun-shot ; and  it  is  re- 
lated of  an  old  sportsman  on  the  Poto- 
mac, that  a long  queue  of  red  hair, 
which  he  wore  in  a brush,  and  shook 
over  his  shoulder,  served  the  purpose 
admirably  well.  Perhaps  we  have  yet 
to  discover  that  birds  have  curiosity. 

Among  the  many  varieties  of  wild  fowl 
found  on  the  Potomac,  below  Harper’s 
Ferry,  is  the  wild  swan.  The  young 
bird  is  considered  a great  delicacy; 
while  the  old  one  is  hard  and  without 
flavor.  In  a book  on  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia, by  Mr.  Elliott,  there  are  some 
curious  particulars  respecting  their  hab- 
its, and  the  manner  of  taking  them. 

“ This  noble  bird,”  says  the  author, 

“ is  seen  floating  nearthe  shores,  in  flocks 
of  some  two  or  three  hundred,  white  as 
the  driven  snow,  and  from  time  to  time 
emitting  fine,  sonorous,  and  occasionally 
melodious  songs — so  loud,  that  they 
might  be  heard,  on  a still  evening,  two 
or  three  miles.  There  are  two  kinds, 
so  called  from  their  respective  notes — 
the  one  the  trumpeter,  and  the  other 
the  hooper  ; the  trumpeter  is  the  largest, 
and,  when  at  full  size,  will  measure  from 
five  to  six  feet  from  the  bill  to  the  point 
of  the  toe,  and  from  seven  to  eight  feet 
from  the  tip  of  one  wing  to  the  tip  of 
the  other,  when  stretched  and  expanded. 
They  are  sagacious  and  wary,  and  de- 
pend more  on  the  sight  than  on  the 
sense  of  smell.  On  a neck  nearly  three 
feet  in  length,  they  are  enabled  to  ele- 
vate their  heads  so  as  to  see  and  dis- 
tinguish, with  a quick  and  penetrating 
eye,  objects  at  a great  distance ; and  by 
means  of  this  same  length  of  neck,  they 
feed  in  slack  tides,  by  immersing,  as  is 
their  habit,  nearly  all  of  the  body,  and 
throwing  only  their  feet  and  tails  out  in 
three  or  four  feet  water,  and  on  the  flatty 
| shores  they  frequent,  generally  beyond 
gunshot;  the  sportsman  availing  him- 
self, however,  of  a peculiar  propensity 
(of  which  we  shall  presently  speak  more 
particularly)  prevailing  with  them,  and 
some  of  the  other  water-fowl,  often  toll 
them  within  reach  of  their  fire.  The 
swans  remain  here  the  whole  winter, 
only  shifting  their  ground,  in  .severe 
weather,  from  the  frozen  to  the  open 
part  of  the  river,  and  dropping  down 

( 


•DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  311 


into  the  salts,  where  it  is  rarely  frozen. 
They  get  into  good  condition  soon  after 
their  arrival  in  autumn,  and  remain  fat 
until  toward  spring,  when,  a few  weeks 
before  their  departure  (about  the  first 
of  March),  they  gradually  become  thin- 
ner in  flesh  ; and  in  the  latter  part  of 
their  sojourn  here,  are  found  so  poor 
and  light,  that,  when  shot,  the  gunner 
gets  nothing  fit  for  use  but  the  feathers. 
Whether  this  circumstance  be  owing  to 
their  having  exhausted  the  means  of 
subsistence  at  their  feeding-places,  or 
that  they  are  taught  by  Him  who  rules 
the  universe,  in  small  as  well  as  great 
things,  thus  by  abstaining,  to  prepare 
themselves  for  the  long  aerial  voyages 
which  they  are  about  to  undertake, 
we  pretend  not  to  determine  with  cer- 
tainty; there  is  nothing  more  wonderful 
in  this  than  in  the  fact,  which  is  noto- 
rious, that  they,  by  exercise,  regularly 
and  assiduously  fit  themselves  for  this 
continuous  effort,  to  bear  themselves 
through  the  air  to  the  distance  of  per- 
haps a thousand  miles  or  leagues.  Large 
flocks  are  seen  every  day  rising  from  the 
river,  and  taking  a higb  position,  flying 
out  of  sight,  and  apparently  moving  in  a 
circuit  to  a considerable  distance,  again 
returning  to  or  near  the  same  place,  du- 
ring: the  last  two  or  three  weeks  of  their 
stay. 

“ The  swan  is  * tolled’  by  a dog  that 
is  taught  to  play  about  within  easy  call 
of  his  master,  at  the  edge  of  the  water  ; 
the  hunter  contrives  to  place  himself 
behind  a log,  or  some  other  cover  well 
concealed,  before  he  begins  his  opera- 
tions, taking  care  to  observe  that  the 
direction  of  the  wind  is  not  unfavorable 
to  him,  and  that  the  flock  he  means  to 
toll  is  near  enough  to  distinguish  such  ob- 
jects on  the  shore,  and  under  no  alarm  at 
the  time.  By  what  motive  these  fowls 
are  influenced,  we  have  not  heard  satis- 
factorily explained ; but  certain  it  is, 
they  are  very  commonly  brought  in  from 
some  hundreds  of  yards’  distance,  in  this 
way,  to  within  point-blank  shot.  It  is 
said,  and  perhaps  truly,  in  the  case  of 
the  dog,  that  they  fancy  themselves  in 
pursuit  of  some  animal,  as  the  fag  or 
mink,  by  which  their  young  are  annoyed 
at  their  breeding-places. 


“ The  wild  goose  is  yet  more  wary  and 
vigilant  to  keep  out  of  harm’s  way  than 
the  swan.  He  too  is  sharp-sighted, 
but  depends  much  on  his  sense  of  smell 
for  protection  : this  is  so  well  known  to 
the  huntsman,  that  he  never  attempts, 
however  he  may  be  concealed  from  this 
bird,  to  approach  it  from  the  direction 
of  the  wind ; since  he  would  assuredly 
be  scented  before  he  could  get  within 
gun-shot,  and  left  to  lament  his  error,  by 
the  sudden  flight  of  the  whole  flock. 
These  geese,  toward  spring,  often  alight 
on  the  land,  and  feed  on  the  herbage  in 
fields ; and  sometimes  in  such  numbers 
as  to  do  great  injury  to  the  wheat-fields 
on  the  borders  of  the  river.” 

Geological  Facts. — Some  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  plain 
around  Richmond,  occurs  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  deposites  in  this  or  any  coun- 
try. The  place  in  which  it  has  been 
found  most  fully  developed,  is  where  the 
small  brook  at  the  east  end  and  on  the 
north  side  of  Clay  street  empties  into 
Shockoe  creek.  On  the  bank  of  that 
brook  will  be  seen  a stratum  from  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  thick,  which  most  per- 
sons would  call  white  clay;  but  Pro- 
fessor W.  B.  Rogers  (the  state  geologist) 
of  the  university,  has  ascertained  that 
it  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  animal- 
cules or  infusoria — that  is,  microscopic 
animals.  These  skeletons,  consisting  of 
silex,  are  incredibly  small,  so  that  each 
cubic  inch  of  this  infusorial  earth  con- 
tains many  thousand  millions  of  them. 
How  inconceivably  numerous,  therefore, 
must  they  be,  to  form  a deposite  at  least 
ten  feet  thick,  and  extending  many  miles 
over  the  adjoining  country  ! It  has  ex- 
cited great  interest  among  the  learned 
naturalists  of  Europe  as  well  as  of  our 
own  country,  and  henceforth  none  of 
them  will  visit  Richmond  without  at 
once  searching  for  this  deposite.  Pro- 
fessor Ehrenberg,  of  Prussia,  the  most 
eminent  of  living  microscopists,  has  ex- 
amined specimens  from  this  place,  and 
discovered  in  them  at  least  one  hundred 
and  thirty  species  of  these  minutest  of 
animals.  To  discover  them  jn  this  al- 
most impalpable  dust,  requires  a power- 
ful microscope;  and  dqubtless,  therefore, 
many  who  look  at  specimens  with  the 


312  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


naked  eye,  will  be  very  incredulous  as 
to  these  statements.  But  they  are  con- 
sidered as  established  facts  by  the  sci- 
entific world. 

The  substance  may  be  distinguished 
from  clay  by  being  much  lighter  when 
dry.  It  is  not,  indeed,  much  heavier 
than  magnesia,  when  pure.  In  other 
parts  of  the  world  it  is  sometimes  used 
for  polishing-powder.  From  a slight 
trial,  it  is  believed  that  the  Richmond  de- 
posite  would  answer  the  same  purpose. 

Beneath  the  infusorial  deposite  is  a 
greenish  or  bluish  clay,  containing  nu- 
merous seashells,  or  rather  casts  and 
moulds  of  them,  with  sharks’  teeth,  &c. ; 
but  these,  although  of  deep  interest  to 
geologists,  will  not  excite  much  atten- 
tion from  others. 

It  can  hardly  be  doubted,  that  when 
this  region  was  covered  by  the  ocean, 
the  waters  swarmed  with  microscopic 
animalculce,  whose  skeletons,  as  the  ani- 
mals died,  dropped  to  the  bottom,  and 
in  the  course  of  ages  accumulated  pro- 
digiously. But  when  we  recollect  how 
astonishingly  fast  they  multiply,  we  need 
not  suppose  many  centuries  necessary  to 
produce  even  this  extraordinary  thick-  j 
ness. 

Scenery  and  Climate. — So  beauti- 
ful is  that  portion  of  the  state  which  is 
encircled  by  the  lofty  summits  of  the  ! 
Allegany,  that  scarcely  can  its  inhabit- 
ants be  charged  with  blinding  prejudice  j 
in  believing  and  styling  it  the  “ garden  j 
of  the  state,”  or  even  the  “ Eden  of  the  ; 
world.”  The  climate  presents  a pleas-  j 
ant  medium  between  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  occasioning  particular 
prevalence  to  neither  the  fevers  incident 
to  the  one,  nor  the  pulmonary  complaints 
belonging  to  the  other.  The  moun- 
tains— still  the  haunt  of  game,  and  oft- 
entimes re-echoing  the  sound  of  the 
hunter’s  gun,  the  baying  of  his  hounds,  or 
perchance  the  mirthful  laugh  of  young 
equestrians,  who  seek  amusement  on 
their  sides  and  summits,  by  the  exhil- 
arating exercise  to  which  they  invite — 
give  healthful  relief  from  the  ennui  of 
southern  life ; and  at  the  same  time, 
crowned  with  foliage,  or  capped  with 
fire,  reflecting  and  dispersing  the  rays 
of  the  rising  or  setting  sun,  they  impart  I 


variety  to  the  scenery,  and  render  it 
grand  beyond  the  power  of  description. 

Reposing  in  their  midst,  are  those 
medicinal  waters,  which  give  health  to 
the  pilgrim  and  pleasure  to  its  devotee 
from  the  most  distant  borders  of  our 
land.  The  soil,  in  parts  at  least,  of 
high  fertility,  adds  beauty  to  the  land- 
scape, by  the  luxuriant  covering  which 
it  spreads  over  the  face  of  nature. 

In  the  months  of  spring,  the  eye  is 
everywhere  met  by  wide  fields  of  clo- 
ver, colored  by  its  blossoms,  and  load- 
ing the  air  with  fragrance.  Later  in 
the  year,  scattered  here  and  there,  are 
seen  plantations  of  tobacco,  fields  of 
corn  of  gigantic  growth,  and  of  hemp — 
the  dark,  rich  foliage  of  the  latter  rising 
far  above  the  barriers  that  would  hem 
it  in.  Nor  does  the  hoar  frost  of  winter 
entirely  despoil  the  landscape  of  its  love- 
liness. Even  then,  lay  revelling  in  the 
warm  sunlight  of  each  genial  day,  fields 
of  grain,  that,  anticipating  the  early 
spring,  have  already  put  on  their  dress 
of  green,  in  which  to  wait  its  coming. 

But  let  us  turn  from  this  to  another 
portion  of  Virginia — a portion  far  less 
favored  in  respect  to  soil  and  climate, 
still  viewed,- perhaps,  with  scarcely  less 
partial  satisfaction  by  those  who  have 
had  long  familiarity  with  its  droughts 
and  heats — have  inhaled  from  infancy 
its  pestilential  breath,  and  with  every 
autumn,  greeting  as  old  acquaintances, 
have  lustily  and,  forsooth,  involuntarily 
shaken  hands  with  its  chills  and  fevers. 
Scarcely  does  the  traveller  leave,  with 
the  setting  sun,  the  blue  lofty  summits 
of  the  Allegany,  as  he  is  informed  by 
the  increasing  uniformity  of  scenery, 
multitudinous  marshes,  forests  of  ever- 
green, and  wide-spread  plains  of  sand, 
that  he  is  in  verity  entering  upon  the 
pine  barrens  of  the  South  Atlantic  coast. 
On  every  side  he  observes  tracts  of  land 
lying  waste,  half  overgrown  with  briers 
and  thistles,  or  low  underwood,  which, 
he  is  told,  is  left  to  regain  its  strength, 
by  the  rest  of  several  seasons,  or  per- 
haps has  been  “turned  out” — that  is, 
given  over  to  a second  growth  of  forest. 
Much  of  the  wooded  land  around  him, 
densely  covered  with  full-grown  pines, 
he  will  find  to  be  of  this  last  description. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  313 

Meager  herds  of  cattle  wander  through 
the  tall  coarse  grass,  or  feed  on  the  ref- 
use of  cdrnfields.  Tracts  of  corn  and 
cotton  are,  at  least  to  the  planter’s  eye, 
relieving  features  of  the  landscape. 

But  aside  from  the  peculiarities  of 
natural  scenery,  there  are  others  which 
can  not  fail  to  fix  the  eye  of  the  stran- 
ger, in  traversing  this  portion  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  will  observe  the  singular 
appearance  given  to  country  houses,  by 
the  common  custom  of  placing  the  chim- 
neys exterior  to  the  main  building.  He 
will  also  notice  a scarcity  of  barns  ; and 
if,  perchance,  on  the  borders  of  some 
pleasant  grove,  or  in  the  outskirts  of  a 
forest,  he  spies  a rude  shelter  which  he 
would  mistake  for  a barn,  he  is  at  once 
informed  that  he  sees  before  him  a coun- 
try church,  where  a periodical  discourse 
calls  together  a multitude  of  wealthy 
planters  from  ten,  fifteen,  or  even  twenty 
miles  around.  But  though  in  this  warm 
climate,  cattle  require  no  lodging-places, 
still  a destitution  of  out-houses  will  in 
no  wise  be  observed  to  be  a characteris- 
tic of  a southern  residence.  Conspicu- 
ous enough  will  be  seen  a meat-house, 
and  from  this,  as  a centre,  radiate  many 
humble  dwellings,  constituting  almost  a 
village  of  themselves.  Fine  flourishing 
orchards,  filling  up  the  rear-ground  of 
the  picture,  will  for  the  most  part  be 
looked  for  in  vain.  Even  figs,  peaches, 
apricots,  and  grapes — which,  in  this  fa- 
voring temperature,  might  be  expected 
to  multiply  in  profusion — are  generally 
far  from  abundant. 

To  the  prevalence  of  fevers  we  have 
already  alluded.  Regular  as  the  pes- 
tiferous dews  and  decay  of  foliage  in 
August  and  September,  so  regular  are 
their  ravages  on  human  prey.  Friend  ! 
then  anxiously  watches  the  countenance 
of  friend,  in  dread  expectancy  of  tracing  j 
there  the  saffron  mark  of  the  king  of 
terrors.  Still,  long  familiarity  with  dis- 
ease, and  practical  skill  acquired  for  its 
control,  have,  to  a considerable  degree, 
given  to  the  inhabitants  a sort  of  reck- 
lessness and  seeming  insensibility  to  the 
extent  to  which  it  prevails  ; and  question 
one  of  them  if  his  locality  be  healthful, 
and  you  will  probably  be  assured  that, 
though  pestilence  strolls  through  sur- 

rounding  districts,  his  own  is  the  favor- 
ite abode  of  Esculapius.  And  you  will 
not  discover  that  it  is  otherwise,  till,  as 
the  sickly  season  approaches,  you  see 
on  every  hand  increasing  symptoms  of 
disease;  one  after  another,  in  alarming- 
ly rapid  succession,  sinking  beneath  its 
influence ; and  it  sometimes  happens, 
that  in  a neighborhood  thus  afflicted, 
there  are  scarcely  a sufficient  number  of 
well  persons  to  take  care  of  the  sick. 

Turning  northward  from  Virginia — 
not  in  spring,  but  in  the  last  months  of 
summer — a pleasing  change  of  scenery 
is  soon  apparent  to  the  observer.  The 
fields  contract  in  their  dimensions,  yet 
present  to  the  eye  *a  greater  variety,  and 
everywhere  assume  a more  fresh  and 
healthful  aspect.  The  tall  brown  grass 
gives  place  to  verdant  meadows.  Herb- 
age becomes  of  a deeper  green,  and 
dense  fields  of  corn  and  broomcorn  wave 
gently  to  the  breeze.  Fruit-yards  and 
orchards  multiply  in  all  directions,  en- 
circling every  little  country  cottage,  and 
weighed  down  with  their  luxuriant  bur- 
dens, imparting  to  the  landscape  an  air 
of  peace  and  plenty.  Towns  and  vil- 
lages are  of  greater  frequency.  And  in 
short,  as  you  approach  the  great  north- 
ern metropolis  of  trade,  the  whole  ap- 
pearance of  things  is  changed  ; you  are 
greeted  in  a different  dialect ; different 
habits  and  manners  attract  attention ; 
and  a certain  something  in  the  general 
air  of  all  around,  tells  you  that  the  hot 
haste  of  steam  has  in  two  short  days 
conveyed  you  to  another  soil,  beneath 
another  sky,  and  among  another  people. 
Still  you  are  yet,  as  it  were,  only  in  the 
great  congress-place  of  states.  Here 
citizens  from  both  sides  of  Dixon’s  line 
meet,  some  on  business,  others  in  friend- 
ship. Peculiarities  of  diverse  sections 
of  our  Union  conflict  with  and  modify 
each  other  ; and  altogether  there  is  pre- 
sented a sort  of  amalgamated  medium  , 
or  medley  mass,  retaining  indeed  much 
that  is  sectional,  but  intermingled  with 
almost  every  variety  of  habits,  appear- 
ance, and  customs. 

History. — Some  writers  are  of  the 
opinion  that  Sebastian  Cabot  discovered 
the  coast  of  Virginia,  in  his  voyage  of 
1498 ; but  circumstances  delayed  the 

314  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


settlement,  and  even  all  particular  ac- 
! quaintance,  with  this  part  of  the  country 
until  a much  later  period.  In  conse- 
quence of  Martin  Frobisher  having  taken 
back  to  England  from  Hudson  river,  as 
was  pretended,  a small  piece  of  gold, 
the  merchants  of  London,  incited  by 
the  hope  of  enriching  themselves  as  the 
Spaniards  had  done  in  South  America, 
engaged  in  voyages  of  discovery  with 
great  zeal  in  1578.  But  this  spirit  was 
short-lived,  their  enterprises  being  alto- 
gether unfortunate.  The  expedition  of 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  in  157S,  and  that 
in  1583,  had  no  better  success,  one  of 
the  vessels,  with  the  leader  of  the  expe- 
dition, being  lost  on  the  way  home. 

The  next  year,  however,  his  step- 
brother, Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  had  better 
success,  in  a voyage  he  made  to  America, 
under  one  of  the  very  liberal  royal  pat- 
ents so  easily  obtained  at  that  period. 
On  the  13th  of  July  the  vessels  entered 
Ocracoke  inlet  (now  in  North  Carolina) ; 
and  a landing  was  made  at  Wocoken 
island,  where  an  amicable  intercourse 
was  opened  with  the  natives.  A colony 
was  formed  under  Governor  Lane;  but 
as  no  gold  was  found,  and  prospects  be- 
came discouraging,  it  was  soon  aban- 
doned, but  not  until  the  important  dis- 
covery had  been  made  of  Chesapeake 
bay.  Passing  by  one  or  two  other  un- 
successful attempts  of  the  same  kind, 
we  come  to  the  year  1606,  when  James- 
town was  occupied  by  the  celebrated 
Captain  John  Smith. 

Under  the  command  of  Captain  New- 
port, on  the  19th  of  December,  three 
small  vessels  sailed  for  Virginra  with 
one  hundred  and  five  colonists.  The 
aggregate  numbers  of  tons  of  all  these 
vessels  was  one  hundred  and  sixty  ; and 
they  were  detained  on  the  English  coast 
six  weeks  by  the  weather. 

Taking  the  usual  course  of  a southern 
passage  at  that  day,  they  steered  first  for 
the  Canary  islands,  and  then  stopped  at 
the  West  Indies  ; and  the  consequence 
was,  that  the  expedition  did  not  arrive 
' at  the  Delaware  until  April  26th  of  the 
following  year.  Dissensions  had  arisen 
during  the  voyage,  which  could  not  be 
pacified  before  making  the  land,  because 
the  instructions  delivered  them  by  royal 


authority  were  sealed,  and  not  to  be 
opened  until  after  the  landing.  • 

The  capes  of  the  Chesapeake  then 
received  the  names  which  they  still  bear, 
after  the  two  sons  of  King  James — 
Charles  and  Henry.  The  first  landing 
was  effected  on  Cape  Henry,  and  there 
the  instructions  were  read,  which  ap- 
pointed a council  for  the  government  of 
the  country,  among  which  was  Smith. 
•Such,  however,  was  the  opposition  made 
to  him,  that  he  was  excluded  by  a vote, 
and  Wingfield  was  elected  president. 
The  colonists  soon  re-embarked,  sailed 
into  the  bay,  and  entered  a fine  river, 
which  they  named  James,  in  honor  of 
the  king,  though  the  natives  called  it 
Powhatan.  Proceeding  up  the  stream 
about  fifty  miles,  they  chose  a spot  for 
a town.  The  president,  through  some  j 
foolish  jealousy  of  his  people,  refused 
permission  to  erect  a fort  or  to  allow 
military  exercises,  but  sent  Smith  and  a 
few  other  men  to  make  discoveries ; 
while,  by  the  exertions  of  Kendall,  a 
half-moon  was  constructed  of  the  boughs 
of  trees,  as  a feeble  breastwork. 

Jamestown,  seven  miles  from  Wil- 
liamsburg, is  now  a deserted  spot,  con- 
taining only  a few  remains  of  its  ancient 
importance.  It  is  truly  an  interesting 
place,  as  the  first  ground  occupied  by  a ; 
permanent  colony  within  the  boundaries  j 
of  the  country,  and  the  scene  of  the 
principal  events,  before  mentioned,  con- 
nected with  the  early  settlement. 

James  city  was  one  of  the  eight  origi- 
nal shires  into  which  Virginia  was  di- 
vided in  1634,  and  is  twenty-three  miles 
long  by  about  eight  miles  wide,  being  . 
bounded  on  the  north  and  south  by  York 
and  James  rivers.  The  population  at 
the  last  census  was  1,325  whites,  1,94 7 
slaves,  507  free  colored  persons — in  all, 
3,779. 

Jamestown  is  the  spot  which  was  oc- 
cupied by  Captain  John  Smith  and  his 
companions,  and. is  a point  of  land  be- 
longing to  the  tract  that  extends  into 
James  river.  The  current  is  gradually 
wearing  away  the  land.  The  only  re- 
mains are  the  stone  tower  of  an  old, 
ruinous  church,  of  unknown  date,  and 
the  churchyard.  The  Westover  manu- 
script says  a church  was  erected  here 





Rains  of  Jamestown 


316  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


very  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  set- 
tlement, but  it  cost  only  fifty  pounds,  and 
therefore  must  have  been  but  a small 
and  perishable  building.  The  edifice 
of  which  the  remains  are  now  to  be 
seen,  must  have  been  of  a later  date,  and 
may  have  been  the  second  which,  as  we 
learn  from  Smith’s  journal,  was  in  ruins 
in  1617.  If  so,  the  venerable  remains 
represented  in  the  cut  must  be  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years  old. 

This  vicinity  is  also  remarkable  for 
the  invasion  of  Arnold,  January  3,  1781, 
and  for  two  actions  fought  here  between 
General  La  Fayette  and  the  troops  of  | 
Cornwallis,  June  25  and  July  8, 1781. 

But  to  return  to  the  narrative  of  early 
events.  While  on  his  journey  of  dis- 
covery, Smith  penetrated  to  the  falls  of 
the  river,  and  found  a native  tribe  seated 
near  the  present  site  of  Richmond,  un- 
der the  command  of  the  chief  Powhatan, 
by  whom  he  was  kindly  received.  But 
during  his  absence,  the  colonists,  while 
at  work,  had  been  assailed  by  the  neigh- 
boring savages,  who  wounded  seventeen 
men  and  killed  a boy.  The  interference 
of  the  crews  of  the  vessels  alone  saved 
them  all  from  destruction.  From  that 
time  watch  was  kept  by  day  and  night, 
and  preparation  made  for  defence  by 
erecting  a fort  and  otherwise. 

Newport  prepared  to  depart  at  thej 
end  of  six  weeks  ; but  before  he  left  the 
colony,  Smith  was  tried  by  the  council 
at  his  own  request ; and  although  great 
exertions  were  made  to  procure  his 
condemnation,  he  received  an  award  ol 
two  hundred  pounds  as  damages  for  in- 
jurious treatment;  but  this  he  threw 
into  the  common  stock.  The  vessels 
now  sailed,  leaving  a feeble  colony  of 
about  one  hundred  men,  about  one  half 
of  whom  were  “gentlemen,”  unaccus- 
tomed to  labor,  and  ill  qualified  to  en- 
dure privations  and  hardships  ; and  so  : 
powerful  were  the  effect  of  the  climate 
and  the  circumstances  around  them,  that 
at  the  end  of  a week  hardly  ten  of  the 
company  were  able  to  stand  upon  their 
feet.  Fifty  died  between  the  months 
of  May  and  September;  yet  the  presi- 
dent felt  so  little  sympathy  with  lfis  com- 
panions, that  he  enjoyed  every  luxury 
within  his  reach,  while  they  were  living 


miserably  on  such  food  as  they  were 
able  to  procure,  chiefly  sturgeon  and 
crabs  taken  from  the  water.  Newport, 
however,  being  at  length  arrested,  in  an 
attempt  to  abandon  the  sufferers  by  sail- 
ing away  in  the  pinnace,  was  deposed, 
and  Ratcliffe  was  appointed  president 
in  his  place. 

He,  however,  proved  so  unpopular 
and  so  incompetent,  that  he  was  glad  to 
place  Smith  in  fact  at  the  head  of  affairs; 
and  by  the  energy  of  the  latter,  the  col- 
ony was  saved  from  starvation.  Find- 
ing all  other  means  to  obtain  provisions 
unsuccessful,  he  managed  to  terrify  the 
Indian  tribe  dwelling  at  Hampton  (then 
called  Keochtan),  so  much  that  they  fur- 
nished them  with  food.  Soon  after  this, 
Smith  was  made  prisoner  by  the  sav- 
ages, and  after  being  sentenced  to  die, 
and  led  out  for  execution,  was  rescued 
by  the  celebrated  princess  Pocahontas  ; 
with  the  history  of  whom,  and  this  sin- 
gular act  of  humanity  performed  by  her, 
we  presume  our  readers  are  familiar. 

In  1609,  a new  charter  was  granted 
by  the-  king  to  the  company,  entitled 
“ The  Treasurer  and  Company  of  Ad- 
venturers of  the  City  of  London,  for 
the  First  Colony  in  Virginia  ;”  the  pow- 
ers and  territory  being  enlarged,  and  a 
new  council  being  formed  in  England, 
while  the  old  president  and  council  were 
abolished.  Lord  Delaware,  or  De  la 
War,  was  appoiyted  governor,  and  five 
hundred  emigrants  were  collected, # who 
embarked  in  nine  ships,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Newport,  who,  with 
Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir  George  Som- 
ers, was  to  exercise  the  government 
until  the  arrival  of  the  governor.  The 
vessel  in  which  the  three  governors  sailed 
was  separated  from  the  rest  by  a storm, 
and  driven  to  Bermuda ; and,  when  the 
others  arrived  at  Jamestown,  the  emi- 
grants proved  so  wild  and  insubordinate, 
and  so  unsuccessful  in  their  attempts  to 
form  a government,  that  Smith,  finding 
the  colony  exposed  to  an  attack  from 
the  Indians,  resumed  his  authority,  im- 
prisoned the  most  turbulent,  and  soon 
reduced  things  to  a state  of  order.  He 
then  sent  a band  of  settlers  into  the 
country,  who  began  a new  town  ; but, 
being  alarmed  at  the  hostile  aspect  of 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


317 


• the  natives,  they  soon  sent  to  him  for 
protection. 

Smith,  a short  time  after  this,  was 
shockingly  mangled  by  the  explosion  of 
some  gunpowder,  and  was  compelled  to 
go  to  England  for  surgical  aid,  whence 
he  never  returned.  The  colony  suffered 
severely  from  his  loss.  Being  left  un- 
der the  government  of  Mr.  Percy,  a 
man  of  less  energy  than  goodness  of 
heart,  the  motley  band  of  colonists,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  broken-down  trades- 
men and  profligate  young  men,  soon  fell 
into  confusion  and  anarchy  ; and  the  In- 
dians, emboldened  by  their  weakness, 
threatened  them  so  much  that  the  settle- 
ment was  abandoned,  and  the  people 
were  proceeding  to  sea,  when,  at  the 
mouth  of  James  river,  they  met  Lord 
Delaware,  and  were  encouraged  to  re- 
turn. By  remonstrances,  threats,  and 
promises,  he  reduced  them  to  a state  of 
order,  and  formed  a council,  consisting 
of  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  his  lieutenant- 
general  ; Sir  George  Somers,  his  admi- 
ral; the  honorable  George  Percy,  one 
of  his  captains ; Sir  F ernando  Weinman, 
his  master  of  ordnance  ; and  Christopher 
Newport,  his  vice-admiral. 

But  the  state  of  things  was  very  alarm- 
ing ; though  the  ships  had  brought  out 
clothing  and  biscuit,  they  had  not  sup- 
plies of  meat;  the  five  hundred  hogs 
left  by  Smith  were  all  gone,  and  the  In- 
dians had  driven  away  the  deer  from 
the  forest  on  purpose  to  distress  the  for- 
eigners ; while  the  fish,  though  abun-, 
dant,  could  not  be  taken  for  the  want 
of  good  nets.  The  governor  had  found 
plenty  of  hogs  at  Bermuda,  though  there 
were  no  inhabitants,  and  sent  there  for 
a supply  ; while  he  took  other  means  to 
procure  provisions,  though  with  little 
success,  as  most  of  the  Indians  refused 
all  assistance,  and  Powhatan  was  openly 
hostile. 

To  terrify  this  chief,  Delaware  cut 
off  the  hand  of  one  of  his  Indians,  and 
sent  him  to  threaten^similar  treatment 
to  all  who  should  attempt  to  injure  the 
colonists  ; and  this  awed  the  savages  in- 
to peace.  The  first  exports  were  soon 
after  made  from  the  colony  to  England; 
and  being  only  cedar  and  black-walnut 
wood  and  iron,  instead  of  gold,  the  com- 


pany were  hardly  persuaded,  by  Dela- 
ware’s representations  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  and  the  prospect  of  success 
in  agriculture,  to  sustain  the  settlement 
they  had  begun.  Successive  fluctuations  I 
in  the  political  condition  of  the  colony 
continued  to  retard  its  improvement  for 
several  years. 

In  1613  the  land  was  divided  among 
the  people,  having  before  that  been  held 
in  common,  by  which  practice  general 
idleness  had  been  fostered.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  Argal  was  sent  against  the 
French  colony  of  L’Acadie,  and  he  took 
Port  Royal,  and  also  seized  New  York, 
on  his  way  home,  in  the  name  of  Eng- 
land. Tobacco  began  to  be  extensively 
cultivated  in  1615. 

Captain  Argal  was  appointed  gover- 
nor in  1616,  after  the  return  of  Gover- 
nor Yeardly  to  England  ; but,  in  conse- 
quence of  tyrannical  conduct,  he  was 
superseded  by  Yeardly  in  1619.  In 
that  year  the  first  colonial  assembly  in 
America  was  convoked,  and  consisted 
of  the  governor,  the  council,  and  two 
burgesses,  elected  by  each  of  the  bor- 
oughs, which  then  numbered  eleven. 
They  assembled  in  one  room  at  James- 
town, and  the  laws  they  adopted  were 
sent  to  England  for  the  approbation  of 
the  company,  who  soon  after  sanctioned 
the  acts  of  the  Virginia  legislature,  but 
reserved  the  power  of  appointing  a coun- 
cil of  state.  The  laws  passed  by  the 
legislature  were  to  be  ratified  by  the 
court  of  proprietors,  and  the  orders  of 
that  court  were  to  be  approved  by  the 
assembly,  before  they  could  be  carried 
into  effect. 

The  first  slaves  were  brought  into  the 
colony  in  1620,  by  a Dutch  trading-ves- 
sel from  Africa,  which  sailed  up  James 
river,  and  sold  part  of  her  cargo  to  the 
planters.  Finding  the  climate  more  fa- 
vorable to  blacks,  importations  increased, 
and  the  traffic  soon  became  extensive. 

During  the  civil  wars  in  England  un- 
der the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  many  of  his 
opposers,  after  falling  into  his  hands  as 
prisoners,  were  transported  to  Virginia 
and  sold  as  slaves.  This  was  the  fact 
with  many  of  the  captives  taken  in  the 
battles  of  Dunbar  and  Worcester,  and 
the  leaders  of  the  insurrection  of  Pen- 


.318  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 

ruddoc.  Besides,  many  poor  persons 
were  induced  to  emigrate  from  England, 
under  promises  to  pay  their  passage  by 
subsequent  labor ; and  these  were  sold 
to  the  highest  bidders  after  their  arrival, 
and  set  to  work  for  the  benefit  of  their 
purchasers. 

In  1620,  ninety  young  women  were 
sent  from  England  to  be  sold  for  wives  ; 
and  in  the  following  year  sixty  more. 
The  first  sales  were  made  for  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco,  and 
the  last  for  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

Measures  were  soon  after  taken  for 
the  establishment  of  an  institution  for 
education,  which  at  length  resulted  in 
the  foundation  of  William  and  Mary  col- 
lege. A dispute  arose,  under  Sir  Geo. 
Yeardley’s  government,  with  the  king 
about  the  exportation  of  tobacco ; and 
great  and  imminent  dangers  were  threat- 
ened by  an  Indian  plot  to  extirpate  the 
colonists,  which  was  so  far  successful 
that  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  per- 
sons’ lives  were  sacrificed,  and  the  num- 
ber of  settlements  reduced  from  eighty 
to  six.  A war  ensued,  in  which  the 
savages  suffered  severely. 

After  a prolonged  contest  between 
King  James  and  the  colony,  a new  char- 
ter was  exchanged  for  the  old,,  while  he 
prohibited  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  in 
England,  and  gave  the  exclusive  trade 
in  it  to  Virginia  and  the  Somers  islands. 
Charles  I.,  on  the  other  hand,  claimed 
the  government  to  himself,  and  forbade 
the  vending  of  tobacco  to  any  but  his 
own  agents,  appointing  Yeardley  gov- 
ernor, and  twelve  councillors  to  make 
laws  and  exercise  other  high  powers, 
which  led  to  new  difficulties.  The  au- 
thority of  Cromwell  was  disputed  as 
long  as  possible,  and  the  majority  of 
. the  people,  being  episcopalians  and  loy- 
alists, ever  remained  attached  to  the 
royal  party,  and  received  from  Charles 
II.,  while  in  exile,  Sir  William  Berkeley 
as  their  governor.  After  the  restoration, 
Berkeley  introduced  several  aristocratic 
features  into  the  government,  establish- 
ing the  church  of  England  by  law,  pro- 
hibiting the  preaching  of  dissenters,  de- 
priving the  poorer  people  of  the  right  of 
suffrage,  raising  the  salaries  of  officers, 
&c.  The  navigation-act  was  passed  by 

parliament,  by  which  new  restrictions 
were  laid  on  commerce ; and  Bacon’s 
rebellion  soon  after  broke  out,  which 
•continued  seven  months,  until  the  death 
of  its  ringleader,  who  had  already  suc- 
ceeded in  reducing  Jamestown  to  ashes, 
and  sustaining  a rebellious  government. 
Berkeley,  with  great  humanity,  soon  re- 
duced the  colony  again  to  quiet ; but  a 
variety  of  changes  afterward  followed, 
which  may  be  passed  by  in  a brief  sketch 
of  the  history  of  this  colony. 

Virginia  continued  attached  to  the  roy- 
al party  in  England  through  the  strug- 
gles of  the  following  generations.  The 
French  war,  in  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  had  disastrous  effects  on  the 
new  western  settlements,  which  were 
the  scenes  of  massacres  and  of  several 
military  expeditions,  especially  the  ill- 
fated  one  under  General  Braddock. 

In  that  war,  George  Washington  com- 
menced that  career  which  he  pursued 
through  the  revolution  with  such  unri- 
valled splendor,  and  with  such  great  and 
beneficial  effects  to  his  country  and  to 
mankind. 

Says  a late  writer : “ I look  upon 
Washington  as  the  peculiar  gift  of  God 
to  the  American  people  : I regard  him 
as  specially  raised  up  as  our  political 
Joshua,  to  guide  these  people  across 
the  swellings  of  a war-vexed  revolution 
to  the  fair  inheritance  of  freedom  which 
lay  beyond.  I behold  in  him  the  devel- 
opment of  a character  that  has  no  equal 
in  the  annals  of  man  ; and  I feel,  there- 
fore, that  it  is  true,  as  has  been  stated 
by  a distinguished  nobleman  of  England 
(Lord  Brougham),  that,  until  time  shall 
be  no  more,  the  progress  of  our  race  in 
wisdom  and  virtue  will  be  tested  by  the 
veneration  paid  to  the  immortal  name 
of  Washington. 

“ A review  of  the  many  dangers  to 
which  Washington  was  exposed  from 
childhood,  makes  it  clear  that  nothing 
but  the  watchful,  providence  of  God — 
keeping  him  for  stfme  great  end — could 
have  protected  him  amid  the  dangers  of 
youth,  the  vicissitudes  of  manhood,  the 
perils  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  for- 
tunes of  a bloody  war. 

“ It  was  God  who  so  ordered  the 
anxious  fear  of  his  mother,  as  to  prevent 

T 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


319 


Portrait  of  W ashington. 


the  lad  of  fourteen  from  accepting  a 
midshipman’s  warrant  in  the  roval  navy 
of  England.  He  it  was  wfa^jtafarked 
out  for  his  youth  the  occupation  of  a 
surveyor,  by  which  his  body  was  knit 
into  strength — his  mind  inured  to  dan- 
ger; so  that  much  of  his  future  success 
hung  upon  the  knowledge  gathered, 
while,  with  the  chain'  and  compass,  he 
ranged  the  hills  and  valleys  of  western 
Virginia. 

“ It  was  God  who  protected  him  in 
all  the  perils  of  the  French  wrar,  and 
particularly  in  that  bloody  battle  of  the 
Monongahela,  when  Braddock  and  one 
half  of  the  army  fell.  Washington  him- 
self felt  and  acknowledged  this,  and 
said  in  a letter  to  his  brother : * l^y  the 


all-powerful  dispensation  of  Providence, 
I have  been  protected  beyond  all  human 
probability  or  expectation  ; for  I had  four 
bullets  through  my  coat,  and  two  horses 
sb&  under  me  ; yet  I escaped  unhurt, 
although  death  was  levelling  my  com- 
panions on  every  side  of  me.’  Not  only 
was  this  protection  known  and  acknowl- 
edged in  the  pulpit  at  the  time,  in  that 
almost  prophetic  sentence  of  Davies 
where,  speaking  of  that  heroic  youth, 
he  adds  : ‘ whom  I can  not  but  hope  that 
Providence  has  hitherto  preserved  in'  so 
signal  a manner  for  some  important  ser- 
vice to  his  country’ — but  even  the  In- 
dians were  persuaded  that  he  was  under 
the  special  guardianship  of  the  Great 
Spirit ; because,  though  they  had  singled 


320  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


him  out  in  that  battle  for  the  aim  of 
their  sharpshooters,  not  a ball  touched 
him,  and  they  felt  that  he  was  the  par-" 
ticular  favorite  of  Heaven,  who  could 
never  die  in  battle. 

“ Indeed,  in  all  his  exposures  by  land 
and  sea — in  open  war  and  covered  am- 
bush— in  the  masked  treachery  of  pre- 
tended friends,  and  the  hireling  assaults 
of  pensioned  murderers,  it  was  God 
who  ‘ covered  his  head  in  the  day  of 
battle’ — who  preserved  him  from  dan- 
ger— and  who  checked  the  hands  and 
bridled  the  power  „of  those  who  had 
vowed  his  destruction. 

“ The  French  war,  which  called  out 
so  large  a share  of  his  youthful  prowess, 
and  in  which  his  military  abilities  shone 
so  pre-eminent,  he  saw  honorably  closed 
by  the  defeat  of  his  enemies  and  the 
possession  of  their  lands.  The  revolu- 
tion, which  began  in  the  oppressions  of 
the  British  parliament,  and  the  war 
which  he  conducted  from  its  beginning 
to  its  end,  he  beheld  terminated  in 
peace ; his  enemies  were  driven  from 
our  shores ; and  the  red  cross  of  old 
England  gave  place  to  Freedom’s  ban- 
ner, with  its  stars  for  glory  and  its 
stripes  for  foes. 

“ Others  had  often  begun  to  battle  for 
the  rights  of  their  country,  but  ended 
by  fighting  for  themselves.  Others  had 
frequently  unsheathed  their  swords  for 
freedom,  but  soon  had  even  cloven  down 
freedom  in  their  march  to  dominion. 
Others  had  attempted  to  guide  a nation 
from  monarchy  to  republicanism  ; but, 
having  once  grasped  the  reins  of  pow- 
er, they  soon  became  the  charioteers  of 
their  own  glory,  and  drove  with  scythe- 
armed wheels  through  the  land  they 
covenanted  to  redeem. 

“But  Washington  accepted  military 
authority  with  reluctance — used  it  with 
prudence — freed  a nation  from  its  op- 
pression— drove  from  it  its  foes — estab- 
lished for  it  perfect  freedom  ; and  then, 
when  an  admiring  army  and  his  native 
state  would  have  taken  him  and  made 
him  their  king — when  applause  rang 
loudest,  and  fame  shone  brightest,  and 
Power  threw  herself  a willing  captive 
in  his  arms — when  he  was  confessedly 
first  and  supreme,  did  he  resign  his  com- 


mission, ungird  his  sword,  and  return  a 
private  citizen  to  his  farms  on  the  Po- 
tomac. 

“ Robertson,  speaking  of  the  abdica- 
tion of  Diocletian  and  of  Charles  V., 
remarks  : ‘To  descend  voluntarily  from 
the  supreme  to  a subordinate  station, 
and  to  relinquish  the  possession  of  pow- 
er in  order*to  attain  the  enjoyment  of 
happiness,  seems  to  be  an  effort  too 
great  for  the  human  mind.’  But  it  was 
not  too  great  an  act  for  Washington — 
he  did  it — but  not,  like  the  abdicating 
emperors,  with  an  impaired  constitution, 
and  the  infirmities  of  age  crumbling  his 
heart  within  him.  He  did  it  in  the 
prime  and  vigor  of  life  and  health,  re- 
solving, in  his  own  manly  language,  ‘to 
pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  hon- 
orable repose,  and  place  his  glory  be- 
yond the  reach  of  fortune.’  ” 

The  Birthplace  of  Washington. — The 
house  which  formerly  occupied  this  spot, 
and  in  which  the  hero  of  America  was 
born  and  spent  his  earliest  years,  was 
destroyed  before  the  revolution.  The 
place  is  in  Westmoreland,  in  the  county 
of  Westmoreland,  half  a mile  from  the 
mouth  of  Pope’s  creek.  This  spot, 
though  marked  only  by  a simple  monu- 
ment, must  ever  possess  an  unspeakable 
degree  of  interest  to  every  person  who 
loves  his  country  and  the  principles  of 
that  most  exalted  character  which  was 
here  formed  and  matured,  under  the 
instructions  of  a pure  and  noble-minded 
mother.  How  strongly  must  every  vis- 
iter to  that  spot  feel  that 

“ His  name  is  his  own  best  monument.” 

The  plain  stone,  placed  here  by  his 
relative,  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  bears  the  ex- 
pressive inscription  : — 

“Here,  on  the  11th  of  February  (O.  S.)f  1732, 
George  Washington  was  born.” 

The  scenery  around  the  place  is  very 
fine.  The  Maryland  shore  is  in  sight 
for  a considerable  distance,  with  the 
river  Potomac,  which  flows  along  under 
the  eye  for  many  miles,  on  its  way  tow- 
ard the  capital.  The  house  was  of  the 
old-fashioned  kind,  of  wood,  and  two- 
two  stories  high,  with  four  rooms  on  the 
first  floor. 

The  following  memorandum  of  the 
birth  of  Washington  is  copied  from  the 


21 


1 

322  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  j 

family  record  in  the  bible  which  belonged 
to  his  mother,  and  believed  to  have  been 
written  by  her  hand  — 

“George  Washington,  son  to  Augus- 
tine and  Mary  his  wife,  was  born  ye  11th 
day  of  February,  1732,  about  10  in  ye 
morning,  and  was  baptized  ye  3d  of 
April  following.  Mr.  Beverly  Whiting 
and  Captain  Christopher  Brooks,  god- 
fathers, and  Mrs.  Wildred  Gregory,  god- 
mother.” 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  stamp- 
act,  Patrick  Henry  introduced  into  the 
Virginia  assembly  the  following  resolu- 
tion : “ That  the  general  assembly  of 
this  colony,  together  with  his  majesty 
or  substitute,  have,  in  their  representa- . 
tive  capacity,  the  only  exclusive  right 
and  power  to  lay  taxes  and  impositions 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  colony;  and 
that  every  attempt  to  vest  such  power  in 
any  person  or  persons  whatsoever,  other 
than  the  general  assembly  as  aforesaid, 
is  illegal,  unconstitutional,  and  unjust, 
and  has  a manifest  tendency  to  destroy 
British  as  well  as  American  freedom.” 

The  resolution  w'as  adopted,  on  which 
the  governor  dissolved  the  chamber. 
When  election  day  arrived,  however,  the 
members  who  had  voted  for  it  were  re- 
elected by  the  people,  and  its  opposers 
were  left  out. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  stamp-act,  the 
legislature  of  Virginia  sent  a vote  of 
thanks  to  therking  and  parliament. 

Governor  Fauquier  died  in  1767,  and 
the  following  year  Lord  Botetourt  ar- 
rived from  England  as  his  successor.  He 
soon  dissolved  the  assembly,  because 
they  had  adopted  a resolution  condemn- 
ing the  taxes  on  paper,  &c. ; but  the 
members  combined  in  a non-importation 
association.  Lord  Botetourt  had  much 
influence,  but  could  not  long  suppress 
the  dissatisfaction  excited  among  the 
people  at  the  course  of  the  British  minis- 
try. He  died  in  1771,  and  the  statue 
now  standing  in  Williamsburg  was  then 
erected  to  his  memory. 

Lord  Dunraore,  the  next  governor, 
stooped  to  the  fomenting  of  paltry  dis- 
sensions, to  divert  the  attention  of  the 
people  from  the  designs  of  the  king  ; 
but  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the 
j tea  at  Boston  called  out  a spirited  reso- 

lution  from  the  Virginia  assembly,  for 
which  they  were  again  dissolved  ; and 
on  the  following  day  the  members  as- 
sembled and  agreed  on  an  address  to 
the  people,  pronouncing  an  attack  on 
one  of  the  colonies  an  attack  upon  all 
British  America,  and  appointed  depu- 
ties to  attend  a general  congress. 

Early  in  the  days  of  the  revolution, 
Thomas  Jefferson  became  a leading  man 
in  Virginia,  and  he  was  for  a long  time 
afterward  one  of  the  principal  men  in 
the  country.  He  was  born  at  Shadwell, 
in  the  county  of  Albemarle,  April  2, 
1743,  and  receive  from  his  father  an 
ample  fortune.  He  graduated  with  dis- 
tinction at  William  and  Mary  college, 
and  studied  law  under  George  Wythe. 
Soon  after  he  became  of  age,  he  was  a 
representative  in  the  colonial  assembly 
and  had  a seal  with  this  motto,  expres- 
sive of  his  liberal  sentiments  : “Resist- 
ance to  tyrants  is  obedience  to  God.” 

In  1772  he  married  Miss  Wayles,  who 
died  ten  years  afterward,  leaving  two 
daughters. 

In  1772  he  organized  the  first  system 
of  colonial  resistance,  by  appointing 
committees  of  correspondence;  in  1776 
he  took  his  seat  in  congress,  where  ke 
drew  up  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. In  1779-,80  he  was  governor 
of  Virginia,  during  the  days  of  the  in- 
vasion. In  1783  he  returned  to  congress, 
and  drew  up  the  address  of  that  body 
to  Washington  on  his  taking  leave  of 
public  life.  In  1784  he  went  to  France 
as  minister,  and  was  afterward  secretary 
of  state  under  Washington.  In  1798 
he  retired  to  Monticello,  and  from  1S01 
till  1809  was  president  of  the  United 
States,  having  formed  a democratic  par- 
ty, in  opposition  to  the  Washington  or 
federal  party,  may  of  the  principles  and 
measures  of  which  he  opposed.  He 
finally  retired  to  Monticello  in  1809, 
where  he  died  July  4,  1826,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-three  years.  His  grave  is  in 
a grove,  near  the  road,  at  the.  foot  of 
Monticello. 

Monticello. — This  elegant  mansion, 
the  seat  of  Jefferson,  is  situated  on  the 
top  of  a steep  conical  eminence,  rising 
from  an  elliptical  plain,  three  miles 
southeast  from  Charlottesville.  Toward  j 

i 

the  west,  and  partly  north  and  south,  it 
commands  a view  of  Blue  ridge,  which 
stretches  away  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles ; while  on  the  east  is  seen  a bound- 
less plain.  At  different  points  rise  sev- 
eral mountains  of  various  forms  and 
sizes,  among  which  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous and  interesting  is  Willis’  moun- 
tain in  the  south. 

The  approach  to  the  house  affords 
glimpses  of  this  fine  scene;  and  the 
spacious  hall  at  the  entrance  was  orna- 
mented with  objects  of  taste,  arranged 
in  an  appropriate  manner  to  gratify  the 
eye.  Mr.  Wirt,  in  his  description  of 
the  place,  mentions  that  Jefferson  had 
placed  various  specimens  of  sculpture 
in  that  hall,  in  such  order  as  to  mark 
the  progress  of  the  art  from  the  rudest 
to  the  most  perfect  state  : at  the  end  be- 
ing seen  his  own  statue  by  Carracci. 
On  other  sides  were  displayed  Indian 
remains,  petrified  bones,  the  horns  of 
deer,  &c.  The  grand  saloon,  in  which  j 
the  visiter  is  next  ushered,  is  appropri- 
ated as  a picture-gallery,  and  contains  a 
great  number  of  valuable  productions 
of  the  pencil  and  the  graver,  comprising 
many  historical  events  and  distinguished 
men  of  all  ages.  The  windows  com- 
mand charming  views  of  the  extensive 
scene  below. 

In  September,  1774,  the  meeting  of 
delegates  was  held  in  Philadelphia. 
The  disaffections  continued  between  the 
governor  and  the  people,  but  they  joined 
in  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  in 
western  Virginia,  who  had  assumed  a 
hostile  attitude,  as,  was  suspected,  by 
the  intrigues  of  the  governor.  On  the. 
20th  of  April,  1775,  he  was  so  bold  as 
secretly  to  remove  the  gunpowder  from 
the  colonial  magazine,  at  Williamsburg, 
to  Yorktown,  where  it  was  stowed  in 
a British  vessel.  The  people  took  up 
arms  ; but  the  governor  threatened,  in 
case  of  any  resistance,  to  proclaim  lib- 
erty to  the  slaves,  and  set  the  town  on, 
fire.  Six  hundred  men  were  soon  as- 
sembled at  Fredericksburg  to  protect 
it,  and  to  oppose  any  rash  measure, 
while  thousands  prepared,  throughout 
the  colony,  to  render  their  aid  if  neces- 
sary. At  this  crisis,  the  two  leading 
patriots  of  the  time,  Peyton  Randolph 


and  Edmund  Pendleton,  sent  to  the  for- 
mer a request  that  they  would  do  noth- 
ing until  congress  should  decide  on 
some  general  plan  of  defence. 

The  assembly  then  held  a council, 
consisting  of  more  than  one  hundred 
members,  who  adopted,  by  a majority 
of  only  one,  a resolution  to  disperse  for 
the  present,  and  draughted  an  address,  in 
which  they  “ firmly  resolved  to  resist  all 
attempts  against  their  rights  and  privi- 
leges, from  whatever  quarter  they  might 
be  assailed;”  and  firmly  pledged  them- 
selves “ to  reassemble,  and,  by  force  of 
arms,  to  defend  the  laws,  the  liberties, 
and  the  rights,  of  this  or  any  sister  col- 
ony, from  unjust  and  wicked  invasion. 
God  save  the  liberties  of  America!” 

Patrick  Henry,  however,  at  the  head 
of  the  volunteers  of  Hanover,  marched 
from  Doncaster  to  recover  the  powder, 
and,  being  joined  by  numbers  from  the 
counties  of  King  William  and  New 
Kent,  obtained  ample  compensation  from 
Corbin,  the  king’s  receiver-general,  and 
then  returning  dismissed  the  troops. 
The  governor  issued  a proclamation 
against  him  two  days  after;  but  he  left 
the  state,  about  the  same  time,  to  attend 
the  meeting  of  the  continental  congress, 
while  a band  of  insurgents  seized  the 
arms  in  the  magazine.  Committees  of 
safety  were  soon  formed  in  the  counties 
of  Virginia,  and  “ minute-men”  were 
raised,  who,  as  John  Randolph,  of  Ro- 
anoke, afterward  remarked,  with  char- 
acteristic humor,  were  raised  in  a min- 
ute, marched  in  a minute,  and  defeated 
in  a minute. 

Among  the  acts  of  the  governor  which 
fomented  discord,  was  lus  sending  for 
aid  to  the  commander  of  the  Fowey 
ship-of-war,  off  Yorktown,  while  Pat- 
rick Henry  was  on  his  march  ; in  con- 
sequence of  which  forty  marines  and 
sailors  were  stationed  at  Williamsburg 
about  ten  days,  while  the  ship  threat- 
ened to  fire  upon  Yorktown  in  case  they 
should  be  molested. 

Governor  Dunmore  convened  the  as- 
sembly on  the  1st  of  June,  and  made  an 
address,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
house  of  burgesses  had  a correspondence 
with  him,  defending  the  rights  of  the 
colonies.  He  took  rofuge  on  board  the 


Fowey,  on  the  8th,  with  his  family,  un- 
der pretext  that  they  were  not  safe  on 
shore  ; and  refused  to  sign  any  bills,  un- 
less the  assembly  would  meet  him  under 
cover  of  the  guns.  He  was  then,  by  a 
resolution,  declared  to  have  abdicated 
his  office,  and  the  president  of  the  coun- 
cil proceeded  to  act  in  his  place.  Near 
the  end  of  the  month  the  vessel  sailed 
down  the  river : and  thus  closed  the 
royal  government  of  Virginia. 

Delegates  soon  after  met  in  Rich- 
mond, to  form  a provisional  government; 
and  a description  of  this  beautiful  town, 
now  large  and  important,  may  be  here 
introduced,  as  it  began  to  rise  into  con- 
sequence at  about  this  period  of  its  his- 
tory. 

Richmond. — This  is  the  capital  and 
principal  town  of  the  state,  the  capital 
j of  Henrico  county,  and  a port  of  entry, 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  falls 
on  James  river,  117  miles  from  Wash- 
ington, 342  from  New  York,  55 7 from 
Boston,  520  from  Cincinnati,  423  from 
Charleston,  62  from  Fredericksburg, 
106  from  Norfolk,  146  from  Winches- 
ter, and  23  from  Petersburg. 

The  spot  on  which  this  large  and  fine 
city  stands  was  first  visited  by  white  men 
in  1609,  when  “ Master  West”  pene- 
trated to  the  falls  in  search  of  provisions 
for  the  young  colony  at  Jamestown,  but 
found  nothing  edible  except  acorns.  He 
however  began  a settlement  near  the 
place  the  same  year,  with  one  hundred 
and  twenty  men.  Smith  attempted  a 
settlement  at  “ Nonsuch,”  but  failed. 
Fort  Charles  was  erected  at  the  Falls 
in  1644-’5  ; and  in  1646  the  assembly 
offered  extraordinary  inducements  to 
encourage  a settlement  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  opposite  the  fort. 

Richmond  was  founded  in  1742,  and 
made  the  state  capital  in  1780,  since 
which  it  has  steadily  increased.  The 
population  in  1800  was  5,737  ; in  1810, 
9,785;  in  1820,  12,067;  in  1830,  16,060  ; 
in  1840,  20,153;  in  1850,  27,483.  The 
city  is  situated  at  the  head  of  tidewater, 
and  vessels  drawing  ten  feet  of  water 
can  come  up  to  within  one  mile  of  the 
centre  of  the  city,  and  those  drawing 
fifteen  feet  to  within  three  miles.  A 
canal  with  locks  extends  around  the  I 


falls  (opened  in  1794),  above  which  boats 
navigate  the  river  two  hundred  and 
twenty  miles.  A canal  affords  naviga- 
tion also  to  Lynchburg,  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  miles. 

The  situation  is  healthy  and  pleasant; 
and  the  city  has  a pleasing  appearance 
from  several  points  of  view,  especially 
that  from  which  it  is  represented  in  the 
cut.  It  is  generally  well  built,  and  the 
streets  cross  at  right  angles.  Richmond 
hill  and  Shockoe  hill,  rising  from  the 
opposite  side  of  Shockoe  creek,  vary 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  the  town  be- 
ing situated  between  them,  and  up  both 
acclivities.  The  latter  eminence  affords 
fine  situations  for  dwellings,  and  is  the 
favorite  quarter,  containing  many  hand- 
some houses ; while  on  its  summit  stands 
the  state  capitol,  surrounded  by  a spa- 
cious square  of  eight  acres,  enclosed 
with  an  iron  fence. 

The  city-hall,  opposite,  is  a fine  edi- 
fice in  Grecian  style ; and  among  the 
other  public  buildings  are  three  banks, 
two  insurance  offices,  the  armory,  the- 
atre, female  asylum,  penitentiary,  thir- 
teen academies  and  higher  schools,  tin. 
free  Lancasterian  school,  and  twenty- 
three  churches. 

The  water- works,  by  which  the  city 
is  supplied,  raise  the  water,  by  hydrau- 
lic power,  into  three  reservoirs,  each  con- 
taining' a million  of  gallons,  and  from 
these  lead  off  to  all  parts  of  the  city. 

The  Medical  College  is  a department 
of  Hampden  Sidney  college,  and  has  a 
building  in  the  Egyptian  style.  It  has 
a dean  and  five  members  of  the  faculty. 

Richmond  College , a baptist  institu- 
tion, is  one  mile  west  of  the  city,  and 
contains  about  one  hundred  students. 

St.  Vincent’s  College , a Roman  catho- 
lic institution,  is  situated  one  mile  east 
of  the  city,  and  has  about  fifty  students. 

Richmond  presents  many  varying  as- 
pects, from  different  points  of  the  undu- 
lating siTrface  above  the  banks  of  the 
creek.  The  falls,  extending  more  than 
six  miles,  give  liveliness  to  the  water- 
scene  ; while  the  islands  which  lie  upon 
the  surface  and  the  two  bridges,  which 
cross  it,  to  connect  the  town  with  Man- 
chester on  the  opposite  shore,  offer  a 
constant  and  pleasing  variety.  The  city 


View  of  Richmond. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  327 


plot  now  covers  about  tnree  and  a half 
square  miles,  being  seven  and  a halff 
miles  long ; but  only  a small  portion  of 
this  is  thickly  covered  with  buildings. 
A spot  near  the  centre  of  the  business 
part  of  the  city  is  occupied, by  the  basin 
of  the  canal. 

The  State  Penitentiary , in  the  west- 
ern suburbs,  \s  in  the  form  of  a hollow 
square,  three  hundred  feet  by  one  hun- 
dred arid  ten,  with  several  acres  of 
ground  attached. 

The  Armory  contains  a considerable 
supply  of  arms,  and  is  three  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  by  three  hundred  and 
twenty. 

Manufactures  are  carried  on  to  a con- 
siderable extent,  by  water-power  ob-  j 
tained  at  the  falls.  Within  two  or  three 
years,  cot  on  mills  have  been  erected  and 
are  in  profitable  employment.  Rich- 
mond has  many  facilities  for  this  species 
of  industry,  which  must  ultimately  be- 
come advantageous  to  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood. The  total  amount  of  capital 
invested  in  manufactures  in  Richmond 
is  about  two  millions  of  dollars.  Rich- 
mond is  a great  commercial  depot,  hav- 
ing an  extensive  back  country  abounding 
in  tobacco,  wheat,  hemp,  and  coal,  which 
is  reached  by  the  James  river  canal  and  j 
branches.  The  flouring  mills  of  Rich- 
mond hcive  a world-wide  celebrity. 

The  Capitol. — This  fine  and  chaste 
edifice  occupies  a lofty  and  commanding 
position  on  the  summit  of  Shockoe  hill, 
in  the  midst  of  the  spacious  public  square 
before  described.  The  front  is  orna- 
mented with  an  Ionic  portico,  with  lofty 
columns  ; and  the  effect  of  the  building, 
from  its  elegant  front,  is  very  fine,  when 
seen  from  the  neighboring  points  of- 
view.  The  building  contains  the  halls 
of  the  senate  and  house  of  delegates, 
with  numerous  rooms  for  officers,  com- 
mittees, &c. ; and  here  assemble  the  ! 
legislators  of  this  great  and  influential 
state,  to  deliberate  on  the  interests  of 
its  various  sections. 

From  different  parts  of  the  capitol,  as- 
well  as  from  the  neighboring  grounds, 
are  presented  many  fine  views  over  the 
surrounding  country,  and  the  city  and 
river  below ; and  the  scene  is  the  most 
imposing  one  of  the  kind  to  be  found 


within  the  limits  of  the  state.  James 
river  is  seen,  after  flowing  down  the 
long  falls  and  rapids  which  interrupt  its 
course  above  the  city,  spreading  wide 
its  smooth  surface,  to  float  the  boats, 
vessels,  and  steamboats,  which  ever  en- 
liven its  course  between  this  point  and  its 
mouth ; while  the  two  beautiful  bridges  | 
which  cross  the  stream  and* connect  the 
opposite  shores,  afford  passages  from 
sidle  to  side. 

The  important  figure  which  the  capi-  i 
tol  makes  in  the  preceding  general  view  j 
of  Richmond,  gives  a just  idea  of  its 
importance,  as  a principal  feature  in  the 
aspect  of  the  city  from  many  different  j: 
points  of  view.  Crowning  the  summit  j 
| of  the  principal  eminence,  and  rising 
far  above  the  crowded  city,  it  forms  an 
appropriate  and  elegant  trait  to  a scene 
otherwise  possessing  many  beauties. 

The  Statue  of  Washington. — This  in-  j 
teresting  piece  of  sculpture,  the  work  j' 
of  a distinguished  French  artist  of  the  j 
last  century,  stands  in  the  area  of  the  | 
capitol.  It  was  made  by  Houdon,  in  I 
Paris,  a few  years  after  the  Revolution, 
at  the  order  of  the  Virginia  assembly, 
and  under  the  direction  of  Jefferson. 
Washington  is  represented  in  the  mili- 
i tary  costume  of  the  country  at  the  time,  j 
covered  with  a cloak,  while  one  hand  i 
holds  a cane,  and  the  other  the  fasces  ; 
and  on  the  pedestal  is  the  following  in- 
scription, written  by  Mr.  Madison  : — 

“ George  Washington.  The  General  Assembly 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  have  caused  this 
statue  to  be  erected,  as  a monument  of  affection  and 
gratitude,  to  George  Washington,  who,  uniting  to 
the  endowments  of  the  hero  the  virtues  of  the  patriot, 
and  exerting  both  in  establishing  the  liberties  of  his 
country,  has  rendered  his  name  dear  to  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  given  the  world  an  immortal  example 
of  true  glory.  Done  in  the  year  of  Christ  one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight,  in  the  year  of 
the  Commonwealth  the  twelfth.” 

The  Bust  of  JLaFayette. — This  hand- 
some specimen  of  sculpture  is  appro- 
priately placed  near  the  statue  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  Monumental  Church. — This  edi- 
fice was  erected  in  commemoration  of 
the  calamitous  destruction,  in  1811,  of 
a theatre  which  stood  on  the  same  spot. 
About  six  hundred  persons  were  assem- 
bled in  the  theatre  on  the  fatal  evening, 
when,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  play,  the 
; scenery  accidentally  caught  fire,  and  a 


r 


The  Capitol,  Richmond. 


Monumental  Church — Richmond. 


scene  of  dreadful  confusion  ensued.  The 
doors  were  so  narrow  as  to  prevent  the 
ready  egress  of  the  multitude — indeed 
only  one  door  opened  into  that  part  of 
the  house  where  most  of  them  were  as- 
sembled, and  that  was  not  large  enough 
to  permit  the  escape  of  more  than  a 
few  before  the  flames  had  reached  those 
within.  Many  were  scorched  by  the 
burning  of  their  clothes  ; great  numbers 
jumped  from  the  windows,  some  with 
the  flames  all  around  them  ; and  many 
died,  chiefly  within  the  building,  which 
was  soon  enveloped  in  flames.  Tne 
scene  caused  a dreadful  shock  through- 
out the  country ; but  the  gloom  in  the 
city  itself  was  deep  indeed.  Hundreds 
of  families  lost  their  nearest  members  or 
friends,  and  the  sad  effects  of  the  mourn- 
ful calamity  were  general  and  lasting. 


An  episcopal  society  afterward  erect- 
ed the  Monumental  C aurch  on  the  spot, 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  event ; 
and  the  bones  found  among  the  ruins 
were  collected  and  placed  in  an  urn  at 
the  entrance. 

The  above  cut  affords  a view  of  this 
edifice,  the  melancholy  associations  con- 
nected with  which  must  ever  continue 
to  be  of  a nature  peculiarly  solemn  and 
impressive. 

We  now  return  to  the  progress  of 
events  in  the  history  of  the  state.  On 
the  17th  of  July,  1775,  delegates  from 
the  counties  met  at  Richmond  (as  before 
remarked)  to  form  a provisional  govern- 
ment and  a plan  of  defence,  and  the  fol- 
lowing persons  were  put  on  the  commit- 
tee of  safety  : Ed.  Pendleton,  George 
Mason,  Jno.  Page,  Richard  Bland,  Thos. 


330  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Ludwell  Lee,  Paul  Carrington,  Dudley 
Digges,  Jas.  Mercer,  Carter  Braxton, 
Wm.  Cabell,  and  Jno.  Tabb.  Prepara- 
tions were  made  for  raising  troops,  and 
the  county  committees  were  requested 
to  provide  colors  bearing  the  motto : 
“ Virginia  for  Constitutional  Liberty.” 
But  the  governor  proceeded  to  several 
acts  of  hostility  lie  landed  a party  at 
Norfolk,  under  cover  of  the  men-of-war, 
and  carried  off  the  press  and  types,  of 
a patriotic  newspaper;  and  soon  after 
he  marched  to  Kempsville  to  destroy  a 
collection  of  firearms,  and  made  pris- 
oner the  commander  of  the  minute-men, 
Captain  Matthews.  Hampton  was  also 
attacked  by  British  vessels  under  Cap- 
tain Squires ; but  they  were,  driven  off 
without  loss  on  the  part  of  the  patriots. 
A number  of  armed,  men  now  arrived 
at  Williamsburg  from  the  upper  coun- 
try ; and  Lord  Dunsmore,  having  heard 
that  the  second  Virginia  regiment  and 
the  Culpepper  battalion  had  been  or- 
dered to  Norfolk,  sent  the  Kingfisher 
and  three  large  tenders  up  James  river 
to  Burwell’s  ferry,  to  prevent  their  cros- 
sing. A large  boat  was  twice  beaten 
off  by  the  Virginia  riflemen,  as  was  also 
another  boat,  which  afterward  attempted 
to  land  at  Jamestown.  In  the  same 
month  a colonel  of  Princess  Ann  militia 
was  made  prisoner  by  Lord  Dunsmore, 
with  some  of  his  men,  on  their  march. 
On  the  7th  of  November  he  proclaimed 
martial  law,  and,  with  a considerable 
force  at  his  comi  land,  raised  his  stan- 
dard in  Norfolk  and  Princess  Aim. 

Having  ordered  the  militia  captains 
to  raise  troops  in  opposition  to  the  co- 
lonial army,  he  proposed  to  destroy  the 
colonial  stores  of  provisions  at  Suffolk  ; 
but  two  hundred  and  fifteen  light  troops  ! 
•were  sent  for  their  defence  by  Colonel 
Woodford.  He  then  undertook  to  in-  i 
cite  the  western  Indians  to  war  in  co- 
operation with  him,  and  matured  a plan 
with  a Pennsylvanian,  named  0‘Con- 
nelly,  who  was  made  a lieutenant-colonel 
by  General  Gage  at  Boston.  A regi- 
ment of  volunteers  was  to  be  raised  at 
Fort  Pitt,  who,  accompanied  by  several 
companies  of  royal  Irish,  were  to  march 
across  Virginia  to  Alexandria,  and  take 
possession  of  the  town,  in  co-operation  , 

1 , 

with  Lord  Dunsmore,  in  the  ships-of- 
War.  The  plot,  however,  was  discov- 
ered and  defeated  after  a time;  for  O- 
Connelly,  Cameron,  and  Dr.  Jno.  Smith, 
were  arrested  near  Hagerstown  (Mary- 
land), on  suspicion,  and  were  found  in  j 
possession  of  papers  and  money,  which  | 
fully  proved  their  guilt. 

Colonel  Woodford,  on  his  march  to 
Norfolk,  found  the  enemy  in  a stockade 
fort  at  the  Great  bridge — the  only  way 
by  which  he  could  proceed;  and,  hav- 
ing thrown  up  a breastwork,  was  soon 
attacked,  but  repulsed  the  British  with 
great  loss  to  them,  and  drove  them  to 
their  vessels.  Lord  Dunsmore  cannon- 
aded Norfolk  on  the  night  of  January 
1st,  1776,  and  having  destroyed  parts 
of  it,  Lieutenant-Colonel.  Howe  was  or- 
dered by  the  committee  of  safety  to  burn 
the  remainder.  That  city  had  contained 
six  thousand  inhabitants. 

Nine  regiments,  in  all,  were  now 
raised,  of  which  six  were  placed  on  the 
continental  establishment,  of  the  first  of 
which  Patrick  Henry  was  appointed 
colonel.  He,  however,  soon  resigned 
his  commission,  and  was  chosen  a mem- 
ber of  the  new  convention  at  Hanover, 
who  appointed  delegates  to  congress, 
instructing  them  “to  propose  to  that 
respectable  body  to  declare  the  United 
Colonies  free  and  independent  states, 
absolved  from  all  allegiance  to,  or  de- 
pendence on,  the  crown  or  parliament.” 

A constitution  was  adopted  on  the  25th 
of  June,  and  was  the  first  formed  with- 
out admitting  any  prospect  of  reconcilia- 
tion with  the  mother-country.  Patrick 
Henry  was  chosen  governor;  and  from 
that  time  through  the  war,  Virginia  con- 
tinued to  sustain  the  cause  of  indepen- 
dence, harmoniously  and  efficiently  co- 
operating with  her  sister-colonies,  until 
the  independence  of  the  country  was 
settled  by  the  great  and  final  victory  on 
her  own  soil,  at  Vorktown. 

The  first  constitution  of  the  state  was 
adopted  on  the  5th  of  July,  1776,  and 
revised  in  1830.  The  right  of  suffrage 
is  restricted  to  heads  of  families  paying 
taxes  or  owners  of  certain  amounts  and 
kinds  of  property.  There  are  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  delegates  in  the 
house,  chosen  annually,  and  thirty-two 

senators,  elected  for  four  years.  TLe 
governor  is  chosen  for  four  years  by  the 
legislature,  and  ineligible  the  next  three 
years. 

As  early  as  1681,  there  was  a dispute 
between  William  Penn  and  Lord  Bal- 
timore, respecting  the  construction  of 
their  respective  grants,  the  debatable 
land  being  on,e  degree,  or  sixty-nine 
English  miles,  on  the  south  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  extending  west  as  far  as 
the  state  itself.  The  matter  was  in  liti- 
gation over  sixty  years,  when  Charles 
Mason  and  Jeremiah  Dixon  were  ap- 
pointed to  run  the  line  in  dispute.  This 
is  the  boundary  line  separating  Virginia 
and  Maryland  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
known  as  “Mason  and  Dixon’s  line.” 

Education. — There  is  a literary  fund 
in  this  state,  to  promote  learning  in  gen- 
eral, established  from  escheats  of  all 
lands,  militia  and  other  fines,  all  for- 
feited lands,  overplus  of  debt  due  from 
the  United  States,  and  some  other  con- 
tingent funds.  A great  part  of  this  fund 
has  been  borrowed  to  establish  the  uni- 
versity of  the  state.  About  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  are  annually  appropriated 
to  the  several  counties,  according  to 
their  number  of  white  children.  I his 
fund  is  collected  by  the  state  auditor, 
and  is  under  the  direction  of  a corpora- 
tion composed  of  the  governor,  attorney- 
general,  treasurer,  and  the  president  of 
the  court  of  appeals,  who  appoint  an 
agent  in  each  county  to  collect  the  funds. 
School  commissioners  are  appointed  by 
the  county  courts,  who  have  power  to 
determine  what  number  of  poor  chil- 
dren shall  be  educated,  and  to  draw 
orders  on  the  treasurer  for  the  amount 
of  the  tuition. 

Printing. — The  first  newspaper  in 
Virginia  was  printed  at  Williamsburg, 
August  6,  1736,  by  W.  Parkes,  at  fifteen 
shillings  per  annum.  The  same  man 
had  printed  Stith’s  History  of  Virginia 
in  1729,  and  the  laws  of  the  colony. 
His  paper  was  under  the  influence  of 
the  government,  and  ceased  at  his  death, 
in  1761,  until  revived  by  William  Hun- 
ter in  1751.  It  was  at  first  only  twelve 
inches  by  six  in  size.  In  1761  it  was 
enlarged  by  John  Royle,  and  continued 
to  appear  until  some  time  in  the  revo- 


tionary  war.  In  1766  William  Rind 
was  invited  to  come  from  Maryland  and 
establish  the  second  newspaper,  which 
was  the  “Virginia  Gazette.”  It  was 
“ open  to  all  parties.”  His  widow,  Clem- 
entina Rind,  continued  it  for  some  time 
from  his  death,  in  1773,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Pinckney.  Another 
“ Virginia  Gazette”  was  commenced  at 
Williamsburg  in  1775. 

The  first  printing-press  in  Virginia 
was  erected  in  1681,  but  was  soon  put 
d()wn — Sir  William  Berkeley  being  op- 
posed, like  many  other  influential  men 
in  the  colony,  to  the  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge. In  1671  he  “thanked  God  there 
are  no  free  schools  nor  printing  (in  Vir- 
ginia), and  hoped  we  shall  not  have, 
these  hundreds  of  years  to  come.” 

Norfolk. — This  is  the  most  impor- 
tant seaport  in  the  state.  It  occupies  a 
commanding  situation  at  the  mouth  of 
Elizabeth  river,  at  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  Chesapeake  bay,  only  eight  miles 
from  Hampton  Roads,  by  which  it  com- 
municates with  the  Atlantic  ocean;  one 
hundred  and  six  miles  from  Richmond  ; 
and  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  from 
Washington  city.  The  ground  on  which 
it  stands  is  low,  and  the  same  feature 
prevails  for  miles  around  the  city.  The 
streets  are  crooked,  and  the  appearance 
of  the  town  rather  uninviting.  The 
principal  public  buildings  are  the  mar- 
ket, customhouse,  theatre,  four  banks, 
eight  churches,  an  academy,  a Lancas- 
terian  school,  orphan  asylum,  &c.  The 
population  is  about  fifteen  thousand,  and 
the  commerce  of  the  place  considerable. 

Large  steamboats  depart  daily  for 
Richmond,  and  others  for  Washington 
and  Baltimore.  A railroad  leads  south 
to  North  Carolina,  on  which  cars  run 
daily  to  Wilmington. 

Portsmouth,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
Elizabeth  river,  appears  like  a part  of 
Norfolk.  It  is  the  site  of  the 

U.  S.  Navyyard,  which  occupies  a 
portion  of  the  town  called  Gosport.  A 
large  and  expensive  dry-dock  has  been 
constructed  there,  and  the  storehouses, 

! workshops,  &c.,  occupy  a large  extent 
of  ground.  There  is  also  the  Virginia 
Literary  and  Scientific  academy,  found- 
ed in  1840,  which  has  about  forty  pupils. 


332  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA.  1 

The  U.  S.  Naval  Hospital  stands  at 
a short  distance  from  the  town. 

The  other  public  buildings  in  Ports- 
mouth are  the  courthouse,  a bank,  and 
six  churches ; and  the  population  is 
about  nine  thousand. 

The  Dismal  Swamp  Canal  leads  from 
this  place  through  that  extensive  and 
melancholy  morass  into  North  Carolina, 
and  is  an  important  channel  of  trans- 
portation. It  is  more  particularly  no- 
ticed under  the  head  of  North  Carolina. 

Hampton,  situated  near  the  mouth 
of  James  river,  on  the  eastern  bank,  is 
a small  town,  in  a poor  region  of  coun- 
try, but  its  position  is  important,  just 
behind  Forts  Monroe  and  Calhoun  ; the 
former  is  the  military  post  on  the  south- 
ern coast,  which  commands  Hampton 
Roads,  the  channel  leading  from  the 
ocean  into  the  Chesapeake.  The  town 
contains  four  churches,  a courthouse, 
and  about  fiifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  j 

Old  Point  Comfort , a low  sandy  cape, 
lies  opposite  the  narrow  part  of  the 
channel,  which  is  there  so  narrow  that 
the  guns  of  the  fortress  completely  com- 
mand it.  The  adjacent  part  of  the  bay, 
called  the  Rip-raps,  is  so  shallow  that 
the  surface  of  the  water  is  kept  in  a 
state  of  agitation  by  the  meeting  of  the 
currents  and  tide. 

Fortress  Monroe  is  one  of  the  largest 
fortifications  in  the  United  States.  It 
mounts  three  hundred  and  thirty-five 
guns,  of  which  one  hundred  and  thirty 
are  in  casemates,  or  subterranean  cham- 
bers arched  with  stone  and  bombproof. 
Opposite  stands  Fort  Calhoun,  one  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  yards  distant,  which, 
although  of  smaller  size,  will  mount  two 
hundred  and  sixty-five  cannon,  the  great- 
er part  of  them  in  casemates. 

Montpelier,  the  seat  of  the  late  presi- 
dent Madison,  is  about  four  miles  from 
Orange  courthouse.  On  approaching  it 
from  the  north,  you  turn  to  the  left  on 
leaving  the  main  road,  and  after  pro- 
ceeding through  a wood  about  a mile, 
the  mansion  of  the  late  ex-president  may 
be  seen  a mile  distant,  situated  on  a 
slight  eminence.  It  is  a large  brick 
building,  composed  of  a main  body  and 
two  wings.  In  front  of  the  body  is  a 
portico  of  wood,  painted  white,  which 

is  supported  by  four  lofty  Doric  pillars. 
The  interior  of  the  house  is  furnished 
with  plain  but  rich  furniture,  and  orna- 
mented with  busts  and  pictures ; in  the 
right  wing  is  a library  of  rare  and  val- 
uable books,  and  a cabinet.  In  the  rear 
of  the  mansion  is  an  extensive  lawn ; 
j after  crossing  this  you  come  to  the  gar- 
den,  which  consists  of  several  acres  of 
j ground,  laid  out  with  elegance  and  taste, 
and  contains  a great  number  of  native 
plants  and  exotics,  besides  an  abundance 
of  grapes.  Here,  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1836,  Mr.  Madison  died,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-seven. 

1 Mr.  Madison  was  by  birth  a Virgin- 
ian, and  wholly  educated  in  this  country. 

He  was  intended  for  a statesman  from 
his  youth,  and  made  himself  master  of 
constitutional  law,  when  it  was  hardly 
known  as  a science  either  in  England 
or  in  this  country.  He  was  born  on 
the  16th  of  March,  1751,  and  was,  of 
course,  in  all  the  ardor  and  freshness  of 
youth  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revo- 
lution. In  1775  he  was  a member  of 
the  Virginia  legislature,  and  was  soon 
appointed  one  of  the  council  of  the  state. 
During  the  whole  eventful  struggle,  he 
had  the  confidence  of  the  state,  and,  as 
as  a member  of  her  legislature,  was  list- 
ened to  with  profound  attention  when 
he  brought  forward  sundry  resolutions 
for  the  formation  of  a general  govern- 
ment for  the  United  States,  based  upon 
the  inefficiency  of  the  old  confederation. 
From  these  resolutions  grew  a conven- 
tion of  delegates  from  the  several  states, 
who,  in  conclave,  prepared  a form  of  a 
constitution  to  be  submitted  to  the  sev- 
eral states  for  their  discussion,  appro- 
bation, and  adoption.  Mr.  Madison  was 
a member  of  this  convention,  as  a dele- 
gate from  Virginia,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  enlight- 
ened body,  of  which  Washington,  his 
colleague,  was  president.  On  the  adop- 
tion of  this  constitution,  Mr.  Madison 
was  elected  a member  of  the  first  con- 
gress, and  took  an  active  part  in  setting 
the  machinery  in  motion.  At  this  pe- 
riod, public  opinion  was  greatly  agitated 
by  the  crude  and  false  opinions  scat- 
tered throughout  the  country,  through 
the  medium  of  the  opposition  presses ; 

Montpelier,  late  Residence  of  Madison. 


334  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


this  was  grievous  to  the  friends  of  the 
constitution,  and  "Jay,  Hamilton,  and 
Madison,  formed  an  alliance  to  enlighten 
the  people  upon  the  great  doctrines  of 
the  constitution.  The  essays  from  the 
pens  of  these  worthies  were  collected  in 
a volume,  called  the  “Federalist,”  which 
now  stands  a monument  of  the  wisdom 
and  patriotism  of  that  age.  In  the  de- 
bates of  the  first  congress,  Mr.  Madison 
took  a large  share.  It  was  an  assem- 
blage of  patriots,  among  whom  there 
often  arose  a difference  of  opinion  in 
regard  to  political  policy,  but  all  were 
lovers  of  their  country,  and  laboring  for 
her  best  interests.  Here  Mr.  Madison 
acted  with  the  Cabots  and  the  Ameses 
of  the  east  in  perfect  harmony.  It  was 
reserved  for  an  after-age  to  feel  the  with- 
ering effects  of  party  feuds.  These  were 
hardly  discovered  as  long  as  the  Father 
of  his  country  filled  tlje  presidential 
chair.  In  the  administration  of  his  suc- 
cessor, a separation  into  parties  took 
place,  and  Mr.  Madison  ranked  himself 
on  the  side  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his 
party,  and  was  secretary  of  state  during 
the  presidency  of  Mr.  Jefferson. 

In  March,  1809,  Mr.  Madison  became 
president  of  the  United  States.  In  1812, 
war  was  declared.  In  1817,  when  the 
reign  of  peace  was  established,  Mr. 
Madison  retired  to  his  farm  to  enjoy  the 
serenity  of  rural  life ; but  here  he  was 
not  idle.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son he  was  made  chancellor  of  the  uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  and  took  a deep 
interest  in  the  prosperity  of  the  institu- 
tion. When  Virginia  called  a conven- 
tion to  alter  her  constitution,  Mr.  Madi- 
son, with  Chief-Justice  Marshall  and 
• Mr.  Monroe,  was  found  among  the  most 
^prominent  members. 

James  Madison  was  not  an  orator,  in 
the  common  acceptation  of  the  word  ; 
j there  were  no  deep  tones  in  his  voice — 
no  flashes  of  a fierce  and  commanding 
eye — no  elegant  gestures  to  attract  the 
beholder  : all  was  calm,  dignified,  and 
convincing.  He  never  talked  for  the 
love  of  display,  but  simply  to  commu- 
nicate his  thoughts.  He  spoke  often  in 
debate,  when  earnest  in  his  cause,  but 
was  always  heard  with  profound  atten- 
tion. His  voice  was  deficient  in  volume, 


but  it  was  so  well  modulated  that  its 
compass  was  more  extensive  than  that 
of  many  speakers  of  stronger  lungs. 

Charlottesville. — This  town,  the 
seat  of  the  university  of  Virginia,  enjoys 
a beautiful  situation  in  the  valley  of  Ri- 
vanna  river,  on  the  right  of  which  it 
stands,  at  the  distance  of  eighty-three 
miles  from  Richmond.  The  principal 
buildings  of  the  town  are  four  churches, 
an  academy,  and  a female  seminary  ; and 
the  population  amounts  to  about  two 
thousand. 

Stagecoaches  depart  daily  for  Rich- 
mond, for  Washington,  and  for  the  White 
Sulphur  springs  ; and  three  times  a week 
for  Fredericksburg  and  Lynchburg. 

Lynchburg  stands  on  the  right  bank 
of  James  river,  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
miles  from  Richmond.  The  spot  which 
it  occupies  is  rough,  the  ground  being 
an  acclivity,  surrounded  by  a variety 
of  surface  with  striking  scenery.  The 
town  contains  one  or  two  banks,  three 
savings-banks,  fifteen  classical  schools,  a 
library,  eight  churches,  several  large 
flourmills,  and  about  thirty  tobacco  man- 
ufactories, with  about  eight  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  a place  of  great  trade, 
as  well  as  of  considerable  manufactures. 
The  town  is  supplied  with  water  raised 
from  James  river  by  hydraulic  power, 
and  is  distributed  from  a reservoir  con- 
taining 400,000  gallons,  and  standing  at 
an  elevation  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  feet  above  the  river;  thence  it 
passes  through  the  city  in  iron  pipes. 

James  River  Canal. — This  important 
work  of  internal  navigation,  at  Lynch- 
burg, extends  to  Richmond,  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  miles. 

Farmville,  seventy-five  miles  from 
Richmond,  is  situated  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Appomattox,  and  contains  three 
churches,  a bank,  and  ten  tobacco  man- 
ufactories. The  population  is  about  one 
thousand  four  hundred. 

Fredericksburg,  fifty-six  miles  from 
Washington,  stands  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Rappahannock  river,  and  has  a 
pleasant  appearance,  being  regularly 
laid  out,  and  surrounded  by  elevated 
grounds.  The  river  makes  a consider- 
able fall  at  this  place,  by  which  the 
town  is  supplied  with  valuable  water- 


Birthplace  of  Ex-Preeident  Monroe. 


336 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


power ; and  as  the  stream  is  navigable 
almost  to  the  foot  of  the  fall,  in  vessels 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  tons,  the  trade 
of  the  place  is  active  and  important. 
The  principal  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  two  banks,  the  orphan  asy- 
lum, five  churches,  and  six  academies. 
The  population  is  about  six  thousand. 

The  railroad,  passing  through  the 
town,  affords  daily  communication  in 
cars  with  Washington,  Richmond,  Wil- 
mington, &c. 

The  Birthplace  of  James  Monroe. — 
James  Monroe  was  bo’rn  in  the  county 
of  Westmoreland  on  the  28th  of  April, 
1758.  He  was  seventeen  years  old,  and 
in  William  and  Mary  college,  at  the 
time  when  the  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence was  made  by  congress,  and  he 
soon  after  entered  the  army  as  a cadet. 
He  was  with  Washington,  as  a lieuten- 
ant, at  Harlem,  White  Plains,  and  Tren- 
ton. At  the  latter  place  he  was  wounded 
in  the  shoulder,  and  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy  for  his  bravery.  After  his 
recovery,  he  served  as  aid-de-camp  to 
Lord  Stirling  in  1777-’78,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  was  in  the  battles  of  Bran- 
dywine, Germantown,  and  Monmouth. 

He  then  returned  to  Virginia,  and  en- 
deavored, unsuccessfully,  to  raise  a regi- 
ment ; after  which  he  entered  the  office 
of  Mr.  Jefferson  as  a student  of  law. 
In  1780  he  was  appointed  military  com- 
missioner by  Governor  Jefferson  ; and 
in  1782  was  elected  into  the  Virginia 
legislature  and  made  a member  of  the 
executive  council.  June  19,  1783,  he 
was  first  chosen  a member  of  congress 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  He  married 
Miss  Kortright,  of  New  York,  in  1786, 
with  whom  he  lived  through  a long  life. 
Leavipg  congress  after  three  years’  ser- 
vice, he  was  again  elected  into  the  legis- 
lature of  his  native  state,  and  soon  after 
elected  to  the  convention  for  the  adop- 
tion of  the  federal  constitution,  which 
he  opposed. 

From  1790  to  1794  he  was  a senator 
of  the  United  States,  and  was  then 
appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  to 
France;  and  having  been  recalled,  tow- 
ard the  close  of  Washington’s  adminis- ( 
tration,  was  elected  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia. In  1803,  he  again  went  to  France  I 


under  Jefferson’3  administration,  and,  in 
conjunction  with  Mr.  Livingston,  nego- 
tiated the  treaty  for  the  cession  of  Lou- 
isiana. He  was  then  appointed  succes- 
sor to  Mr.  King  as  minister  to  England  ; 
and,  having  been  ordered  to  Spain,  he 
soon  after  returned  to  England  and  back 
to  Virginia.  After  serving  again  as 
governor  of  Virginia  in  1811,  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  state  by  Mr. 
Madison,  and  continued  in  that  office 
till,  in  the  second  term  of  the  president, 
he  was  appointed  secretary  of  war.  On 
the  return  of  peace  he  again  entered 
the  office  of  secretary  of  state,  which  be 
held  until  his  election  as  president  of 
the  United  States  in  1817.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1821 ; and  at  the  expiration 
of  his  second  term,  in  1825,  he  retired 
to  private  life  in  Loudoun  county,  where 
he  resumed  the  practice  of  an  attorney- 
at-law,  and  was  elected  a magistrate  of 
the  county.  In  1829  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  convention  for  the  re- 
vision of  the  constitution  of  Virginia, 
and  made  president  of  it.  But  before 
its  close,  his  health  failed  ; he  lost  his 
wife  the  following  summer;  and  having 
removed  to  New  York,  to  reside  among 
his  friends  in  that  city,  he  died  there 
after  a few  months,  July  4,  1831. 

A short  time  before  his  death,  con- 
gress appropriated  considerable  sums  of 
money  to  defray  the  debts  under  which 
he  had  fi  >r  some  time  suffered,  partly  in 
consequence  of  advances  made  by  him 
for  the  public  account.  He  was  uni- 
formly a supporter  of  the  policy  and 
measures  of  Mr.  Jefferson. 

Hampden  Sidney  College. — This  in- 
stitution is  situated  ten  miles  southwest 
from  Farmville.  It  was  founded  in  1774, 
and  chartered  in  1783,  but  for  a long 
time  did  not  prove  very  flourishing.  It 
has  five  professors,  and  about  seventy 
students,  with  eight  thousand  volumes 
in  its  libraries.  Commencement  is  held 
on  the  fourth  Wednesday  of  September. 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  is 
at  a short  distance  from  the  college.  It 
was  founded  in  1824,  and  has  three  pro- 
fessors, twenty  students,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  under-graduates, 
with  about  four  thousand  volumes  in  it3 
libraries.  \ 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


337 


Wheeling. — This  is  the  most  impor- 
tant town  in  western  Virginia.  It  is 
one  hundred  and  four  miles  west  of 
Philadelphia,  on  the  Ohio,  at  the  mouth 
of  Wheeling  creek.  It  is  almost  en- 
closed by  considerable  hills,  which  afford 
an  abundance  of  bituminous  coal.  The 
public  buildings  are  a courthouse,  two 
banks,  a savings  institution,  a theatre, 
twelve  churches,  two  academies,  masonic 
hall,. and  institute  ; and  there  are  a great 
many  manufactories.  The  population  is 
about  eleven  thousand.  Water  for  the 
supply  of  the  town  is  raised  from  the 
Ohio.  There  is  a daily  communication 
with  Pittsburg  (Ohio)-,  and  the  various 
places  below  on  the  river. 

Elizabeth. — This  town  is  twelve 
miles  below  Wheeling,  on  a plain,  once 
the  habitation  of  a large  population, 
whose  remains  are  visible  in  numerous 
ancient  tumuli  scattered  over  its  surface. 
The  largest  is  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
feet  high,  and  surrounded  by  a ditch 
four  hundred  yards  in  circuit. 

Petersburg,  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Little  Kenhawa  river  at  its  conflu- 
ence with  the  Ohio,  has  a courthouse, 
two  banks,  nine  churches,  and  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  celebrated 
Blennerhassett’s  island  lies  three  miles 
below  this  place. 

Point  Pleasant  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty-six  miles  below  Pittsburg,  on  the 
Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Ken- 
hawa. On  this  spot  the  great  Indian 
battle  of  October  10,  1774,  was  fought, 
and  Logan,  a celebrated  chief,  defeated. 

Fincastle,  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  valley  of  the  Catawba,  contains  a 
courthouse,  four  churches,  and  about 
nine  hundred  inhabitants.  It  is  seven- 
ty five  miles  from  Richmond. 

Botetourt  Springs,  twelve  miles  from 
Fincastle,  have  accommodations  for  a 
considerable  number  of  visiters,  being 
the  resort  of  many  in  the  warm  season. 
The  water  contains  magnesia,  sulphur, 
and  carbonfc  acid. 

Daggers’  Springs  are  eighteen  miles 
from  Fincastle,  in  the  midst  of  a pic- 
turesque region.  The  waters  contain 
the  carbonates  of  soda,  magnesia,  and 
chlorides  of  the  same,  wit.h  sulphate  of 
soda,  &c. 


Abingdon,  near  Holston  river,  is  the 
largest  town  in  southwestern  Virginia, 
with  a courthouse,  two  academies,  four 
churches,  twelve  hundred  inhabitants. 

Winchester. — This  town  is  one  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  miles  from  Baltimore, 
and  one  hundred  and  forty-six  from 
Richmond  ; it  is  situated  in  a fine  and 
fertile  valley,  and  has  *regular  streets 
lined  with  handsome  houses.  The  pub- 
lic buildings  are  the  lyceum,  masonic 
hall,  twelve  churphes,  two  banks,  one 
savings  bank,  and  an  academy.  The 
population  amounts  to  four  thousand 
five  hundred.  The  town  is  supplied 
with  water,  by  iron  pipes,  from  a fine 
spring  in  the  vicinity.  There  is  a daily 
communication  with  Baltimore  in  the 
railroad  cars. 

Jordan’s  White  Sidphur  Springs,  six 
miles  north  of  Winchester,  have  recently 
become  known,  and  are  annually  the 
resort  of  many  visiters.  The  waters  are 
said  to  have  a resemblance  to  those  of 
the  Greenbriar  White  Sulphur  springs. 

Woodstock  is  sixty-two  miles  from 
Harper’s  Ferry,  and  stands  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Shenandoah.  It  has  one 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  public  build- 
ing are  a courthouse,  three  churches, 
and  masonic  hall. 

The  Yellow,  or  Orhey  Springs,  eigh- 
teen miles  from  Woodstock,  give  an 
abundant  supply  of  chalybeate  water, 
and  enjoy  a good  reputation. 

Staunton. — This  town  is  situated  at 
the  headwaters  of  the  Shenandoah,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Rich- 
mond, one  hundred  and  sixty-two  from 
Washington,  and  two  hundred  and  seven 
from  Baltimore.  It  has  a courthouse, 
the  Virginia  asylum  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb,  the  Western  lunatic  asylum,  two 
academies,  four  churches,  two  semina- 
ries, and  two  thousand  six  hundred  in- 
habitants. 

* The  Augusta  Springs  are  twelve  miles 
northwest  of  Staunton,  and  are  charged 
with  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  resembling 
the  Harrowgate  springs  in  England. 

The  Cyclopaean  Towers  are  remark- 
| able  rocks  in  this  vicinity. 

Wier’s  Cave,  one  of  the  greatest  nat- 
; ural  curiosities  in  this  country,  is  seven- 
I teen  miles  northwest  of.  Staunton. 


22 


> ■ — ■ — — ■■  — — 

338  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Martinsburg  is  twenty  miles  from 
Harper’s  Ferry,  stands  on  the  line  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  and 
contains  a courthouse,  six  churches,  two 
i academies,  and  about  one  thousand  sev- 
en hundred  inhabitants. 

Berkeley  Springs,  a favorite  watering- 
place,  is  twenty-five  miles  from  Mar- 
tinsburg. 

Charlestown. — This  place  is  eight 
miles  from  Harper’s  Ferry.  « The  pub- 
lic buildings  are  a courthouse,  an  acad- 
emy, and  three  churches,  and  the  popu- 
lation about  fifteen  hundred. 

Shannondale  Springs. — This  favorite 
resort  is  represented  in  the  vignette  at 
the  head  of  this  description.  Stage- 
coaches run  daily  to  this  place  from 
Charlestown,  which  is  five  miles  distant, 
and  at  which  place  carriages  from  the 
springs  meet  the  railway. 

The  situation  of  the  springs  is  near  the 
foot  of  the  Blue  ridge,  on  Shannondale 
river.  Shannondale  is  situated  among 
the  green  hills,  in  a romantic  bend  of  the 
Shenandoah,  twelve  miles  from  Harper’s 
Ferry.  The  waters  resemble  those  of 
Bedford,  containing  sulphate  and  car- 
bonate of  lime,  sulphate  and  muriate  of 
magnesia,  muriate  of  soda,  sulphate  and 
carbonate  of  iron,  sulphuretted  hydro- 
gen, and  carbonic  acid.  The  scenery 
around  this  spot  is  remarkably  fine  and 
varied.  These  springs  are  famous  for 
the  cure  of  spleen,  hypochondria,  and 
those  gnawing,  corroding  ailments  that 
weigh  down  the  system,  without  con- 
fining the  sufferer  to  his  bed ; and  are 
highly  medicinal  in  cases  of  disease. 

Fairfax  County — which  contains  a 
portion  of  the  territory  lately  included 
in  the  district  of  Columbia,  viz.,  that 
part  which  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  by  the  legislature,  and  lately  re- 
stored to  Virginia — was  named  after 
Lord  Fairfax,  the  proprietor  of  the  tract 
called  the  “Northern  Neck,”  and  an 
individual  much  distinguished  by  his 
wealth  and  peculiar  character,  whose 
family  was  connected  with  that  of  Wash- 
ington, who  was  a native  of  the  county. 

It  is  bounded  by  the  Potomac  river, 
and  crossed  by  the  Occoquan  and  its 
j branches  ; has  a low  and  sandy  surface, 

1 like  most  of  the'tide-water  country  of 

t Virginia,  but  in  some  parts  is  fertile. 

Large  tracts,  however,  have  that  aspect 
l of  desolation  which  is  peculiar  to  “worn- 
’ out  tobacco  lands,”  in  consequence  of 
the  bad  system,  long  pursued,  of  raising 
tobacco  as  long  as  possible  on  one  field 
aftei  another,  and  then  abandoning  them 
successively,  without  an  effort  to  restore 
the  exhausted  fertility.  The  result  gen-  ! 
eially  is  a spontaneous  growth  of  cedars 
and  low  pines,  a sterile  and  forbidding 
appearance,  and  a general  abandonment 
ot  the  land  by  the  inhabitants. 

The  soil,  however,  has  proved  valu- 
able in  the  hands  of  farmers  accustomed 
to  a different  system  of  agriculture,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Potomac.  Tracts  have 
been  rendered  productive,  especially  in 
Fairfax  county,  where  bodies  of  settlers 
from  New  York,  principally  of  German 
extraction,  purchased  land  at  very  low 
prices  a few  years  ago,  and  are  already 
in  flourishing  circumstances. 

Mount  Vernon,  in  Fairfax  county — 
the  estate  of  the  Washington  family — 
is  nine  miles  south  from  Alexandria, 
and  is  remarkable  as  containing  the  tomb 
of  General  Washington.  The  road  is 
somewhat  intricate,  and  has  but  few  in- 
habitants ; so  that  the  stranger,  unless  he 
goes  in  a steamboat,  will  need  to  make 
careful  inquiries.  The  house  stands  on 
an  eminence,  looking  down  upon  the 
Potomac.  The  buildings  which  project 
from  each  end  are  deformities,  which 
greatly  mar  the  effect. 

The  key  of  the  bastile  of  Paris  is 
hung  up  in  the  hall;  and  a miniature 
portrait  of  Washington,  from  an  earthen 
pitcher,  is  preserved,  which  is  consid- 
ered by  the  family  the  best  likeness  of 
him  ever  made.  A beautiful  lawn,  partly 
shaded  by  trees,  extends  from  the  front 
of  the  mansion  to  the  verge  of  the  preci- 
pice which  overhangs  the  Potomac,  and 
affords  a delightful  view  upon  the  river 
and  a tract  of  hilly  country  above  and 
below. 

This  is  the  place  to  which 'Washing- 
ton retired  after  he  had  accomplished 
the  independence  of  his  country,  and 
again  when  he  had  presided  at  the  con- 
solidation of  the  government — volun- 
tarily resigning  the  stations  he  had  con- 
sented to  accept,  and  the  power  he 

340  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


had  exercised,  only  for  the  good  of  his 
country.  To  an  American  this  place  is 
interesting,  in  a degree  which  no  lan- 
guage  can  either  heighten  or  describe. 
Whoever  appreciates  the  value  of  pri- 
vate and  social  virtue,  will  rejoice  to 
find  it  associated  with  the  traits  of  a 
personage  so  distinguished  and  influen- 
tial ; the  consistent  politician  will  rejoice 
to  reflect  that  the  principles  of  natural 
freedom  are  not  restricted  to  any  portion 
of  the  world,  or  any  part  of  the  human 
race  ; while  any  one  who  can  duly  esti- 
mate the  extent  of  the  blessings  he  has 
conferred  on  his  country,  and  the  influ- 
ence of  his  actions  on  the  happiness  of 
the  world,  will  wish  that  his  history  may 
ever  be  cherished,  as  a model  of  sincere 
and  disinterested  patriotism. 

Last  Illness  of  Washington. — On 
Thursday,  the  12th  of  December,  1799, 
while  riding  over  his  farms,  Washington 
became  exposed  to  a severe  storm  of 
rain,  hail,  and  snow,  with  a sharp,  pier- 
cing wind.  He  took  a cold,  but  it  did 
not  exhibit  any  alarming  symptoms  till 
Saturday  morning,  the  14th,  when  his 
throat  and  chest  were  so  severely  affect- 
ed that  he  could  hardly  speak,  and 
breathed  with  difficulty.  He  continued 
to  grow  worse  during  the  day.  His 
medical  advisers  were  sent  for,  and 
bleeding  and  other  remedies  adopted, 
without  affording  relief.  The  following 
account  of  His  last  hours  is  from  a mem- 
orandum of  his  private  secretary  : — 

“By  Mrs.  Washington’s  request,  1 
despatched  a messenger  for  Dr.  Brown, 
of  Port  Tobacco.  About  nine  o’clock, 
Dr.  Craik  arrived,  and  put  a blister  of 
cantharides  on  the  throat  of  the  general, 
and  took  more  blood,  and  had  some  vin- 
egar and  hot  water  set  in  a teapot,  for 
him  to  draw  in  the  steam  from  the 
spout. 

“ About  eleven  o’clock,  Dr.  Dick  was 
sent  for.  Dr.  Craik  bled  the  general 
again  ; no  effect  was  produced,  and  he 
continued  in  the  same  state,  unable  to 
swallow  anything.  Dr.  Dick  came  in 
about  three  o’clock,  and  Dr.  Brown  ar- 
rived soon  after ; when*  after  consulta- 
tion, the  general  was  bled  again.  The 
blood  ran  slowly,  appeared  very  thick, 
and  did  not  produce  any  symptoms  of 


fainting.  At  four  o’clock,  the  general 
could  swallow  a little.  Calomel  and  | 
tartar-emetic  were  administered  without 
effect.  About  half-past  four  o’clock  be 
requested  me  to  ask  Mrs.  Washington 
to  come  to  his  bedside,  when  he  desired 
her  to  go  down  to  his  room,  and  take 
from  his  desk  two  wills  which  she  would 
find  there,  and  bring-  them  to  him,  which 
she  did.  Upon  looking  at  one,  which 
he  observed  was  useless,  he  desired  her 
to  burn  it,  which  she  did  ; and  then  took 
the  other  and  put  it  away.  After  this 
was  done,  I returned  again  to  his  bed- 
side and  took  his  hand.  He  said  to  me, 
‘I  find  I am  going — my  breath  can  not 
continue  long — I believed  from  the  first 
attack  that  it  would  be  fatal.  Do  you 
arrange  and  record  all  my  military  let- 
ters and  papers  ; arrange  my  accounts 
and  settle  my  books,  as  you  know  more 
about  them  than  any  one  else ; and  let 
Mr.  Rawlins  finish  recording  my  other 
letters,  which  he  has  begun.’ 

“ The  physicians  arrived  between  five 
and  six  o’clock,  and  when  they  came  to 
his  bedside,  Dr.  Craik  asked  him  if  he 
would  sit  up  in  the  bed  : he  held  out  his 
hand  to  me,  and  was  raised  up,  when  he 
said  to  the  physician  : ‘ 1 feel  myself  go- 
ing ; you  had  better  not  take  any  more 
trouble  about  me,  but  let  me  go  off  qui- 
etly ; I can  not  last  long.’  They  found 
what  had  been  done  was  without  effect; 
he  lay  down  again,  and  they  retired,  ex- 
cepting Dr.  Craik.  He  then  said  to  him  : 

1 Doctor,  I die  hard,  but  I am  not  afraid 
to  go ; I believed,  from  my  first  attack, 

I should  not*  survive  it ; my  breath  can 
not  last  long.’  The  doctor  pressed  his 
hand,  but  could  not  utter  a word  ; he  re- 
tired from  the  bedside  and  sat  by  the 
fire,  absorbed  in  grief.  About  eight 

■ p .o 

o’clock  the  physicians  again  came  into 
the  room  and  applied  blisters  to  his  j 
legs,  btit  went  out  without  a ray  of  hope.  I 
From  this  time  he  appeared  to  breathe  I 
with  less  difficulty  than  he  had  done,  I 
but  was  very  restless,  continually  chang- 
inghis  position,  to  endeavor  to  get  ease,  j 
1 aided  him  all  in  my  power,  and  was  ! 
gratified  in  believing  he  felt  it,  for  he  I 
would  look  upon  me  with  eyes  speaking 
gratitude,  but  unable  to  utter  a word 
without  great  distress.  About  ten  o’clock 


Mount  Vernon.  la\e  Residence  of  Washington. 


342 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


he  made  several  attempts  to  speak  to  me 
before  he  could  effect  it;  at  length  he 
said:  ‘ I am  just  going.  Have  me  decently 
buried;  and  do  not  let  my  body  be  put 
into  the  vault  in  less  than  two  days  after 
I am  dead.’  I bowed  assent.  He  looked 
at  me  again  and  said,  ‘ Do  yon  under- 
stand me  V I replied,  ‘ Yes  sir.’  ‘ ’Tis 
well,’  said  he.  About  ten  minutes  be- 
fore he  expired,  his  breathing  became 
much  easier:  he  lay  quietly:  he  with- 
drew his  hand  from  mine,  and  felt  his 
own  pulse.  I spoke  to  Dr.  Craik,  who 
sat  by  the  fire  : hn  came  to  the  bedside. 
The  general’s  hand  fell  from  his  wrist; 
I took  it  in  mine,  and  placed  on  my 
breast.  Dr.  Craik  placed  his  hands  over 
his  eyes  : and  he  expired  without  a 
sigh.” 

I Washington's  Tomb  is  a simple  struc- 
j ture  of  stone,  only  the  front  of  which  is 
I visible,  the  other  parts  being  covered 
with  the  earth  of  a small  sandhill  which 
was  excavated,  and  the  surface  of  which* 
was  left  covered  with  dwarf  cedars  and 
a few  other  trees  with  which  it  was  nat- 
urally shaded.  The  whole  is  concealed 
from  the  view  of  the  passer-by,  by  a 
neat  and  substantial  stone  wall  of  con- 
siderable height,  with  a gate,  over  which 
is  a slab  bearing  this  inscription  : — 

“Wa-bington  Family.” 

The  surrounding  scene  is  left  nearly 
in  the  state  of  nature.  The  irregular 
surface  of  the  ground  and  the  numerous 
trees  exclude  the  sight  of  every  distant 
object;  and  there  is  nothing  in  view  to 
disturb  the  mind,  in  the  solemn  and 
impressive  reflections  which  naturally 
arise  within  it.  Although  the  Potomac 
flows  by  at  a short  distance  from  the 
spot,  and  was  in  full  view  from  near  the 
door  of  the  original  tomb,  every  glimpse 
of  it  is  shut  out  from  this,  and  not  a 
single  sound  intrudes  to  interrupt  the 
solitude. 

Few  visiters  to  the  spot  obtain  an  en- 
trance into  the  tomb,  or  even  through 
the  gate.  The  stone  coffln,  which  con- 
tains the  ashes  of  the  venerable  occu- 
pant, is  engraved  with  the  arms  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  simple  name  of 
“ Washington.” 

-The  following  description  of  General 
La  Fayette’s  visit  to  the  old  tomb,  was 


written  by  his  companion  and  secretary, 
Levasseur  : — 

“ After  a voyage  of  two  hours,  the 
guns  of  Fort  Washington  announced  that 
we  were  approaching  the  last  abode  of 
the  Father  of  his  country.  At  this  sol- 
emn signal,  to  which  the  military  band 
accompanying  us  responded  by  plaintive 
strains,  we  went  on  deck,  and  the  ven- 
erable soil  of  Mount  Vernon  was  before 
us.  At  this  view,  an  involuntary  and 
spontaneous  movement  made  us  kneel. 
We  landed  in  boats,  and  trod  upon  the 
ground  so  often  trod  by  the  feet  of  Wash- 
ington. A carriage  received  General  La 
Fayette,  and  the  other  visiters  silently 
ascended  the  precipitous  path  which  con- 
ducted to  the  solitary  habitation  of  Mount 
Vernon.  In  re-entering  beneath  this 
hospitable  loof,  which  had  sheltered 
him  when  the  reign  of  terror  tore  him 
violently  from  his  country  and  family, 
George  La  Fayette  felt  his  heart  sink 
within  him,  at  no  more  finding  him 
whose  paternal  care  had  softened  his 
misfortunes ; while  his  father  sought 
with  emotion  for  everything  which  re- 
minded him  of  the  companion  of  his 
glorious  toils. 

“ Three  nephews  of  General  Wash- 
ington took  La  Fayette,  his  son,  and 
myself,  to  conduct  us  to  the  tomb  of 
their  uncle  ; our  numerous  companions 
remained  in  the  house.  In  a few  min- 
utes the  cannon,  thundering  anew,  an- 
nounced that  La  Fayette  rendered  hom- 
age to  the  ashes  of  Washington.  Simple 
and  modest  as  he  was  during  life,  the 
tomb  of  the  citizen-hero  is  scarcely  per- 
ceived among  the  sombre  cypresses  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  A vault,  slightly 
elevated  and  sodded  over — a wooden 
door  without  inscriptions — some  with- 
ered and  green  garlands,  indicate  to  the 
traveller,  who  visits  the  spot,  where  rest 
in  peace  the  puissant  arms  which  broke 
the  chains  of  his  country.  As  we  ap- 
proached, the  door  was  opened.  La 
Fayette  descended  alone  into  the  vault, 
and  a few  minutes  after  reappeared  with 
his  eyes  overflowing  with  tears.  He 
took  his  son  and  me  by  the  hand,  and 
led  us  into  the  tomb,  where,  by  a sign, 
he  indicated  the  coffin.  -We  knelt  rev- 
erentially, and  rising,  threw  ourselves 


DEATH-BED  OF  WASHINGTON 


I 344 


into  the  arms  of  La  Fayette,  and  min- 
gled our  tears  with  his.” 

Williamsburg,  though  a small  place, 
is  the  oldest  incorporated  town  in  the 
state,  and  was  formerly  the  capital.  It 
is  fifty-eight  miles  from  Richmond,  and 
sixty-eight  from  Norfolk.  It  has  three 
churches,  a magazine,  two  seminaries, 
the  eastern  lunatic  asylum,  and  William 
and  Mary  college.  The  number  of  in- 
habitants is  about  two  thousand. 

The  Statue  of  Lord  Botetourt  stands 
in  the  square,  which  retains  a portion 
of  its  original  beauty,  though  much  mu- 
tilated, having  been  a good  specimen 
of  sculpture.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
judges  of  the  colony.  It  was  erected 
in  1774,  at  the  expense  of  the  colony. 

William  and  Mary  College. — This 
was  the  first  literary  institution  of  the 
higher  kind  in  Virginia,  having  been 
founded  in  1692,  under  the  reign  of  the 
sovereigns  whose  name  it  bears.  They 
were  its  liberal  benefactors,  granting  it 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  as  an  en- 
dowment. There  are  five  professors, 
about  one  hundred  students,  and  about 
four  thousand  volumes  in  its  libraries. 
The  institution  embraces  a law  depart- 
ment. The  commencement  is  held  on 
the  4th  of  July. 

This  institution  is  the  oldest  of  that 
name  in  the  Union,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  Harvard  university,  but  was 
long  kept  as  a mere  grammar-  school. 
Many  of  its  graduates  have  been  among 
the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  state  j 
and  nation.  Some  of  the  books  in  the 
library  bear  the  name  of  Robert  Din- 
widdie  and  his  coat-of-arms,  with  his  mot- 
to : “ Ubilibertas,  ihi patria.”  Among 
the  most  valuable  works  is  Catesby’s 
Natural  History  of  Carolina,  Florida, 
and  the  Bahama  Banks,  two  volumes 
folio,  English  and  French — printed  in 
1754.  The  first  building  was  erected 
in  1793,  in  Williamsburg;  but  it  was 
not  until  some  important  changes  were 
made  in  the  plan  of  the  institution,  that 
it  began  to  assume  the  character  of  a 
college.  The  two  professorships  in  di- 
vinity and  that  for  Latin  and  Greek, 
established  in  1692,  were  substituted 
by  professorships  in  other  departments. 
Among  the  six  formerly  existing  was  one  | 


for  the  instruction  and  conversion,  of 
the  Indians,  founded  by  Mr.  Boyle,  of 
England. 

The  Old  Capitol. — A few  fragments 
only  now  remain  of  the  building  known 
as  “ the  capitol.”  This,  however,  was 
not  the  first  edifice  erected  for  the  capi- 
tol of  the  colony,  which  was  consumed 
by  fire  in  1746.  Its  successor  also  was 
burned  in  1832,  and  that  is  the  one 
whose  remains  are  to  be  seen.  Within 
its  walls  some  interesting  incidents  oc- 
curred. There  Washington  received, 
in  his  youth,  an  expression  of  the  thanks 
of  the  colonial  legislature,  on  his  return 
from  the  French  war,  from  the  lips  of 
Mr.  Robinson,  the  speaker,  who  com- 
plimented him  in  such  high  terms,  that, 
with  characteristic  modesty,  he  blushed, 
trembled,  and  stammered — unable  to 
return  a distinct  answer.  To  relieve 
his  embarrassment,  the  speaker  kindly 
said:  “ Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington ; your 
modesty  is  equal  to  your  valor,  and  that 
surpasses  the  power  of  any  language  I 
that  I possess.” 

In  the  same  building,  Patrick  Henry 
made  his  first  public  speech  before  the 
house  of  burgesses  ; and  although  in  a 
coarse  dress,  and  with  the  air  of  “an 
obscure  and  unpolished  rustic,”  he  as- 
tonished the  aristocratic  members  of  the 
chamber,  by  his  vigorous  eloquence. 

The  old  Raleigh  Tavern  is  still  to  be 
seen,  cfistinguished  by  a,  bust  of  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  over  the  door.  It  is  the 
place  in  which  some  of  the  most  impor- 
tant committees  of  the  legislature  used 
to  meet  in  the  Revolutionary  days;  and 
there  is  said  to  have  been  first  conceived 
and  proposed,  by  Henry  Lee  and  his 
associates,  the  system  of  correspondence 
which  was  carried  on  with  so  much  suc- 
cess during  the  war. 

Lord  Dunsmore' s Palace. — Two  small 
buildings  may  be  seen,  which  are  the  j 
remains  of  the  edifice  occupied  by  Lord 
Dunsmore,  the  last  royal  governor  of  : 
Virginia.  They  stand  in  a small  court,  j 
which  formed  part  of  the*  extensive  ] 
grounds  which  surrounded  his  mansion, 
and  then  embraced  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  There  he  maintained  a 
splendid  style  of  living;  but,  being  op- 
posed to  the  rising  spirit  of  the  people 


The  Tomb  of 


at  the  approaching  of  the  revolutionary 
period,  he  was  deprived  of  his  place 
and  power. 

The  Old  Magazine. — This  is  an  an- 
cient octagonal  building,  on  the  square, 
erected  above  one  hundred  and  twentv 
years  since,  from  which  Governor  Duns- 
more,  in  1775,  removed  the  gunpowder 
of  the  colony  on  board  the  man-of-war 
Magdalen,  then  in  the  harbor.  This 
act  excited  the  people  to  form  the  first 
armed  forces  assembled  in  opposition  to 
the  British  government. 

Yorktown,  seventy  miles  from  Rich- 
mond, is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of 
York  river,  and  is  distinguished  for  the 
closing  military  scene  of  the  American 
revolution,  the  surrender  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis, which  put  a close  to  the  strug- 
gle between  Great  Britain  ‘and  the  new 
states.  It  was  founded  in  1705,  and 
was  formerly  much  more  flourishing  than 
it  now  is.  The  number  of  inhabitants 
is  very  much  reduced,  so  that  it  is  hardly 
worthy  of  the  name  of  a village,  con- 
taining scarcely  forty  houses,  and  these 
marked  by  decay.  York  county  was 
one  of  the  eight  original  counties  into 
which  Virginia  was  divided  in  1634. 
The  situation  is  pleasant,  and  many  of 
the  scenes  are  fine. 

The  York  Tavern,  in  the  village,  is 
believed  to  be  the  oldest  in  the  state. 
The  ruins  of  the  old  church  have  a sad 
and  solemn  aspect.  It  was  built  above 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1814.  The  bell  is 
preserved,  and  bears  this  inscription  : — 

“ County  of  York , Virginia , 1725.” 

The  walls  of  'the  building  were  com- 
posed of  marl,  which  was  soft  when  first 
dug  from  the  ground,  but  hardened  like 
stone  after  a little  time. 

The  White  Sulphur  Spring,  in  Green- 
briar  county,  two  hundred  and  twelve 
miles  from  Richmond,  is  situated  in  an 
elevated  and  beautifully  picturesque  val- 
ley,  hemmed  in  by  mountains  on  every 
side,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  celebrated 
“ spring  region.”  Its  elevation  above 
tidewater  is  two  thousand  feet.  It  bursts 
with  boldness  from  rock-lined  apertures, 
and  is  enclosed  by  marble  casements 
five  feet  square  and  three  and  a half 
feet  deep.  Its  temperature  is  sixty-two 


degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  remains  uni- 
formly  the  same,  winter  and  summer. 
The  principal  spring  yields  about  eigh- 
teen gallons  per  minute,  and  is  never 
increased  or  diminished  by  any  changes 
of  weather.  The  water  is  perfectly  clear 
and  transparent,  and  deposites  copiously, 
as  it  floats  over  a rough  and  uneven  sur- 
face of  rocks,  a white  precipitate — some- 
times, under  peculiar  circumstances,  red 
and  black — composed  in  part  of  its  in- 
gredients. Its  taste  and  smell,  fresh  at 
the  spring,  are  those  of  all.  waters  so 
strongly  impregnated  with  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  gas. 

The  fountain  is  enclosed  and  covered 
by  a circular  edifice,  about  thirty  feet  in 
diameter,  supported  by  pillars  like  the 
cupola  of  a church  or  other  public  build- 
ing, except  that  in  place  of  a weather- 
cock, or  some  religious  emblem,  the 
summit  is  handsomely  embellished  with 
a large  marble  figure  of  Hygeia  (the 
goddess  of  health),  presented  by  the 
late  Mr.  Henderson,  of  New  Orleans, 
in  a spirit  of  gratitude  for  the  benefit 
he  had  received  at  this  noble  fountain. 
Here  visiters  resort  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  quaff  from  two  to  six  glasses  of 
water  impregnated  chiefly  with  sulphate 
of  lime,  sulphate  of  magnesia,  and  sul- 
phate of  soda. 

Within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
spring,  in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  which 
here  spreads  out  nearly  to  a plane  sui- 
face,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  a lawn  of 
some  eight  or  ten  acres,  stands  the  dining 
hall,  near  two  hundred  feet  long,  with 
tables  to  seat  six  hundred  guests.  From 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
cabins  and  cottages  are  ranged  alpng  at 
considerable  elevation  above  the  spring, 
in  curvilinear  form,  adapted  to  the  sinu-  | 
osities  of  the  mountain  base  that  skirts  I 
the  valley,  and  other  irregularities  of  J 
the  site ; but  still  making  nearly  an  ob- 
| long  square,  and  occupying  a line  of 
I perhaps  nearly  a mile  in  its  entire  length, 
enclosing  an  area  of  ten  or  twelve  acres, 

! well  set  in  blue  grass,  intersected  with 
dry  walks  for  exercise,  and  ornamented 
with  that  variety  of  trees  which  seems 
characteristic  of  this  region.  Here  the 
native  oak  in  all  its  grandeur : there  the 


symmetrical  sugar-maple; 


next  again 


View  of  Yorktown,  from  the  old  W iudmill,  as  you  approach  from  Williamsburg. 


the  hickory  (that  of  the  old  stock),  and 
hard  by  the  locust. 

These  beautiful  forest-trees  have  been 
so  judiciously  left  and  pruned,  as  not  to 
conceal  or  smother  what  they  were  in- 
tended to  shade  and  beautify  ; and  make, 
with  the  cottages,  especially  when  these 
are  lighted  up  at  night,  altogether  a fine 
panorama. 

Lord  Morpeth* and  other  distinguished 
foreigners  have,  in  their  admiration,  pro- 
nounced the  bath  at  the  Warm  and  the 
White  Sulphur  springs — for  arrange- 
ment and  extent  of  accommodations, 
scenery,  and  health-giving  qualities  of 
the  water — far  superior  to  any  similar 
resorts  in  Europe. 

The  cabins  are  all  of  brick,  or  neatly 
framed,  finished,,  and  painted,  with  a 
nice  piazza  separately  railed  in  for  each. 
Many  of  them  display  handsome  and 
chaste  specimens  of  architecture. 

Travellers  leaving  Baltimore  in  the 
morning,  by  the  railroad,  reach  Win- 
chester the  same  evening ; thence  travel 
by  post-coach,  along  a Macadamized 
turnpike,  one  hundred  miles  up  the  val- 
ley of  Stanton  ; sup  and  lodge  the  next 
night  at  Cloverdale;  and  the  second 
morning  breakfast  at  the  Warm  springs. 
The  warm  bath  is  forty  feet  in  diameter 
and  six  feet  in  depth,  ninety-eight  de- 
grees Fahrenheit,  and  withal  clear  as 
crystal  and  sparkling  as  champagne. 

A Negro  Cabin. — There  is  consid- 
erable difference  in  the  form,  size,  and 
materials  of  the  habitations  of  negroes 
in  Virginia,  especially  if  we  include  those 
in  the  principal  towns.  That  repre- 1 
sented  in  the  cut  may  be  taken  as  a 
specimen  of  the  largest  and  best  kind  | 
ordinarily  seen  in  the  country.  The  | 
negro  huts  are  usually  built  in  clusters  ; j 
those  for  the  family  servants  forming  a : 
quadrangle  in  the  yard,  and  others  be-  J 
ing  placed  at  a greater  or  less  distance  ' 
from  the  house  of  the  planter,  accord- 
ing to  the  extent  of  his  estate. 

Most  of  them  are  built  of  logs  or  the 
bodies  of  small  trees;  the  materials  dif- : 
fer,  however,  in  certain  parts  of  the 
country  ; some  of  the  poorer  white  peo- 
ple dwelling  in  huts  of  a similar  descrip- 
tion. The  arrangements  and  furniture 
are  of  the  simplest  kind.  The  chinks  | 


between  the  logs  or  boards  are  filled, 
entirely  or  partly,  with  moss  or  clay  ; 
the  chimneys  are  formed  of  small  sticks 
and  covered  with  mud  ; the  floor  is  the 
ground,  which  often  serves  for  beds  at 
night. 

The  following  is  from  a recent  letter- 
writer  : — 

“Not  long  ago,  I attended  a funeral 
of  an  aged  female  slave.  About  the 
grave  were  gathered  some  two  score  of 
negroes;  and  as  the  coffin  descended 
into  the  tomb,  the  moistened  eye  of 
everyone  bespoke  the  touched  heart; 
and  an  old  man,  with  half-choked  utter- 
ance, said:  ‘Cry  not,  my  friends,  our 
sister  has  gone  from  us,  but  we  mus 
meet  her  de  oder  side  of  de  grave.  De 
great  Master  has  sent  for  her,  and  she 
is  now  at  home.  God  grant  we  be  dere 
too!’  The  chips  made  in  constructing 
the  coffin,  were  burned  in  a fire  made 
for  the  purpose  in  the  open  air,  as  they 
believe  that  death  will  soon  enter  the 
family  on  whose  hearth-stone  they  are 
burned.  Several  weeks  after  the  burial 
the  sermon  is  preached.  Crowds  of 
slaves  attend,  and  all  are  treated  abun- 
dantly to  refreshments  of  every  kind. 

“An  old  servant,  who  often  speaks 
of  the  surrender  at  Yorktown,  and  of 
the  scenes  that  were  witnessed  at  the 
time  by  him — and  who  told  me  that  he 
‘ learned  to  read’  when  he  went  with  his 
‘ young  master  to  college’ — now  that  he 
is  exempt  from  labor,  spends  his  time 
in  reading  his  bible,  and  in  ‘ fighting  his 
battles  over  again.’  I often  see  him  of 
a Sunday  evening,  surrounded  by  an 
audience  of  his  own  race,  reading  and 
explaining  the  Scriptures  to  them  ; and 
they,  in  the  meantime,  manifest  their 
appreciation  of  the  sacred  word,  by 
looks  of  the  most  active  interest,  and 
expressions  of  joy  and  comfort.” 

Wellsburg,  eighty-seven  miles  from 
Pittsburg,  on  the  Ohio  river,  has  a bank, 
a courthouse,  five  churches,  with  several 
manufactories,  and  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants.  * 

Bethany  is  eight  miles  east  from 
Wellsboro’.  It  is  a small  village,  but 
is  the  seat  of 

Bethany  College , an  institution  with 
about  one  hundred  pupils. 


Negro  Cabin 


350 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  VIRGINIA, 


Pocahontas. — No  other  Indian  fe- 
male ever  rendered  such  a service  to  a 
white  man  as  Pocahontas,  under  cir- 
cumstances so  well  calculated  to  excite 
admiration.  All  have  read  the  simple 
narrative  of  her  intercession  to  save  the 
life  of  Captain  Smith,  at  that  critical 
period  when  his  death  would  probably 
have  led  to  the  extirpation  of  his  little 
suffering  colony.  But  perhaps  many 
have  lost  sight  of  one  circumstance  which 
is  calculated  to  enhance  its  effect  upon 
the  feelings.  We  refer  to  the  tender 
years  of  the  heroine : §he  was  a child 
of  only  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age. 

From  the  accounts  we  have  of  the 
case,  we  see  abundant  reason  to  believe 
that  nothing  could  have  directed  her  in 
the  course  she  pursued,  but  a strong 
natural  dictate  of  humanity.  Yet  why 
she  should  have  been  so  affected  in  that 
case,  it  is  difficult  to  say,  as  it  may  be 
presumed  she  had  witnessed  scenes  of 
cruelty,  bloodshed,  and  murder,  among 
the  savage  race,  and  in  the  savage  fam- 
ily to  which  she  belonged.  Many  of 
the  actions  of  Indians,  we  find  on  nearer 
acquaintance  with  them,  are  dictated  by 
some  of  their  strange  superstitious  no- 
tions. A dream,  an  unusual  sight  or 
sound,  or  some  other  trifle,  they  often 
believe  to  be  connected  with  something 
which  gives  it  importance.  This  is  es- 
pecially true  of  the  men,  whose  dreams 
in  their  initiatory  fasts  decide  some  im- 
portant point  for  life. 

We  have  no  particular  reason,  how- 
ever, to  assign  such  a motive  to  Poca- 
hontas, any  more  than  to  the  celebrated 
Indian  princess  who  figures  so  remark- 
ably in  the  early  history  of  New  Eng- 
land— the  wife  of  Mononotto,  the  Pequod 
sachem,  whose  refinement  and  dignity, 
as  well  as  her  humanity,  excited  the  ad- 
miration of  Governor  Winslow,  familiar 
as  he  was  with  the  manners  of  the  Eng- 
lish court. 

It  was  in  the  gloomy  year  when  the 
little  colony  at  Jamestown  (the  first 
which  survived  the  trials  of  the  settle- 
ment) was  reduced  to  such  sufferings  by 
the  scarcity  of  food,  that  Smith,  with 
the  determination  of  relieving  them,  ven- 
tured among  the  Indians  in  the  interior, 
and  after  proceeding  up  James  river  in 


a boat,  left  it  with  his  companions  at 
the  landing,  and  went  on  toward  the 
dwelling  of  Powhatan.  This  would, 
probably,  have  appeared  only  a bold 
step,  if  he  had  met  with  no  difficulty  ; 
but  we  are  so  prone  to  judge  of  an  act 
by  its  consequences,  that  when  we  see  j 
him  falling  into  a snare,  laid  on  a rock,  j 
and  a war-club  raised  to  dash  out  his  | 
brains,  we  are  ready  to  call  him  incon-  j 
siderate  and  rash.  He  appeared  to  have 
retained  his  presence  of  mind  through 
all  his  dangers,  and  by  happy  expedients 
twice  obtained  a short  reprieve,  viz.  : 
by  showing  the  savages  his  pocket  com- 
pass, and  by  sending  to  Jamestown  for 
medicine  to  cure  a sick  Indian.  These 
and  other  circumstances  may  have  had 
their  influence  on  the  feelings  of  the 
young  princess.  But,  whatever  was  the 
cause,  she  behaved  like  a heroine  ; and 
not  in  one  case  only,  or  toward  a single 
individual.  By  a timely  message,  sent 
no  doubt  with  great  personal  risk,  she 
warned  the  infant  colony  of  the  mur- 
derous plots  of  the  savages. 

Through  her  intercession,  an  English 
boy,  named  Henry  Spilman,  was  saved 
from  death,  and  afterward  rendered  the 
colonists  much  service.  So  strong  was 
the  friendship  of  Pocahontas  for  the 
whites,  that  she  left  her  home,  and  re- 
sided with  the  Patamowekes,  whose 
sachem,  Japazas,  was  a friend  of  Smith’s, 
that  she  might  not  witness  the  death  of 
English  prisoners,  whom  'she  could  no 
longer  rescue  from  the  bloody  hands  of 
her  father.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
however,  she  was  sold  by  that  "sachem 
to  Captain  Argali  for  a copper  kettle,  as 
he  thought  her  father’s  attachment  to 
her  might  prevent  him  from  prosecuting 
his  bitter  persecutions  of  the  colony. 
Her  father  sought  to  recover  her  ; but, 
before  any  arrangement  was  made  for 
the  return  of  the  interesting  captive,  she 
gave  her  consent  to  marry  an  English- 
man named  Rolfe,  who  had  long  before 
contracted  an  affection  for  her. 

The-  character  of  Powhatan  is  a very 
marked  one.  His  attachment  to  his 
daughter  alone  would  be  enough  to  vin- 
dicate the  red  race  from  the  charge  of 
being  without  natural  affection.  He  at 
first  opposed  her  marriage,  but  after- 


ward  gave  his  consent,  despatched  an 
officer  to  witness  the  ceremony,  sent  a 
deerskin  to  Pocahontas  and  another  to 
her  husband,  and  maintained  thereafter 
the  most  friendly  terms  with  the  col- 
onists. 

Yet  Powhatan  refused  to  give  his 
younger  daughter  in  marriage  to  Gov- 
ernor Dale,  though  solicited  by  him  and 
her  sister — saying  to  the  messenger  : — 

“ Go  back  to  your  governor,  and  tell 
him  that  I value  his  love  and  peace, 
which,  while  I live,  I will  keep.  Tell 
him  that  I love  my  daughter  as  my  life  ; 
and  though  I have  many  children,  I have 
none  like  her.  If  I could  not  see  her, 

I would  not  live ; and  if  I give  her  to 
you,  I shall  never  see  her.  I hold  it 
not  a brotherly  part  to  desire  to  take 
away  two  children  at  once.” 

Pocahontas  was  baptized,  and  re- 
ceived the  name  of  Rebecca.  In  1616 
she  made  a voyage  to  England  with  her 
husband,  where  she  was  received  with 
much  attention.  Her  husband  had  just 
been  appointed  to  an  office  in  the  col- 
ony, and  was  preparing  to  return  when 
she  died,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Her 
only  child,  a son,  was  educated  by  his 
uncle  in  Virginia,  and  his  daughter  was 
the  ancestor  of  the  Randolphs,  and  sev- 
eral other  principal  families  of  the  state. 

John  Randolph. — A writer  in  the 
Norfolk  Beacon  describes  a visit  to  the 
grave  of  this  remarkable  man,  and  in 
speaking  of  his  former  residence,  thus 
writes  : — 

After  a ride  of  two  or  three  hours, 
we  entered  a forest  of  tall  oaks,  and 
were  told  by  Mr.  Cardwell  that  we  were 
on  Mr.  Randolph’s  estate.  Shortly  the 
j houses  that  were  occupied  by  the  great 
and  eccentric  genius  appeared  through 
the  intervening  trees,  built  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  woods.  Not  a stump  to 
be  seen,  not  a bush  grubbed  up — all 
standing  as  if  the  foot  of  man  had  never 
trodden  there.  Mr.  Randolph  would 
not  suffer  the  primitive  aspect  of  things 
to  be  disturbed  in  the  least.  Not  a tree, 
or  a branch,  or  a switch,  was  allowed  to 
be  cut.  During  his  absence  in  Europe, 
a limb  of  an  oak,  projecting  toward  a 
| window  of  one  of  the  houses,  drew  so 
I near  that  old  Essex,  fearing  the  window 


would  be  broken,  cut  off  the  limb.  On 
Mr.  Randolph’s  return,  he  at  once  dis- 
covered the  mutilation ; old  Essex  was 
called  up,  and  the  reason  demanded 
for  cutting  off  the  limb.  The  old  negro 
told  his  master  he  feared  the  window 
would  be  broken.  * Then,’  said  Mr.  R., 

‘ why  did  you  not  move  the  house  V 
The  writer  met  John,  the  former  body 
servant  of  Mr.  Randolph,  who  treated 
him  with  great  politeness.  He  says  : — 

“ At  my  request,  John  directed  us  to 
his  master’s  grave,  at  the  foot  of  a lofty 
pine,  just  a few  steps  in  the  rear  of  the 
summer-house;  the  place  was  selected 
by  Mr.  R.,  just  twenty  years  before  his 
death,  and  by  his  direction  his  head  was 
laid  to  the  east  instead  of  the  west,  the 
usual  position.  It  was  observed  to  John 
that  his  master  had  ordered  his  body  to 
be  thus  laid,  that  he  might  watch  Henry 
Clay.  John  replied  that  he  had  never 
heard  him  say  anything  of  the  kind.  I 
suppose  the  position  was  preferred  by 
Mr.  Randolph  because  it  is  the  Indian 
sepulchral  posture ; his  descent  from 
Pocahontas,  the  Indian  princess,  being 
one  of  the  things  he  much  boasted  of. 
A rude  unchiselled  mass  of  white  rock, 
found  by  him  on  a distant  part  of  his 
estate  many  years  before  his  death,  and 
used  by  him  at  the  door  of  one  of  his 
houses  as  a washstand,  marks  the  head 
of  the  grave.  A huge  mass  of  brown 
stone,  also  selected  by  him  and  used  as 
a stepstone  to  mount  his  horse,  marks 
the  foot  of  the  grave.  These  rocks  were 
procured  and  kept  for  the  purpose  to 
which  they  are  now  appropriated,  and 
particular  directions  were  given  to  John 
on  the  subject. 

“ I can  never  forget  my  emotion  while 
standing  over  the  unornamented  grave 
of  the  gifted  and  eccentric  Randolph. 
The  tall,  unbroken  forest  by  which  I 
was  surrounded — the  silence  and  gloom 
that  reigned  undisturbed  amid  the  de- 
serted place — the  thought  of  the  brilliant 
mind  that  once  animated  the  remains 
then  mouldering  beneath  the  sod  upon 
which  I was  standing — the  vanity  of 
earth’s  promises,  hopes,  and  distinctions, 
impressed  my  heart  and  mind  with  a 
degree  of  solemnity  and  interest  I was 
unwilling  to  dissipate.” 


Like  the  other  southern  Atlantic 
states,  the  coast  of  North  Carolina  is 
uniformly  flat,  low,  and  sandy,  but  lit- 
tle elevated  above  the  water’s  level, 
and  generally  covered  with  pine  for- 
ests. It  extends  320  miles  ; and  the 
low,  sandy  region  referred  to  reaches 
from  80  to  100  miles  westward,  to 
the  hilly  regions,  forming  an  area  of 
21,000  square  miles.  All  this,  with 
scarcely  an  exception,  is  a dead  level, 
with  but  few  spots  of  good  soil,  and 
showing  but  little  cultivation,  although 
the  live  oak  grows  readily  in  some 
parts,  and  figs  and  some  other  fruits 
are  easily  cultivated  in  the  most  favored  positions.  One  of  the  principal  occupa- 
tions of  the  inhabitants  has  ever  been  the  collection  of  turpentine,  pitch,  rosin, 
and  tar,  the  first  of  which  is  a spontaneous  effusion  of  the  yellow  pine  when 
wounded,  and  the  others  the  same  substance  in  different  degrees  of  inspissation, 
effected  by  the  heat  of  fire  applied  to  the  trees  when  cut  in  pieces,  and  partly  col- 
ored by  smoke.  This  same  business  was  carried  on  in  many  other  of  our  states 
in  their  early  periods,  but  in  the  most  of  them  the  supplies  of  turpentine  have 
long  failed,  in  consequence  of  the  clearing  of  the  pine  land  ; but  the  vast  extent 
of  the  terebinthine  forests  of  North  Carolina  has  perpetuated  this  branch  ot  man- 
ufactures to  the  present  day.  ...  . , 

It  may  be  presumed  that  such  a soil  and  surface,  and  such  a situation,  could  not 
prove  favorable  to  the  prosperity  of  the  people.  The  monotony  of  the  landscape 
corresponds  too  nearly  with  the  monotony  of  life  and  stationary  condition  of  society, 
in  which  the  difficulties  of  elevating  habits  or  education  are  almost  insurmountable. 

The  hilly  region  of  the  state,  which  bounds  the  sandy  region  on  the  west, 
presents  a matked  and  sudden  change  in  climate,  soil,  and  population.  It  oc- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.  353 


cupies  an  area  of  14,000  square  miles, 
with  a general,  gentle  slope  to  the  south- 
east, cut  through,  at  intervals,  by  rivers. 
The  Roanoke,  Yadkin,  Catawba,  Tar, 
Neuse,  and  Cape  Fear  rivers,  are  the 
principal  streams  of  the  state,  but  the 
Catawba  and  Yadkin,  rising  in  the  mid- 
dle region,  empty  in  South  Carolina. 

The  Blue  Ridge,  which  in  several 
other  states  forms  the  eastern  range  of 
high  land,  is  here  in  the  rear  of  two  oth- 
er hilly  ranges,  if,  indeed,  the  Blue 
Ridge  can  with  propriety  be  said  to  cross 
this  state.  A large  part  of  this  region 
is  varied  in  a pleasing  manner  by  hill 
and  valley;  while  the  soil  is  good,  the 
climate  cool,  and  the  productions  those 
of  the  temperate  regions,  including 
wheat,  grass,  potatoes,  apples,  peaches, 
and  Indian  corn,  which  is  the  staple 
product.  The  villages  are  numerous 
and  flourishing  ; the  people  industrious, 
intelligent,  and  prosperous ; and  literary 
institutions  are  founded  with  success. 
The  more  elevated  parts,  as  in  the  ad- 
ioining  states,  have  weather  as  cold  in 
the  winter,  as  in  some  of  those  much 
farther  north.  Iron  is  the  only  metal 
found  in  considerable  quantities,  and  this 
is  mined  and  manufactured  to  some  ex- 

. tent.  Gold  has  been  found  on  the  sur- 
face, in  a range  of  counties  at  the  dividing 
line  of  the  two  regions,  in  loose  particles 
or  quartz  stones,  apparently  the  debris 
of  a stratum  of  the  hilly  region,  and 
perhaps  belonging  to  a long  auriferous 
range,  extending  from  Georgia  to  Vir- 
ginia. Some  geologists  think  it  may  be 
traced  much  further.  About  fifteen  years 
ago,  much  interest  was  raised  in  the 
North  Carolina  gold  mines,  and  several 
companies  were  formed,  in  New  York 
and  elsewhere,  and  mining  operations 
were  undertaken,  partly  with  steam  ma- 
chines imported  from  Europe.  The 
sanguine  expectations  of  adventurers 
were,  however,  soon  disappointed ; but 
considerable  quantities  of  gold  are  still 
annually  derived  from  this  state  by  the 
U.  S.  mint. 

The  western  part  of  the  state  has  a 
slope  toward  the  northwest,  and  is 
drained  by  several  of  the  branches  of 
the  Tennessee  river. 

Although  settlements  were  begun 

L—  ..  — ■ ■■ 


within  the  territory  of  this  state  at  an 
early  period,  they  were  retarded  by  a 
variety  of  untoward  circumstances,  ari- 
sing partly  from  the  nature  of  the  coun- 
try, and  partly  from  the  influence  of  un- 
wise policy  and  evil  men.  The  weak- 
ness of  the  colonists,  and  the  fear  of  the 
Indians,  long  prevented  the  occupation 
of  land  in  the  interior;  and  the  seacoast 
offered  only  tracts  of  poor,  sandy  soil, 
burdened  with  pine  forests,  almost  inca- 
pable of  improvement,  and  at  a uniform 
low  level,  but  'little  higher  than  the 
ocean.  The  higher  regions,  now  so 
flourishing  and  populous,  lie  far  in 
the  interior;  but  they  were  long  un-  . 
known,  and  longer  unoccupied. 

The  first  attempts  to  colonize  this  part 
of  the  country,  were  made  by  the  French 
under  Charles  IX.,  from  whose  name 
(in  Latin  Carolus)  the  Carolinas  derived 
their  appellation.  The  interference  of 
the  Spaniards  broke  up  the  settlements. 
In  1586,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  sent  out  a 
small  colony  from  England,  under  a pat- 
ent from  Queen  Elizabeth  ; but  no  trace 
was  ever  found  of  them,  and  the  pre- 
sumption is  that  they  were  destroyed  by 
the  Indians. 

North  Carolina  was  included  in  the 
patent  granted  to  Sir  Robert  Heath,  at- 
torney-general of  Charles  II.,  in  1630, 
which  extended  from  Louisiana  to  the 
36th  degree  of  north  latitude,  and,  as 
usual  with  English  patents  in  those  days, 
west  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  All  this  ex- 
tensive region  was  named  Carolina;  but 
as  circumstances  did  not  favor  the  settle- 
ment within  the  specified  time,  it  soon 
became  null,  and  was  afterward  super- 
seded by  a grant  obtained  from  the  same 
monarch,  by  Lord  Clarendon,  and  some 
of  his  other  friends,  which  embraced  all 
the  territory  between  the  31st  and  36th 
degrees  of  north  latitude. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  settlements 
had  been  made  north  of  Albemarle 
Sound,  by  colonists  discontented  with 
the  intolerant  measures  adopted  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  several  families  from  Massa- 
chusetts arrived  at  Cape  Fear,  to  engage 
in  fishing.  The  latter,  however,  were 
soon  obliged  to  apply  for  assistance  to 
their  friends  at  the  north,  which  they 
received. 


23 


354  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


After  the  new  charter  had  been  grant- 
ed, the  colonists  at  Albemarle  were 
placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  Sir  William  Berkeley, 
who  soon  paid  them  a visit,  and  appoint- 
ed Drummond  to  be  their  governor.  In 
1666,  they  chose  the  first  assembly  ever 
formed  in  this  part  of  our  country,  and 
sent  their  new  governor,  Stephens,  with 
a petition  for  the  privilege  of  holding 
their  lands  on  the  same  terms  as  their 
neighbors  in  Virginia,  which  was  grant- 
ed them.  A new  constitution  was  also 
made,  which  provided  for  an  annual 
election  of  members  of  the  assembly  by 
the  colonists,  while  the  choice  of  gov- 
ernor and  half  of  the  council  was  left  to 
the  proprietors.  The  taxes  were  to  be 
laid  by  the  assembly.  In  1669,  the  first 
assembly  under  this  constitution  held 
their  first  session. 

A constitution  for  the  colony  was 
drawn  up  this  year  by  the  celebrated 
author  John  Locke,  at  the  request  of 
Lord  Clarendon;  but,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  the  general  views  on 
which  it  was  founded,  proved  quite  in- 
applicable to  the  people  and  the  coun- 
try, and  the  experiment  remains  as  a 
warning  to  all  men  who  would  meddle 
with  plans  of  government  for  com- 
munities with  which  they  are  unac- 
quainted. 

A new  colony  was  formed  south  of 
Cape  Fear,  by  a band  of  men  from  Bar- 
badoes,  under  Governor  Yeamans,  who 
was  created  a baronet,  and  soon  after  a 
landgrave,  and  the  district  was  named 
the  county  of  Clarendon.  This  settle- 
ment was  soon  divided,  and  we  may  now 
begin  to  speak  of  North  and  South  Car- 
olina as  partly  distinct;  for,  while  a 
part  of  the  settlers  removed  to  Charles- 
ton, which  had  just  been  occupied,  the 
remainder  were  soon  united  with  Albe- 
marle. 

But  many  obstacles  awaited  the  north- 
ern division  of  Carolina.  In  1677  a re- 
bellion against  the  government  was  head- 
ed by  Culpepper,  a restless  and  trouble- 
some man,  who  usurped  the  government 
and  held  it  for  two  years,  but  was  super- 
seded by  Governor  Eastchurch,  after 
which  he  went  to  England,  to  offer  the 
submission  of  the  colonists  on  conditions, 


but  was  saved  from  punishment  by  the 
favor  of  Lord  Shaftsbury.  He  after- 
ward purchased  the  interest  of  Lord 
Clarendon,  took  the  government  in  1683, 
and  so  disaffected  the  people  by  his  cor- 
rupt policy,  that  they  seized  and  impris- 
oned him  in  1688,  and  afterward  ban- 
ished him  for  a year. 

A band  of  Huguenots  arrived  from 
France  in  1707,  and  settled  on  the  Trent, 
a branch  of  the  Neuse,  who  were  suc- 
ceeded in  1710  by  a party  of  Palatines 
from  Germany,  and  each  received  a grant 
of  100  acres  of  land.  But  most  of  these 
unfortunate  colonists  were  soon  after 
massacred,  in  a sudden  and  treacherous 
attack  by  1,200  Indians,  from  several 
nations,  and  only  a small  number  escaped, 
to  tell  the  tale  in  the  southern  colony. 

Passing  over  some  years,  for  even  a 
sketch  of  which  we  have  no  room,  we 
shall  barely  note  the  period  of  the  sep- 
aration of  Carolina  into  two  provinces. 
In  1730,  George  Burlington  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  North  Carolina,  by 
the  crown,  and  he  assumed  his  office  at 
Edenton,  Feb.  25th,  1731.  ' 

To  secure  the  friendship  of  the  In- 
dians, Sir  Edward  Cumming  was  sent 
to  the  Cherokee  country,  which  em- 
braced all  the  land  between  North  and 
South  Carolina  and  the  Alleganies,  and 
contained  20,000  persons,  of  whom  6,000 
were  warriors.  The  chiefs  acknowl- 
edged King  George  their  sovereign,  on 
their  knees,  and  sent  a deputation  to 
England. 

As  early  as  1731  rice  had  become  the 
staple  production  of  the  colony,  and  was 
exported  in  great  quantities. 

In  1738,  commissioners  appointed  by 
the  two  colonies,  began  to  run  the  boun- 
dary line,  as  fixed  by  royal  command, 
from  the  northeast  end  of  Long  bay, 
northwestwardly  to  the  35th  degree  of 
latititude,  and  thence  westwardly  to  the 
South  sea!  After  running  it  64  miles,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  dividing  line  between 
the  Cherokees  and  the  Catawbas  should, 
for  the  present,  be  considered  the  line  of 
the  colonies.  The  same  year,  the  three 
counties,  Albemarle,  Bath,  and  Claren- 
don, into  which  the  colony  had  before 
this  been  divided,  were  abolished,  and 
the  precincts  were  erected  into  counties. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.  355 

Provision  was  made  for  placing  buoys  in 
the  rivers,  and  otherwise  improving  the  ■ 
navigation. 

Soldiers  were  raised  in  North  Caro- 
lina* in  1740,  for  the  expedition  sent 
against  Pensacola  from  Charleston,  and 
afso  to  join  the  expedition  against  Cuba. 
The  legislature,  for  the  support  of  the 
war,  laid  a poll-tax  of  three  shillings 
“proclamation  money,”  to  be  paid  in 
tobacco,  rice,  Indian-dressed  skins,  bees- 
wax, tallow,  pork,  and  beef.  In  Albe- 
marle, the  people  were  allowed  to  pay 
in  bills  of  credit,  at  the  rate  of  seven 
and  a half  pounds  for  one  pound  procla- 
mation money.  The  ordinary  taxes 
were  also  made  payable  in  the  above- 
mentioned  articles,  and  warehouses  to 
receive  them  were  ordered  to  be  built  in 
all  the  counties.  To  encourage  immi- 
gration, foreigners  were  offered  the  priv- 
ileges of  citizens,  after  seven  years  res- 
idence, by  taking  the  oath  of  abjuration, 
and  receiving  the  communion  in  a prot- 
estant  church  ; Jews  and  quakers  being 
excused  from  the  last. 

The  same  year,  in  consequence  of 
complaints  made  by  British  merchants 
against  the  paper  money,  the  legislature 
agreed  to  issue  no  more  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  king.  To  the  expedition 

1 against  Havana,  under  Admiral  Vernon, 
in  1741,  North  Carolina  supplied  400 
men.  The  legislature  divided  the  col- 
ony into  14  parishes,  regulated  the  elec- 
tion of  cliui  cli wardens  and  vestrymen, 
provided  for  the  erection  of  churches,  the 
apprehension  of  fugitives,  and  the  trial 
and  punishment  of  slaves,  defining  the 
rights  and  duties  of  masters  and  servants, 
and  laying  restrictions  on  the  emancipa- 
’ tion  of  the  latter. 

The  legislature,  in  1743,  although 
urged  by  the  governor  to  make  spirited 
preparations  for  defence  against  the 
Spaniards  and  French,  in  consequence 
of  the  threatening  aspect  of  affairs,  con- 
sented only  to  erect  magazines  in  the  dif- 
ferent counties.  The  next  year,  John, 
Lord  Carteret,  afterward  earl  of  Gran- 
ville, had  one  eighth  part  of  the  original 
province  of  Carolina,  which  had  been 
reserved  to  him  by  act  of  parliament, 
set  apart  to  him,  he  resigning  his  inter- 
1 est  in  the  government,  and  his  title  to 

the  other  seven.  His  territory  ex- 
tended from  Virginia  to  a line  drawn  in 
latitude  35  degrees  34  minutes  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ! This  tract  was 
granted  to  Lord  Carteret  (except  the 
powers  of  government), to  be  holden  on 
the  payment  of  thirty-three  shillings  and 
fourpence  yearly,  for  ever,  with  one 
fourth  of  all  the  gold  and  silver  ore. 

War  having  been  declared  by  Eng- 
land against  France,  in  1745,  Fort  John- 
son was  erected  at  the  mouth  of  Cape 
Fear  river,  for  24  cannon.  The  village 
of  Powers  creek,  on  that  part  of  the  riv- 
er, was  then  expected  to  become  an  im- 
portant port,  but  Wilmington  has  in- 
creased at  its  expense.  Two  years  af- 
ter this,  a number  of  the  adherents  of 
the  Pretender,  after  the  failure  of  his 
attempt  to  seize  the  crown  of  England, 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town 
of  Fayetteville.  The  legislature  took 
measures  to  have  the  laws  printed  for 
the  use  of  the  people.  They  had  hith- 
erto been  circulated  in  loose  manu- 
scripts. 

After  the  passage  of  the  stamp-act  by 
the  British  parliament,  meetings  were 
held  in  Edenton,  Newbern,  and  Wil- 
mington, to  express  the  strong  disap- 
probation of  the  people,  and  their  con- 
currence with  the  northern  colonies.  A 
spirited  address  was  published  by  an  il- 
literate but  patriotic  man  at  Nutbusli, 
Granville  county,  “containing  a brief 
narrative  of  our  deplorable  situation,  and 
the  wrongs  we  suffer,  and  some  neces- 
sary hints  with  respect  to  a reformation.” 
The  representatives  of  Massachusetts, 
in  June,  directed  their  .speaker  to  ad- 
dress the  speakers  of  the  other  colonial 
legislatures,  inviting  a meeting  at  New 
York,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October, 
at  which  North  Carolina  was  not  repre- 
sented. The  people,  however,  in  all 
their  public  meetings,  expressed  warm 
approbation  of  the  measures  adopted  by 
the  northern  colonies. 

Early  in  the  year  1766,  the  sloop-of- 
war  Diligence  arrived  in  Cape  Fear  riv- 
er, with  stamped  paper  for  distribution; 
but  Colonels  Ashe  and  W addle  assembled 
the  militia  at  Brunswick,  and  informed 
the  commander  that  they  would  resist 
the  landing  of  the  stamps.  They  seized 

356  DESCRIPTION  OE  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

one  of  the  boats,  and  carried  it  in  tri-  | 
umph  through  Wilmington.  The  next 
day.  Col.  Ashe  led  a party  to  the  gover- 
nor’s house,  and  threatened  to  set  fire  to 
it  unless  the  stamp  officer  gave  them  an 
audience.  The  latter  was  induced  to 
resign  his  office.  In  February  a riot 
took1  place  in  Wilmington,  and  a duel,  in 
which  an  officer  was  killed. 

In  1767,  the  two  houses  of  the  legis- 
lature joined  in  an  address  tc  the  king, 
on  the  repeal  of  the  stamp-act,  after  the 
lower  house  had  resisted  all  the  exertions 
of  the  governor  to  reconcile  them  to  it. 
The  document  was  written  with  ability, 
and  disclaimed  every  disloyal  intention. 
But  the  vanity  of  Governor  Tryon  led 
him  this  year  to  begin  a project,  which 
laid  the  foundation  of  serious  difficulties 
to  the  colony.  This  was  the  erection 
of  a palace  for  his  residence,  at  the 
expense  of  the  people.  The  houses 
were  prevailed  upon  to  appropriate 
<£5,000,  which  he  expended  in  purcha- 
sing ground  at  Newbern,  and  laying  a 
foundation,  the  money  having  been  whol- 
ly intrusted  to  him.  He  made  himself 
ridiculous,  also,  by  making  an  ostenta- 
tious military  display,  in  leading  a party , 
westward,  to  settle  the  boundary  with 
■ the  Indians.  The  next  year,  <£10,000 
were  added  to  the  palace  fund,  and  a mob 
was  soon  raised  in  the  west,  which  set 
the  government  at  defiance  for  several 
years,  often  overawing  the  officers  and 
courts  by  a display  of  armed  companies, 
sometimes  to  the  number  of  1,500  men; 
the  people  having  bound  themselves  to 
pay  no  taxes,  until  they  should  have 
some  security  for  the  proper  use  of  their 
money.  They  several  times  seemed  sat- 
isfied, and  made  very  humble  acknowl- 
edgments, particularly  to  the  king. 

The  governor’s  palace  having  been 
completed,  in  1770  the  legislature  were 
received  there,  and  the  edifice  is  de- 
scribed as  one  of  great  magnificence, 
even  for  England.  But  the  attempt  to 
get  an  obnoxious  friend  of  the  governor 
into  the  lower  house,  again  excited  the 
mob  (or  regulators  as  they  called  them- 
selves), who  threatened  to  burn  the  town. 
A ditch  was  dug  from  river  to  river  for 
defence,  and  the  country  militia  were 
ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  in. 

The  legislature  had,  before  this  time, 
addressed  the  king  on  the  subject  of  tax- 
ation without  representation,  in  the  spir- 
it of  Massachusetts  and  other  colonies, 
though  in  opposition  to  the  repeated  re- 
monstrances of  the  governor.  In  1770, 
the  sheriffs  were  ordered  to  disperse 
every  meeting  of  ten  men,  wherever  as- 
sembled, and  it  was  declared  to  be  fel- 
ony, without  benefit  of  clergy,  to  diso- 
bey, or  to  undertake  any  unlawful  acts. 

The  next  year  the  public  troubles 
came  to  a crisis.  Governor  Tryon,  at 
the  head  of  a few  hundred  militia,  met 
a somewhat  more  numerous  body  of  reg- 
ulators at  the  great  Almance  river,  and, 
after  repeated  attempts  to  bring  them  to 
an  accommodation,  had  a sharp  battle 
with  them  for  an  hour,  which  discipline 
and  cannon  decided  in  his  favor.  A few 
executions  terminated  the  whole,  and  the 
governor  soon  sailed  for  New  York. 

In  1774,  on  the  25th  of  August,  a 
meeting-  of  delegates  was  held  at  New- 
bern,  representing  meetings  of  the  peo- 
ple in  all  parts  of  the  state,  who  had  as- 
sembled to  express  their  feelings  on  the 
condition  of  the  country;  and  although 
the  governor  called  the  council,  they  re- 
fused to  act,  whRe  the  convention  chose 
John  Harvey,  of  Perquiman,  for  speak- 
er, and  adopted  resolutions,  expressive 
of  unshaken  loyalty,  but  firmly  in  favor 
of  the  country,  and  opposed  to  the  north- 
port  act,  the  taxes  on  tea,  &c.  They 
applauded  the  measures  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  resolved  not  to  import,  pur- 
chase, nor  export,  until  American  griev- 
ances were  removed.  They  approved  of 
the  proposed  congress  at  Philadelphia, 
resolved  to  hold  no  intercourse  with 
persons  or  towns  who  would  not  co-ope- 
rate with  them,  and  agreed  to  contribute 
for  the  relief  of  Boston  sufferers.  They 
then  appointed  deputies  to  the  congress, 
William  Hooper,  of  Doange,  Joseph 
Hewes,  of  Edenton,  and  Richard  Cas- 
well, of  Dobbs  county. 

The  legislature  mot  at  Edenton,  on 
the  4th  of  April,  1775,  at  the  time  when 
the  delegates  of  the  people  assembled 
to  appoint  members  of  the  congress, 
many  of  the  delegates  being  also  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature,  and  John  Har- 
vey being  chairman  of  both  bodies. 

Governor  Martin,  in  a long  speech,  re- 
monstrated against  the  proceedings  of 
the  people,  and  the  deputies  replied  in 
the  plainest  and  most  decided  tone. 
The  council,  at  the  proposal  of  the  gov- 
ernor, struck  off  the  name  of  John  Har- 
vey from  the  list  of  justices  of  his  coun- 
ty ; and  he  afterward  collected  cannon 
for  the  defence  of  his  palace,  endeav- 
ored to  enlist  the  Highlanders  and  oth- 
ers in  the  west  to  take  part  with  him, 
and  wrote  a letter  to  General  Gage,  at 
Boston,  for  arms  and  ammunition,  which 
was  intercepted.  But  the  committees 
of  safety  were  active  throughout  the 
colony,  and  that  of  Newbern  took  away 
the  governor’s  cannon,  and  drove  him, 
in  fear,  to  take  refuge  in  Fort  Johnson. 

A dangerous  plot  was  discovered  on 
the  evening  of  July  7tli,  for  a massacre 
of  the  people  on  Tar  river,  by  their  ne- 
groes, on  the  following  day,  and  many 
of  the  latter  were  found  armed.  The 
people  of  Wilmington  prepared  to  seize 
the  arms,  &c.,  at  Fort  Johnson,  but  found 
the  governor  had  embarked  with  them 
on  board  the  sloop-of-war  Cruizer.  They 
then  burned  the  fort,  headed  by  John 
Ashe,  who  had  resigned  his  commission 
as  militia  colonel  of  New  Hanover. 

The  congress  authoVized  the  levy  of 
1,000  men,  in  North  Carolina,  if  neces- 
sary, to  be  regarded  as  part  of  an  Amer- 
ican army;  the  20th  of  July  was  kept 
as  a day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  the 
provincial  congress  met  August  20th,  to 
the  number  of  184  members  ; while  the 
governor  issued  a proclamation,  offering 
pardons  -&c. ; 1,000  troops  were  raised, 
and  400  placed  in  Wilmington,  the  first 
regiment  under  James  Moore,  and  the 
other  under  Robert  Rowe,  and  150,000 
dollars  was  emitted  in  bills  of  credit,  to 
be  redeemed  by  a poll-tax  of  nine  years, 
to  commence  in  1777.  A battalion  of 
ten  companies  of  fifty  minute-men,  was 
ordered  to  be  raised  in  each  district. 
The  congress  also  adopted  an  address 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  empire, 
drawn  up,  it  is  said,  by  William  Hooper. 
Other  arrangements  were  made  for  de- 
fence. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  a com- 
mittee, appointed  by  the  captains  of  mi- 
litia of  Mecklenburg  county,  met  at  Char- 


lotte, and  while  in  session,  received  news 
of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  when,  after 
hearing  addresses  from  some  of  the  mem- 
bers, they  all  cried  out,  “ Let  us  be  in- 
dependent!” and  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard 
reported  resolutions  declaring  them- 
selves “ a free  and  independent  people.” 
They  were  forwarded  to  the  congress 
at  Philadelphia,  but  the  president  said 
it  would  be  premature  to  present  them. 

Governor  Martin  now  sent  emissaries 
to  the  regulators  and  the  Highlanders 
in  the  southern  counties,  and  a General 
M‘Donald,  to  induce  them  to  adhere  to 
the  royal  cause ; to  counteract  which, 
clergymen  were  sent  to  defeat  his  efforts 
to  deceive  them.  Lord  Dunmore  of  Vir- 
ginia at  the  same  time  marched  for  the 
northern  counties,  with  120  regular 
troops,  and  some  tories  and  negroes. 
He  intrenched  himself  at  the  great 
bridge,  and  invited  slaves  to  join  him; 
but  he  was  attacked  b(y  Lieut.  Colonel 
Scott,  while  Lieutenant  Tibbs,  with  his 
boat-guard,  six  miles  off,  was  attacked  by 
royal  troops,  which  he  repulsed. 

General  M‘Donald,  with  1,500  men, 
offered  terms  to  Colonel  Moore,  en- 
camped on  Rocky  river,  and  after  some 
time  passed  him  by  a rapid  march,  but 
was  defeated  by  Colonel  Caswell  near 
Wilmington,  and  made  prisoner. 

In  May,  1776,  Sir  Peter  Parker’s  ex- 
pedition of  about  30  vessels  reached 
Cape  Fear  river,  and  on  the  12th,  Gen- 
erals Clinton  and  Cornwallis  landed  at 
General  Howe’s  plantation  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Brunswick,  with  900  men,  but 
failed  in  their  object,  which  was  to  sur- 
prise Major  Davis  at  Ostin’s  mills,  for  a 
sentinel  on  the  shore  gave  the  alarm, 
they  were  fired  upon  while  crossing  the 
causeway,  and  accomplished  nothing  but 
the  destruction  of  the  mills,  and  the 
beating,  stabbing,  and  shooting  of  three 
women  who  fell  into  their  power.  They 
returned  on  board,  with  the  loss  of  sev- 
eral men.  The  expedition  failed,  in 
consequence  of  the  universal  patriotism 
of  the  people,  the  defeat  of  McDonald, 
and  the  refusal  of  the  regulators  to  co- 
operate. After  waiting  in  vain  for  their 
friends  on  shore,  until  they  were  obliged 
to  kill  several  horses  for  food,  they  sailed 
on  the  29th  of  May  for  Charleston. 


358  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


The  constitution  of  the  • state  was  i 
adopted  in  December,  1776,  and  in  1835 
was  revised.  There  are  35  senators, 
and  120  members  of  the  house  of  com- 
mons, who  are  elected  once  in  two  years, 
as  is  the  governor.  The  houses  elect 
an  executive  council  of  seven,  for  two 
years,  and  the  judges  of  the  supreme 
court,  to  act  during  good  behavior.  The 
attorney-general  is  appointed  by  the 
legislature  for  four  years.  All  white 
males,  21  years  of  age,  inhabitants  of  the 
state  for  12  months,  are  allowed  to  vote, 
except  for  senators,  for  which  a freehold 
of  50  acres  of  land  is  necessary.  The 
legislature  meets  twice  a year  at  Raleigh. 

Little  as  the  lower  parts  of  North 
Carolina  afford  of  variety,  either  in  sur- 
face, soil,  or  natural  productions,  there 
is  a region  in  the  west,  which  vies  with 
the  most  picturesque  portions  of  the 
Union  in  rudeness  and  sublimity.  The 
mountain  region  comprehends  some  of 
the  highest  land  this  side  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  and  towers  far  above  the 
common  table-land  of  the  western  coun- 
ties. The  latter  is  about  1,800  feet  above 
the  ocean,  while  Grandfather  mountain 
is  5,556  feet,  Roan  mountain  6,038,  and 
Black  mountain  6,476  : a little  more  than 
the  reported  height  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton, the  loftiest  peak  of  the  White  hills 
of  New  Hampshire. 

The  rivers,  in  the  upper  parts  of  their 
courses,  wind  through  some  pleasing 
and  striking  scenes  ; and  in  their  lower 
parts,  several  are  accessible  to  vessels, 
and  now  visited  by  steamboats. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  state,  passes 
the  boundary  between  the  high  and  the 
low  lands;  and  this  line,  which  extends 
through  several  other  adjacent  states,  is 
connected  with  some  peculiarities  of 
great  importance.  East  of  it  extends 
the  broad  and  sandy  level  to  the  seacoast, 
through  which  the  rivers  flow  with  a slow 
and  uniform  course,  whose  head-waters 
come  through  the  high,  cool,  and  more 
healthful  region  west  of  it,  with  a descent 
which  precludes  navigation.  The  occu- 
pations of  the  people,  and  the  state  of 
society,  differ  considerably  in  those  two 
parts  of  the  state,  as  well  as  the  native 
products  of  the  soil,  and  the  objects  of 
culture  and  of  export.  Near  that  line, 


also,  are  the  gold  mines,  which,  a few 
years  since,  began  to  excite  much  atten- 
tion, and  which  are  still  wrought  with 
some  success. 

The  peculiar  features  of  the  coast  of 
North  Carolina,  render  it  the  scene  of 
frequent  shipwrecks,  and  of  consequent 
sufferings  to  crews  and  passengers.  The 
land  is  so  level  and  low,  as  to  render  it 
difficult  of  discovery  from  a distance, 
except  in  clear  weather;  and  the  great- 
est desolation  and  solitude  generally  pre- 
vail there,  which,  with  the  difficulty  of 
crossing  the  sounds  that  form  so  large 
a part  of  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
state,  often  render  the  situation  of  un- 
fortunate mariners  almost  desperate, 
even  after  they  have  escaped  the  perils 
of  the  sea,  before  they  can  obtain  relief 
from  the  land.  The  temptation  offered 
by  the  exposure  of  property  thrown  on 
shore  by  the  waves,  has  too  often  led 
the  solitary,  ignorant,  and  indigent  in- 
habitants, in  some  places,  to  theft  and 
inhumanity : but  such  acts  have  been  rare 
of  late  ]|tears,  and  instances  of  hospital- 
ity and  kindness  are  much  more  common. 

In  some  of  the  poorest  parts  of  the  j 
low  country,  a habit  prevails  to  a con- 
siderable extent,  which  is  at  once  un- 
natural and  injurious:  clay-eating.  A 
species  of  fine  clay  is  found,  which  many 
learn  to  eat  while  young ; and  the  prac- 
tice leads  to  the  formation  of  an  invet- 
erate habit,  which  at  length  produces  a 
peculiar  diseased  and  almost  idiotic  ap- 
pearance and  dulness  of  mind,  with  se- 
rious injury  to  the  health,  often  termina- 
ting in  premature  death. 

The  Dismal  swamp,  lying  partly  in 
Virginia  and  partly  in  this  state,  renders 
a large  tract  in  its  northeastern  corner 
uninhabitable,  and  almost  entirely  use- 
less. It  lies  nearly  on  a level  with  the 
ocean,  and  presents  only  a dreary  and 
repulsive  wilderness  of  cypress,  and  oth- 
er trees  and  plants  able  to  live  in  water 
or  marshy  soil,  with  patches  of  some- 
what drier  land  here  and  there,  rising 
from  the  immense  morasses,  and  a 
large  pond  in  the  middle  called  the  Lake 
of  the  Dismal  swamp.  The  whole  tract 
is  22  miles  in  length,  and  it  connects 
the  waters  of  Albemarle  sound  with 
Chesapeake  bay.  There  is  no  passage 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


359 


through  it,  except  the  canal  which  has 
been  °cut  from  Virginia,  to  bring  the 
produce  of  that  part  of  the  state  to  Nor- 
folk. It  is  a work  of  considerable  im- 
portance and  value  : but  a more  unat- 
tractive region  can  hardly  be  imagined, 
than  that  through  which  it  passes. 

The  Gold  Mines . — According  to  tra- 
ditions in  some  parts  of  the  gold  regions 
(which  may  embrace  a tract  of  a thou- 
sand square  miles),  that  precious  metal 
has  been  found  from  early  times,  and 
sometimes  in  large  masses.  It  now  oc- 
curs in  small  lumps  and  grains,  down  to 
minute  points,  invisible  even  to  the  mi- 
croscope ; for  the  auriferous  quartz  often 
yields  a considerable  quantity  when  sub- 
mitted to  the  separating  process,  even 
when  no  indication  of  its  presence  can 
be  detected  by  the  highest  magnifiers. 

The  books  of  the  U.  S.  mint  first  re- 
cord the  receiving  of  gold  from  North 
Carolina  in  the  year  1814,  when  11,000 
dollars’  worth  was  obtained.  Between 
that  time  and  1824,  an  annual  average 
of  only  $2,500  was  received;  in  1825, 
$17,000;  1826,  $20,000;  1827,  $21,000 ; 
1828,  nearly  $46,000;  and  1829,  $128,- 
000.  The  best  gold-washings  (as  depos- 
ites  in  sand  are  called),  are  in  the  coun- 
ties of  > Burke  and  Rutherford.  The 
miners  believe  that  streams  of  water 
formerly  flowed  where  the  gold  is  now 
found  in  this  condition.  The  richest 
mines,  properly  so  called,  where  the 
metal  is  found  in  rocks  and  stones,  are 
in  Mecklenburg,  Rowan,  Davidson,  and 
Cabarras  counties.  There  the  particles 
are  usually  invisible  to  the  naked  eye, 
and  are  separated  by  the  aid  of  quick- 
silver. The  best  veins  have  a dip  of  45 
degrees  to  the  horizon,  and  are  from  a 
few  inches  in  thickness  to  several  feet. 
The  process  of  obtaining  it  pure  is  la- 
borious, tedious,  and  expensive.  In 
some  places  excavations  have  been  made 
120  feet  deep. 

The  stones  are  beaten  to  fine  dust, 
either  by  common  hammers,  or  by 
sledges  moved  by  steam,  and  the  mass 
is  then  placed  in  wooden  troughs,  called 
rockers,  with  a quantity  of  quicksilver, 
and  a small  stream  of  water  is  made  to 
flow  in,  while  the  troughs  are  kept  in 
continual  gentle  motion.  The  quicksil- 


ver readily  combines  or  amalgamates 
with  gold  when  brought  into  contact  with 
it,  and  after  this  process  has  been  kept  up 
for  a time,  a lump  of  the  united  metals 
is  taken  out,  and  pressed  in  a deerskin 
bag,  through  the  pores  of  which  the 
quicksilver  is  forced  in  minute  globules, 
while  the  gold  is  left  behind  in  a state  of 
purity.  The  separation  is  effected  at 
some  foreign  gold  mines  by  heat,  which 
distils  over  the  quicksilver. 

During  the  height  of  the  gold  specu- 
lations, 6,000  persons  were  employed  by 
one  company,  and  it  was  supposed  that 
20,000  were  occupied  in  the  business  in 
all  parts  of  the  gold  counties. 

The  annual  product  of  gold  was  once 
estimated  as  high  as  $100,000  a week,  or 
at  the  fate  of  five  millions  annually.  The 
chief  part  of  the  laborers  were  Germans, 
Swedes,  and  other  foreigners,  speaking 
not  less  than  thirteen  different  languages, 
and  most  of  the  gold  was  exported  to 
Europe.  The  village  of  Charlotte,  in 
Mecklenburg  county,  which  is  near  one 
of  the  largest  mines,  experienced  a sud- 
den growth  and  a great  increase  of  busi- 
ness : but  the  influence  of.  mining,  as 
carried  on  in  the  state  generally,  has  not 
been  favorable  to  the  moral  interests  of 
the  people. 

In  the  course  of  the  excavations,  evi- 
dences have  been  found  of  former  mining 
operations,  on  the  same  ground.  Many 
pieces  of  machinery  have  been  discov- 
ered, and  crucibles,  of  considerable  size, 
and,  in  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  mi- 
ners, of  superior  qualities  to  the  best 
Hessian  crucibles  of  the  present  day. 

Internal  Improvements.  — Exertions 
have  been  made  to  improve  the  very  de- 
fective channels  of  trade  in  this  state, 
and  to  prevent  the  products  from  being 
carried  to  the  ports  of  South  Carolina 
and  Virginia.  In  1815,  an  extensive 
system  of  canals  and  roads  was  planned, 
and  much  expense  has  been  incurred  in 
connecting  the  principal  rivers  by  canals, 
the  draining  of  marshes,  &c.  Railroads 
have  since  been  constructed,  which  add 
much  to  the  prosperity  of  the  state. 

Education. — The  institutions  for  edu- 
cation have  been  much  increased  since 
the  year  1804,  when  there  were  only  two 
academies.  They  are  now  established 


360 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


in  different  parts  of  the  state;  and  the 
university  of  North  Carolina,  at  Chapel 
Hill,  28  miles  from  Raleigh,  is  a respec- 
table and  flourishing  institution. 

Religious  Denominations. — The  bap- 
tists are  most  numerous,  and  the  meth- 
odists  the  next.  After  these  are  the 
presbyterians,  Lutherans,  episcopalians, 
united  brethren,  and  friends. 

The  Manufacture  of  Tar  and  Turpen- 
tine. — The  following  description  of  the 
process  of  making  tar  and  turpentine, 
we  copy  from  a letter  from  a traveller  in 
the  South,  which  appeared  in  a late  news- 
paper: — 

“ T his  turpentine  business  has  become, 
within  the  last  two  years,  a very  lucra- 
tive one  indeed.  The  boundless  forests 
of  fir  which  cover  North  Carolina,  offer 
material  to  the  enterprising  for  a couple 
of  centuries  to  come.  The  forests  can 
be  purchased  for  a dollar  an  acre.  Some 
farms  have  been  sold  for  ten  cents  an 
acre  ! and  the  highest  I have  heard  did 
not  exceed  two  dollars. 

“ Many  speculators  have  latterly  en- 
tered into  this  turpentine  manufacture. 
One  negro  man  will  collect  200  barrels 
in  a season,  which  will  sell  for  about 
$800;  about  $100  will  feed  and  clothe 
the  negro;  thus  there  is  a pretty  full 
margin  of  profit  for  the  capital  embarked 
in  the  land  and  negroes.  It  is  better  by 
far  than  cotton-raising  — many  cotton 
planters  are  going  into  it,  and  the  expan- 
sion of  manufactures  and  arts,  at  home 
and  abroad,  keeps  pace  with  the  in- 
creased number  of  those  who  are  enter- 
ing into  this  profitable  business. 

“For  the  benefit  of  those  who  have 
never  been  in  a turpentine  country,  I 
may  describe  the  process  of  gathering 
and  distilling  this  subtle  spirit.  The 
trees  are  cupped  in  the  spring;  about 
eighteen  inches  square  of  the  bark  is 
peeled  of;  the  cupping  is  made  by  one 
or  two  cuts  of  an  axe,  of  peculiar  shape, 
near  the  root.  In  the  summer  and  fall 
the  turpentine  oozes  out  through  this 
vent.  The  negro  comes  round  from  tree 
to  tree,  and  gathers  this  oozed  matter 
into  his  bucket.  The  trees  are  contin- 
ually exuding  during  the  season.  The 
ensuing  year  they  are  cut  a little  higher 
than  before,  when  a new  crop  is  ob- 


tained. The  process  may  be  repeated 
for  five  or  six  years,  cutting  higher  up 
the  trunk  each  year; -after  which  the 
trees  are  cut  down  and  chopped  into 
short  logs,  and  piled  together  in  peculiar 
heaps,  called  “ kilns, ” when  a slow  fire 
is  put  under  the  heap,  and  thus  pitch 
and  tar  are  obtained  from  the  heated 
pile.  The  fatty  matter,  or  raw  turpen- 
tine, is  packed  into  barrels  — brought  to 
the  distilleries,  boiled  and  evaporated 
in  the  common  way  in  which  spirit  is 
extracted  in  the  alcohol  distilleries,  the 
steam  passing  through  a large  worm  or 
refrigerator,  which  is  set  in  an  immense 
vat  of  cold  water.  The  surface  of  the 
water,  being  the  hottest,  passes  off,  while 
the  attendant  keeps  pumping  cold  water 
through  a pipe  that  forces  it  to  the  bot- 
tom, causing  the  hot  water,  created  on 
the  surface,  to  pass  off.  The  steam 
comes  out  in  spirits  of  turpentine  below, 
and  is  barrelled  tightly  and  sent  to  all 
the  markets  of  the  world,  and  the  resi- 
due is  rosin. 

“ North  Carolina  sends  out  an  immense 
quantity  of  Indian  corn,  staves,  turpen- 
tine, pitch,  tar,  and  rosin,  besides  which, 
she  is  beginning  to  manufacture  cotton 
and  woollens.” 

Raleigh,  the  seat  of  government, 
is  situated  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the 
state,  6 miles  distant  from  the  river 
Neuse,  164  southwest  from  Richmond, 
and  288  southwest  from  Washington. 
It  was  named  in  honor  of  that  conspic- 
uous statesman  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  who 
makes  so  interesting  a figure  in  the  his- 
tory of  her  reign,  and  displayed  so  much 
zeal  in  prosecuting  discoveries,  and 
planting  protestant  colonies  in  this  part 
of  America. 

Raleigh  is  a small  town,  containing 
only  about  3,000  inhabitants,  but  it  is 
pleasantly  situated,  and  laid  out  with 
taste,  having  a square  of  ten  acres  in 
the  centre,  called  Union  square,  from 
which  the  four  principal  streets,  of  a 
fine  breadth,  viz.,  99  feet,  diverge  at 
right  angles.  Between  these  are  four 
smaller  squares  of  four  acres  each. 
There  are  two  academies,  and  several 
otner  public  buildings.  The  capitol, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  several 
years  ago,  contained  the  finest  and  most 


The  Old  State  House  at  Raleigh. 


362  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


valuable  piece  of  sculpture  ever  seen  in 
America:  a statue  of  Washington,  by 
Canova.  With  a degree  of  taste  and 
patriotic  spirit  which  are  highly  credit- 
able to  the  state,  the  legislature  em- 
ployed that  greatest  of  modern  sculp- 
tors to  execute  the  noble  work,  on  which 
he  was  employed  as  early  as  1819.  It 
was  placed  in  the  capitol,  and  excited 
general  admiration,  being  made  of  the 
finest  Carrara  marble,  in  a dignified  sit- 
ting posture,  with  an  expression  and 
features  much  like  those  of  the  Father  of 
his  country.  The  costume  was  that  of 
a Roman  senator.  In  the  destruction 
of  the  statehouse,  this  most  valuable  of 
its  contents  was  ruined ; but  although  it 
can  never  be  replaced,  the  history  of  it 
will  reflect  lasting  honor  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  state. 

The  old  statehouse  (which  is  repre- 
sented in  our  engraving)  was  a well- 
proportioned  edifice,  of  plain  architec- 
ture, and  consisted  of  a main  building 
and  a projection  at  the  centre,  with  a 
basement  of  hewn  stone,  and  a front  of 
four  Ionic  half-columns,  while  a large 
dome,  with  a cupola,  rose  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  roof.  A broad  yard  in  front, 
offered  a fine  approach ; and  the  building 
was  of  sufficient  size  to  afford  large  halls 
for  the  legislature,  and  various  offices, 
and  other  appropriate  apartments  for 
public  purposes. 

The  preseiit  statehouse  is  of  granite, 
on  the  plan  of  the  celebrated  temple  of 
Minerva  at  Athens,  called  the  Parthe- 
non, 166  feet  in  length,  90  in  breadth, 
with  a range  of  noble  columns  of  gran- 
ite, 30  feet  high,  and  five  and  a half  in 
diameter. 

The  other  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  the  governor’s  house,  five 
churches,  four  academies,  two  banks, 
and  a theatre. 

Wake  Forest  College  is  at  Forestville, 
15  miles  from  Raleigh.  It  has  three 
professorships,  and  a library  of  4,700 
volumes,  and  was  founded  in  1838.  The 
number  of  pupils  is  yet  small. 

Edenton  is  a small  town,  situated  on 
the  bay  at  the  mouth  of  Chouan  river, 
and  contains  a handsome  courthouse,  two 
churches,  an  academy,  and  a bank,  with 
a population  of  about  1,600.  Stage- 


coaches go  to  N orfolk  three  times  a 
week,  distant  86  miles. 

Tarborough  stands  on  the  south  side 
of  Tar  river,  and  contains  a courthouse, 
two  churches,  a bank,  and  an  academy, 
with  about  800  inhabitants.  Stage- 
coaches go  every  other  day  to  Raleigh 
and  Washington. 

Warrenton , 62  miles  northeast  from 
Raleigh,  is  a small  town,  containing 
about  800  inhabitants,  now  frequently 
visited  on  account  of  its  proximity  to  a 
favorite  watering-place,  which  is  resort- 
ed to,  in  the  warm  season,  by  many  trav- 
ellers. This  is  the 

Shocco  White  Sulphur  Springs , 12 
miles  from  Warrenton,  with  which  there 
is  a daily  communication  by  stage-coach- 
es. The  water  is  charged  with  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen  and  carbonic  acid  gases, 
and  contains  the  sulphates  of  lime  and 
magnesia,  oxyde  of  iron,  muriate  of  soda, 
and  carbonate  of  lime,  and  is  recom- 
mended for  diseases  of  the  skin  and  the 
liver. 

Wilmington. — This  is  the  principal 
town  in  the  state  for  trade  and  most  oth-. 
er  kinds  of  business.  It  contains  a pop- 
ulation of  about  12,000,  of  whom  9,000 
are  whites.  It  stands  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  Cape  Fear  river,  just  below  the 
confluence  of  the  two  branches,  13  miles 
from  the  ocean,  at  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion for  vessels  of  300  tons,  although 
steamboats  go  up  to  Fayetteville  a part 
of  the  year,  120  miles.  The  town  is 
chiefly  built  on  four  streets,  and  in  some 
parts  shows  some  of  the  ruins  caused  by 
several  destructive  fires,  from  which  it 
has  successively  suffered.  The  houses 
are  built  of  pitch  pine,  which  renders  it 
difficult  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the 
flames  when  once  enkindled.  Much 
lumber  is  brought  down  the  river,  and 
sawed  up  by  steam-mills  erected  on  the 
shore,  where  vessels  receive  their  freight 
for  the  West  Indies,  and  some  of  the 
northern  ports.  The  railroad  has  in- 
creased the  population  in  six  years,  about 
6,000. 

Great  quantities  of  turpentine,  tar,  &c., 
are  also  brought  here  from  the  country. 
Considerable  quantities  of  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine are  made,  about  twenty  man- 
ufactories having  been  recently  erected. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


363 


We  must  conclude  our  sketch  of  North 
Carolina  with  a brief  account  of  one  of 
the  most  courageous  acts  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  revolutionary  war  in  this 
state. 

In  Ramsay’s  history  of  South  Carolina, 
mention  is  made  of  an  engagement, 
which  took  place  at  Williams’  planta- 
tion, in  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina, 
on  the  12th  of  July,  1780,  between  “ a 
part  of  the  corps  commanded  by  Col. 
Sumter,”  and  a detachment  of  British 
troops  and  tories  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Huck.  The  historian  does 
' not  inform  us,  however,  who  commanded 
j this  “party”  from  the  corps  of  Col. 

I Sumter,  nor  are  we  told  by  him  the 
particulars  of  this  brilliant  little  engage- 
ment, which  was  the  first  check  given 
to  the  royal  forces  after  landing  in 
South  Carolina  on  the  11th  of  February, 
1780.  The  following  account  of  it  is 
from  the. speech  of  Col.  W.  C.  Beatty 
of  Yorkville,  delivered  on  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  battle,  in  1839. 

Captain  Christian  Huyck  was  said  to 
be  a native  of  Philadelphia.  He  bore 
the  commission  of  a captain  in  the  Brit- 
ish army  and  was  distinguished  for  his 
profanity  and  bloody  deeds  in  the  upper 
part  of  South  Carolina.  His  enmity  to 
the  presbyterians  displayed  itself  in 
burning  the  library  and  dwelling-house 
of  their  clergyman,  Mr.  Linyman.  At 
the  moment  of  his  attack  and  defeat,  “a 
number  of  women,”  says  Hr.  Ramsay, 

“ were  on  their  knees,  vainly  soliciting 
his  mercy,  in  behalf  of  their  families  and 
property.”  He  had  been  despatched 
by  Col.  Turnbull,  the  commander  of  the 
British  forces  at  Rocky  Mount,  with 
the  following  orders:  “ You  are  hereby 
ordered,  with  the  cavalry  under  your 
command,  to  proceed  to  the  frontier  of 
the  province,  collecting  all  the  royal 
militia  with  you  in  your  march,  and 
with  said  force  to  push  the  rebels,  as 
far  as  you  may  deem  convenient.” 

Previous  to  the  issuing  of  the  above 
order,  Colonel  Bratton,  Major  Wynn, 
and  Captain  M‘Clure,  had  attacked  and 
defeated  a body  of  tories  assembled  at 
Mobley’s  meetinghouse  in  Fairfield  dis- 
trict. This  gallant  adventure  on  the 
part  of  a few  bold  wliigs,  had  induced 


Col.  Turnbull  to  send  Captain  Huyck 
into  York  district  to  chastise  the  rebels 
— “ push  them  as  far  as  he  might  deem 
convenient.”  “ The  evening  before  his 
defeat  he  arrived  at  the  house  of  Col. 
Bratton  and  demanded  of  Mrs.  Bratton 
where  her  husband  was.  She  replied 
that  he  was  in  Sumter’s  army.  He 
then  proposed  to  her,  if  she  would  get 
her  husband  to  come  in  and  join  the 
royalists,  he  should  have  a commission 
in  the  British  service.  Mrs.  Bratton 
replied  with  heroic  firmness  that  she 
preferred  her  husband’s  remaining  and 
dying  in  the  army  of  his  country.”  For 
this  bold  and  spirited  reply,  a soldier, 
under  the  command  of  Huyck,  attempt- 
ed her  life,  and  was'  prevented  executing 
his  purpose  by  the  interference  of  an 
officer  second  in  command.  She  was 
then  ordered  to  prepare  supper  for  Cap- 
tain Huyck  and  his  officers.  While 
doing  so,  the  idea  occurred  to  her  that 
“she  might  play,”  in  the  language  of 
Col.  Beatty,  “ a Roman’s  part  and  take 
a deadly  revenge  on  the  enemies  of  her 
country.”  She  had  poison  in  the  house 
and  could  mix  it  with  the  food.  But  a 
moment’s  reflection  taught  her  that  this 
food  might  fall  into  the  possession  of 
the  wliigs,  who  were  closely  watching 
the  footsteps  of  the  enemy.  Her  own 
brave  husband  might,  by  some  mishap, 
be  the  victim  of  her  treachery,  instead 
of  his  enemies.  The  idea  was  quickly 
abandoned. 

Huck  and  his  officers  slept  in  William- 
son’s house  the  night  preceding  the 
battle.  His  troops  lay  encamped  around 
it.  A road  enclosed  in  a lane  passed 
the  door,  and  sentinels  were  posted  along 
the  road.  The  guard  kept  negligent 
watch,  and  the  troops  lay  in  fancied 
security  — undreaming  of  to-morrow’s 
scenes  — unknowing  that  they  were  al- 
ready marked  for  defeat  and  death.  On 
that  same  day,  Col.  Bratton,  with  one 
hundred  and  twenty  five  men,  principally 
his  neighbors,  left  Mecklenburg  county,. 
North  Carolina,  under  the  conviction 
that  some  royal  force,  would  shortly  visit 
their  neighborhood  to  avenge  the  defeat 
of  the  tories  at  Mobley’s  meetinghouse. 
Buring  the  march,  about  fifty  of  the 
men  dropped  off,  and  thus  only  seventy- 


=t1 


364 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


five  were  left  to  attack  the  enemy,  in- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three, 
as  stated  in  the  history  of  Carolina. 
With  this  force,  Col.  Bratton  arrived 
that  night  near  their  encampment.  In- 
telligence of  the  enemy  had  passed  up, 
and  their  number,  had  been  received 
during  the  day.  After  concealing  their 
horses  in  a swamp,  the  whigs  impatient- 
ly awaited  the  dawn  of  day,  to  commence 
the  attack.  At  length  it  came,  and  with 
it  victory.  One  half  of  the  men,  led  by 
Cel.  Bratton  and  Capt.  Moffit,  came  up 
the  lane,  while  the  other  half,  command- 
ed by  Capt.  M‘Clure,  of  Chester,  a 
brave  and  daring  officer,  were  sent  round 
to  the  head  of  the  lane.  Thus  the  enemy 
were  enclosed,  speedily  routed  and  con- 
quered. When  the  attack  commenced, 
Huck,  and  his  officers  were  in  bed,  and 
were  aroused  from  their  slumbers  by  the 
roar  of  the  American  guns.  The  captain 
quickly  mounted  his  horse  and  attempted 
to  rally  his  men.  This  he  several  times 
effected,  but  all  his  efforts  were  unavail- 
ing— the  determined  spirit  of  the  whigs 
carried  all  before  them — and  as  soon  as 
Huck  fell,  his  men  threw  down  their 
arms  and  fled.  Huck,  Col.  Ferguson 
of  the  British  army,  and  thirty-five  or 
forty  men,  lay  dead  on  the  field  or  were 
wounded  unto  death.  How  many  per- 
ished in  the  woods  is  not  known  — the 
rest  escaped.  Of  the  whigs,  only  one 
was  killed — whose  name  was  Campbell, 
as  stated  by  Col.  Gill.  The  rest,  though 
in  the  thickest  and  hottest  of  the  fight, 
escaped  unhurt,  to  fight  other  battles 
and  do  further  service  in  the  cause  of 
their  beloved  country.  This  battle  is 
said  to  have  lasted  one  hour. 

This  victory  was  not  only  brilliant  and 
glorious  in  itself,  but  it  had  the  most 
salutary  and  important  effect  on  the  des- 
tinies of  the  state.  It  was  the  first  time 
since  the  fall  of  Charleston,  that  any 
power  dared  to  meet  the  hitherto  victo- 
rious enemy.  This  victory  reanimated 
the  drooping  spirits  of  the  country.  The 
citizens  were  buoyed  up  with  new  life 
and  fresh  hopes.  It  brought  them  con- 
fidence, and  taught  the  enemy  to  dread 
the  vengeance  of  freemen,  fighting  for 
their  liberties,  their  lives,  and  domestic  j 
altars.  It  had  the  direct  and  immediate 


effect  of  embodying  the  whigs,  and  in  a 
few  days  afterward,  six  hundred  new 
troops  joined  the  army  of  Sumter.  Thus 
reinforced,  on  the  thirtieth  of  the  same 
month,  Gen.  Sumter  made  a spirited  at- 
tack on  the  British  forces  at  Rocky 
Mount,  and  in  eight  days  afterward 
gained  a complete  victory  over  the  en- 
emy at  Hanging  Rock. 

After  the  engagement  was  over,  the 
officer  who  had  saved  the  life  of  Mrs. 
Bratton  the  evening  before,  was  about 
being  put  to  death  by  the  whigs.  He 
asked  the  favor  of  being  carried  into  the 
presence  of  Mrs.  Bratton,  who  immedi- 
ately recognised  him,  related  her  obli- 
gation to  him,  and  implored  that  his  life 
might  be  spared,  which  was  done.  Thus 
she  had  an  opportunity  of  proving  that 
she  was  as  grateful  in  the  hour  of  tri- 
umph, as  she  had  been  bold  and  spirited 
in  the  time  of  danger. 

Col.  W.  Bratton,  who  was  chief  in 
command  on  the  occasion,  was  a gallant 
officer  throughout  the  American  revolu- 
tion. He  was  in'  the  battles  fought  at 
Guildford  courthouse,  Hanging  Rock, 
Blackstocks,  Rowsam’s  mills,  and  Mob- 
ley’s meetinghouse,  beside  the  one  al- 
ready recounted.  In  all  of  these  engage- 
ments, he  fought  with  great  spirit,  cour- 
age, and  determined  bravery.  In  the 
darkest  period  of  his  country’s  distress, 
he  stood  firm  in  her  cause,  and  by  his 
influence  and  example,  encouraged  and 
cheered  on  his  whig  neighbors,  and 
“bid  them  hope  for  brighter  and  better 
days.”  As  an  evidence  of  his  uncom- 
mon daring,  it  is  said,  that  on  the  night 
before  the  battle  at  Williamson’s,  he  re- 
connoitred the  encampment  and  ad- 
vanced entirely  within  their  line  of  sen- 
tinels. By  this  bold  adventure,  he  ac- 
quired information  which  greatly  con- 
tributed to  the  victory  which  they  gained. 

The  distinction  and  honor  of  having 
killed  the  famous  Captain  Huck,  or 
Huyck,  as  his  name  was  more  properly 
written,  belonged  to  John  Carroll,  who 
greatly  distinguished  himself  in  many 
engagements  by  his  extraordinary  bold- 
ness and  daring.  Huck  was  shot  while 
endeavoring  to  rally  his  men.  This 
battleground  is  now  known  as  Brattons- 
ville. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA.  365 


SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

This  state,  although  presenting 
many  of  the  leading  features  which 
characterize  North  Carolina,  enjoys 
some  counterbalancing  advantages, 
of  much  importance  to  commerce  and 
agriculture.  There  is  a good  harbor 
at  Charleston,  and  several  of  the  riv- 
ers and  inlets  along  the  eoast  are 
more  accessible,  and  navigable  to  a 
greater  distance.  The  lowland  which 
borders  the  ocean  has  many  tracts  of 
good  soil,  among  which  are  numerous 
rice-fields.  The  line  between  the 
high  and  the  low  lands  is  still  more 
marked  than  in  North  Carolina,  in  its 
influence  on  trade  and  the  position  of 
towns.  Rice  and  cotton  in  the  low  grounds,  and  cotton  and  grain  in  the  middle 
regions,  and  apples  and  other  northern  plants  in  the  mountains,  mark  their  ap- 
propriate sections,  while  maize  yields  abundantly  in  all  parts.  The  oak  and  palm, 
as  well  as  the  pine  and  walnut,  are  prevailing  native  trees,  and  many  others  have 

been  introduced.  , . 

A few  of  the  events  in  the  early  history  of  South  Carolina  have  been  given  in 
the  preceding  pages,  in  speaking  of  the  first  settlements  of  North  Carolina,  with 
which  it  was  for  a time  connected.  Oyster  Point,  near  Charleston,  was  first  occu- 
pied by  a colony  under  William  Sayle,  who,  having  made  a survey  of  the  coast 
some  years  previously,  arrived  on  the  coast  in  1670,  and  after  several  changes  of 
place,  finally  chose  the  spot  at  the  confluence  of  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  rivers, 
near  that  now  covered  by  the  large  and  flourishing  city  of  Charleston.  The 
number  of  the  colonists  was  soon  increased,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  and  the 
name  of  South  Carolina  was  conferred  on  the  new  settlement. 


366  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


In  1674,  Joseph  West  was  elected 
governor,  and  exercised  the  chief  author- 
ity for  several  years,  with  much  ability. 
The  principal  offices  were  filled  by  the 
cavaliers,  although  the  puritans  were  in 
greater  numbers ; and  considerable  addi- 
tions were  soon  made  by  the  arrival  of 
English  dissenters  and  protestants,  driv- 
en by  religious  intolerance  from  several 
Roman  catholic  countries. 

The  site  of  the  present  flourishing 
city  of  Charleston,  was  first  occupied 
in  1673,  by  a number  of  Dutchmen  from 
the  New  Netherlands,  now  New  York, 
and,  the  advantages  of  its  situation  be- 
coming at  length  obvious,  it  was  finally 
taken  by  the  colonists  at  Oyster  Point. 

The  year  1680  was  unfortunately  sig- 
nalized by  the  first  Indian  war.  A con- 
siderable number  of  prisoners  were  ta- 
ken, who  were  sold  as  slaves  by  the  gov- 
ernor to  West  India  planters  ; for  which 
inhuman  policy  he  was  removed  by  the 
proprietors,  in  1683,  and  Governor  Mor- 
ton was  appointed  his  successor.  An 
Irish  and  a Scotch  colony  came  out  the 
same  year.  The  latter  at  first  settled  on 
Port  Royal  island,  but  were  soon  driven 
to  Charleston  by  fear  of  the  Spaniards 
at  St.  Augustine.  They  afterward  re- 
turned, when  their  settlement  was  laid 
waste  in  1686.  Governors  W est,  Kyrle, 
Quarry,  and  Morton,  in  turn  succeeded  to 
the  chief-magistracy,  but  in  the  short 
space  of  three  years,  gave  place  to  Col- 
leton, in  1686.  The  inhuman  practice  of 
kidnapping  and  selling  Indians  was  al- 
lowed, to  the  discredit  of  the  colony. 

A large  and  valuable  addition  was 
made  to  the  colony  at  this  time,  by  the 
arrival  of  many  French  Huguenot  fam- 
ilies, who,  having  been  deprived  of  the 
protection  of  the  laws  in  their  native 
country,  by  the  revocation  of  the  edict 
of  Nantes,  sought  an  asylum  in  the  new 
world.  Some  of  the  principal  families 
of  South  Carolina  at  the  present  day, 
bear  the  names  of  some  of  those  refu- 
gees ; and  there,  as  elsewhere,  they  have 
done  honor  to  their  principles,  and  the 
land  of  their  adoption,  by  the  characters 
they  have  sustained  in  the  country  of 
their  choice. 

One  chief  source  of  difficulty  between 
the  colonies  of  South,  as  well  as  North 


Carolina,  and  their  governors,  had  been 
the  payment  of  quit-rents  to  the  propri- 
etors ; and  Colleton  was  deposed,  in 
1687,  in  consequence  of  his  attempt  to 
enforce  it.  After  a period  of  anarchy, 
Seth  Sothel  assumed  the  chief-magis- 
tracy, in  the  character  of  a friend  of  the 
people,  who  unwisely  trusted  him  after 
his  misconduct  in  the  northern  colony. 
They  soon  however  found  it  necessary 
to  banish  him,  and  elected  in  his  place 
Ludwell,  who  had  succeeded  him  in 
North  Carolina. 

The  introduction  of  rice  into  the  col- 
ony, an  event  of  particular  interest,  took 
place  during  the  administration  of  Gov- 
ernor Smith,  the  successor  of  Ludwell. 
A vessel  from  Madagascar  stopped  at 
Charleston,  and  the  captain  presented  a 
bag  of  that  grain  to  the  governor,  who 
distributed  it  among  his  friends,  and  the 
culture  of  that  valuable  staple. was  thus 
commenced,  with  results  most  important 
to  agriculture  and  commerce. 

Governor  Blake,  a dissenter  (son  of 
Admiral  Blake),  with  great  liberality, 
sustained  religious  liberty;  but  after  his 
death,  in  1700,  Governor  Moore,  sus- 
tained by  Lord  Granville,  one  of  the 
proprietors,  by  intrigue  induced  the  as- 
sembly to  pass  a bill  establishing  epis- 
copacy, and  thus  introduced  religious 
persecution.  The  majority  of  the  people 
being  dissenters,  many  of  them  prepared 
to  leave  the  colony;  but  the  house  of 
lords  having  voted  against  the  law,  and 
Queen  Anne  having  annulled  it,  the 
threatened  evil  to  the  colony  was  pre- 
vented. 

In  1702,  England  being  at  war  with 
Spain,  Governor  Moore  undertook  a wild 
expedition  against  St.  Augustine,  and 
sailed  from  Port  Royal  with  a part  of 
the  force  raised.  Colonel  Daniel  and 
his  enlisted  Indians,  took  and  robbed 
the  town : but,  while  the  governor  wras 
waiting  for  cannon  to  batter  the  fortress, 
into  which  the  enemy  had  retired,  two 
Spanish  ships  appeared,  and  he  made  a 
hasty  retreat.  To  meet  the  exjmnse  of 
this  expedition,  six  thousand  pounds, 
the  first  paper-money,  was  emitted  in 
Carolina,  which  depreciated  after  a few 
years. 

A happy  termination  was  at  length 


View  Of  Charleston. 


368  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


put  to  the  old  difficulties  between  the 
people  and  the  proprietors,  by  the  wise, 
moderate,  and  conciliatory  policy  of 
Archdale,  a quaker,  who  arrived  from 
England  in  1695,  with  authority  to  bring 
the  matter  to  a close;  he  was  succeeded 
in  the  government  by  Blake  ; but  from 
his  death,  in  1700,  under  Governors 
Moore  and  Johnson,  the  colony  was  dis- 
tracted by  wars  with  the  Indians  and 
Spaniards.  In  1703,  the  savages  com- 
menced hostilities,  instigated  by  the 
Spaniards,  but  were  conquered  by  Gov. 
Moore,  who  destroyed  about  800.  In 
1706,  the  Spaniards  made  a new  attack 
upon  Charleston,  but  were  unsuccessful, 
and  retired  with  much  loss;  while  the 
colony  failed  in  an  attempt  on  St.  Au- 
gustine. 

The  Tuscarora  and  Cosee  Indians  as- 
saulted the  western  settlements  in  1712. 

A great  advantage  was  gained  over 
them  by  Col.  Barnell,  and  a decisive  vic- 
tory by  *Col.  Monro  soon  after,  both  of 
them  being  aided  by  large  bodies  of 
friendly  Indians.  The  Tuscaroras  were 
so  discouraged,  that  they  migrated  to 
the  north,  in  1713,  and  settled  on  lands 
granted  them  by  their  ancient  allies,  the 
celebrated  Five  Nations,  or  Iroquois  of 
the  present  state  of  New  York;  with 
whom  they  were  incorporated,  as  the 
sixth  member  of  the  confederacy.  They 
are  now  in  a state  of  much  improvement, 
under  the  influence  of  missionaries,  by 
means  of  schools  and  churches ; and 
many  of  them  are  respectable  farmers. 
(See  Schoolcraft’s  Census  of  the  N.  Y. 
Indians,  1846.)  Their  residence  is  a 
few  miles  from  the  falls  of  Niagara. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Tuscaroras, 
the  other  Indians  proposed  terms  of 
peace  with  South  Carolina,  and  never 
again  caused  any  disturbance. 

The  close  of  the  wai’s  with  the  sava- 
ges, formed  an  epoch  quite  important 
in  the  histories  of  both  of  the  Carolinas. 
It  was  not  till  that  time  that  the  nature 
of  the  interior  lands  became  known. 
The  fear  of  Indians  being  passed,  and 
no  obstacle  now  existing  to  the  estab- 
lishing of  settlements  inland,  consider- 
able numbers  of  colonists  came  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  other  northern /parts, 
to  occupy  them.  The  naturo  of  the 


country,  and  the  chai'acter  of  the  climate, 
combined  to  encourage  a different  sys- 
tem of  agriculture;  and  the  state  of  so- 
ciety has  naturally  been  much  influenced 
by  the  circumstances  which  surrounded 
the  people.  Manual  labor  is  not  re- 
garded as  intolerable  or  discreditable  to 
the  owners  of  the  soil,  who  often  go  to 
the  fields  with  their  slaves,  and  work  at 
their  side.  They  do  not  demand  so 
large  a number  of  servants,  to  perform 
the  work  on  an  upland  farm  as  on  a low- 
land plantation,  and  more  simplie  ty  and 
economy  are  observed  in  the  style  of 
living. 

Our  limits  do  not  allow  us  to  give 
even  so  much  as  an  outline  of  the  French 
or  revolutionary  wars  in  this  state.  In 
the  latter,  the  people  suffered  exceeding- 
ly from  the  conflict  of  parties  nearly 
equally  divided,  and  the  repeated  prev- 
alence of  the  royal  authority;  as  well  as 
from  the  want  of  power  or  firmness 
among  the  friends  of  the  country. 
Charleston  was  once  sa  ved  from  capture, 
by  the  bravery  of  a few  men  in  Fort 
Moultrie.  Marauding  parties  were  oc- 
casionally sent  out  under  Tarlton  and 
others,  from  that  city,  when  it  afterward 
lay  in  the  power  of  the  British  ; and 
these  were  repeatedly  harassed  or 
checked  by  small  bands  of  patriots. 
Among  the  partisan  leaders  who  became 
prominent  and  useful  in'  those  trying 
times,  was  General  Marion,  who  estab- 
lished a high  character  for  skill  and 
bravery,  in  a long  course  of  irregular 
military  operations  in  the  interior.  A 
characteristic  anecdote  is  told  of  him, 
which  does  peculiar  honor  to  the  Amer- 
ican character. 

A young  English  officer,  in  wander- 
ing through  the  woods,  unexpectedly 
found  himself  among  the  soldiers  of 
Marion,  and  was  kindly  received  by  the 
generous  outlaw,  who  hospitably  invited 
; him  to  partake  of  his  fare.  His  food 
; was  of  the  plainest  kind,  and  his  lodging 
| was  upon  the  bare  ground.  The  for-  i 
eigner,  fascinated  by  the  character  of 
his  host,  remonstrated  with  him,  in  the 
most  urgent  terms,  against  the  desperate 
and  dangerous  course  of  life  in  which 
he  had  engaged,  offering  to  procure  him 
a pardon  and  rewards,  if  he  would  join 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA.  * 369 


the  party  of  the  king.  The  soldier  de- 
clined in  the  most  spirited  manner,  de- 
claring that  he  would  not  exchange  his 
poverty  and  humble  fare,  with  his  faith- 
fulness to  his  country’s  cause,  for  all 
that  the  king  had  to  bestow.  He  then 
took  leave  of  his  new  acquaintance, 
whom  he  allowed  to  retire  without  hin- 
derance.  But  it  is  related  that  the  in- 
terview so  far  enlightened  the  mind  of 
the  young  officer  on  the  real  nature  of 
the  American  war,  and  so  deeply  affect- 
ed his  heart,  that  he  soon  obtained  leave 
to  return  to  England,  and  took  no  further 
part  in  the  contest. 

Two  of  the  principal  battles  fought  in 
this  state,  were  at  Columbia:  one  in 
1780,  August  7,  by  General  Gates  against 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  the  other  between 
General  Greene  and  Lord  Rawdon, 
April  23,  1781.  A third  was  at  the 
Cowpens. 

Such  was  the  unsettled  state  of  South 
Carolina  during  a great  part  of  the  war, 
that  many  cases  occurred,  in  which  men 
of  different  classes  changed  from  side 
to  side,  and  many  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  king,  after  having  been 
for  a while  on  the  side  of  the  revolution. 
In  order  to  present,  in  a striking  manner, 
some  of  the  events  of  those  disastrous 
times,  with  a picture  or  two  of  the 
scenes  which  they  produced,  we  make 
the  following  abridgment  of  a history 
of  “the  Cunninghams  of  South  Caro- 
lina,” from  the  appendix  to  the  second 
edition  of  the  “Journal  of  Kirwen,”  by 
Mr.  Ward. 

The  first  decided  outbreak  of  the  civil 
war,  originated  in  the  unjustifiable  ar- 
rest and  imprisonment  of  Robert  Cun- 
ningham, in  November,  1775,  at  Charles- 
ton. There  he  was  destined  to  remain 
till  the  ensuing  July,  when  the  English 
having  been  expelled  from  the  country, 
the  council  of  safety,  deeming  it  prudent 
to  try  the  effect  of  conciliatory  measures, 
released  him  and  the  other  state  prison- 
ers, without  any  conditions  whatever  as 
to  their  after  conduct.  He  repaired 
immediately  to  the  headquarters  of  an 
army  under  the  command  of  General 
Williamson,  which  had  been  collected 
to  repel  a threatened  invasion  of  the  In- 
dians, and  offered  his  services  as  a vol- 


unteer. To  prevent  a mutiny  in  the 
camp,  Williamson  was  obliged  to  de- 
cline his  proffered  services. 

After  this  time,  till  the  year  1780,  no 
public  mention  is  made  of  any  of  the 
Cunninghams.  They  had  all  removed 
to  the  city  of  Charleston,  where  they 
lived  quietly  attending  to  their  private 
affairs. 

In  the  spring  of  1780,  -Charleston 
■•capitulated  to  Clinton,  and  nearly  the 
whole  of  South  Carolina  returned  to 
their  allegiance.  In  December  of  this 
year,  Patrick  Cunningham  was  made 
colonel  of  the  Little  river  regiment,  and 
he  seems  to  have  had  superintendence 
over  some  of  the  confiscated  estates. 
Robert  w’as  made  a brigadier-general  in 
the  British  service,  and  sent  to  command 
a fort  about  seventeen  miles  from  “ Nine- 
ty-six,” called  Williams’  fort,  with  a gar- 
rison of  150  men.  After  the  surprise 
and  slaughter  at  Hammond’s  store, 
which  was  about  thirty  miles  distant, 
many  of  the  fugitives  arrived,  on  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  at  Fort  Wil- 
liams, on  their  way  to  “ Ninety-six,”  the 
stronghold  of  the  British  in  the  country. 
They  reported  that  Washington  was  at 
Hammond’s  store,  having  a large  force 
under  him,  with  which  he  intended  to 
march  directly  on  “Ninety-six,”  taking 
Fort  Williams  on  his  way.  These  re- 
ports were  confirmed  by  many  arrivals 
of  wounded  men  and  stragglers  during 
the  night,  and  General  Cunningham  de- 
termined to  retreat  upon  “Ninety-six,” 
so  as  to  increase  the  force  of  the  garri- 
son, while  there  was  yet  time  to  carry 
off  as  much  arms  and  ammunition  as 
each  man  could  bear,  rather  than,  by  a 
fruitless  opposition  to  an  overwhelming 
force,  not  only  lose  all  his  military  stores, 
but  cause  also  a useless  sacrifice  of  hu- 
man life.  They  accordingly  marched 
the  next  morning,  leaving  only  a few 
men  to  take  care  of  such  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  as  were  unable  to  go  with 
them. 

In  July,  1781,  when  Lord  Rawdon 
returned  to  “Ninety-six,”  from  a Short 
pursuit  of  General  Nathaniel  Greene, 
whom  he  had  forced  temporarily  to  re- 
treat, he  called  the  chief  of  the  loyalists 
together,  explained  to  them  the  neces- 


24 


370 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


sity  of  abandoning  the  district,  and  ad- 
vised them  all  to  retreat  within  lines 
which  the  British  troops  were  able  to 
maintain.  Every  preparation  was  ac- 
cordingly made  by  Colonel  Cruger  for 
immediate  departure.  Half  of  all  the 
British  force  was  left  with  him  to  cover 
their  retreat,  which  was  commenced  on 
the  8th  of  July.  All  would  then  have 
left,  but  for  a letter  addressed  to  them 
by  General  Greene,  in  which,  declaring* 
himself  to  be  their  protector,  he  prom- 
ised all  who  should  remain  his  favor  and 
support.  Relying  on  these  assurances, 
some  were  induced  to  remain,  but  soon 
had  cause  bitterly  to  regret  their  deter- 
mination. 

It  would  be  in  the  highest  degree  un- 
just to  impute  bad  faith  to  General 
Greene  in  this  matter,  but  it  was  impos- 
sible for  him  to  restrain  his  subordinates, 
and  to  guard  against  their  excesses. 
But  no  sooner  did  he  hear  of  them,  than 
General  Sumter  was  despatched  to  re- 
store order  and  capture  the  ringleaders; 
in  the  meantime,  much  mischief  'had 
been  done,  and  many  cruel  and  disgrace- 
ful outrages  perpetrated.  In  Novem- 
ber, General  Cunningham  was  sent  with 
700  men  into  the  neighborhood  of  Or- 
angeburg, where  he  encountered  Gen- 
eral Sumter’s  brigade  of  equal  force. 
The  latter  was  obliged  to  fall  back,  and 
met  with  some  loss,  in  consequence  of 
one  of  his  officers  having  allowed  him- 
self to  be  drawn  into  an  ambuscade;  he 
continued,  however,  to  act  as  a check  on 
Cunninglfam’s  further  advance  into  the 
country.  After  the  capitulation  of 
Charleston,  a great  many  whigs  renewed 
their  oaths  of  allegiance  to  the  king,  and 
yet  when  success  appeared  to  favor  the 
whig  cause,  they  reassumed  arms  against 
the  British.  Cornwallis  issued  orders 
that  all  such,  when  taken,  should  bo  put 
to  death  as  rebels,  who  had  forfeited 
their  lives  by  breaking  the  oaths  of  feal- 
ty they  had  so  short  a time  previously 
taken.  Major  William  Cunningham, 
then  an  officer  in  the  British  service, 
was  one  of  those  who  received  these  or- 
ders, and  who  executed  them  rigorously 
on  all  such  offenders  as  fell  into  his 
power. 

After  the  retreat  of  the  loyalists  from 


“ Ninety-six,”  in  July,  17S1,  those  who 
had  been  induced  by  General  Greene’s 
proclamations  to  remain,  were  treated 
with  the  greatest  barbarity.  Among 
the  whigs  who  distinguished  themselves 
by  their  cruelties  toward  these  helpless 
tories,  were  a Colonel  Hays,  and  a Mr. 
Turner.  Complaints  having  been  made 
to  Major  Cunningham,  of  injuries  com- 
mitted by  these  men  against  the  inno- 
cent wives  and  children  of  some  of  the 
soldiers  of  his  corps,  who  had  adhered 
to  him  in  every  danger,  he  did  not  hes- 
itate to  leave  the  English  camp  at 
Charleston,  and  to  pass  into  district 
“Ninety-six,”  with  a party  of  not  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  for 
the  purpose  of  inflicting  punishment  on 
those  against  whose  inhumanity  nek 
ther  age  nor  sex  had  afforded  any  protec- 
tion. Both  Turner  and  Hays  occupied  ! 
military  “ stations.”  Turner’s  was  the 
first  encountered.  It  was  taken,  and 
the  men  put  to  death.  On  their  way  to 
Hays’  “station,”  some  of  theNmen,  led 
on  by  one  “Elmore,”  seizing  the  oppor- 
tunity of  Cunningham’s  being  at  a con- 
siderable distance  behind,  proceeded  to 
Captain  Caldwell’s  house,  and  finding 
him  at  home,  they  killed  him,  and  burned 
the  house.  When  Cunningham  came  up, 
he  regretted  what  his  men  had  done,  but 
it  seems  doubtful  whether,  even  had  he 
been  present,  he  could,  have  restrained 
them,  bearing  as  they  did,  such  deter- 
mined hatred  toward  their  victim.  The 
party  then  proceeded  on  their  way  to 
Hays’  station.  Col.  Hays  had  been 
warned  of  his  danger  the  night  before, 
by  a Captain  Brooks,  who  sent  an  ex/- 
press  advising  him  to  disband  his  men, 
and  leave  the  ground  instantly,  as  Cun- 
ningham was  in  the  country,  had  taken 
Turner’s  s’tation,  and  killed  nineteen 
men.  Hays,  distrusting  this  informa- 
tion, as  he  had  just  returned  from  scour- 
ing that  part  of  the  country,  and  had 
heard  nothing  of  Cunningham,  did  not 
think  fit  to  follow  the  advice,  but  merely 
sent  off  to  another  station  for  assistance 
in  case  of  need. 

It  was  on  a fine  morning  toward  the 
end  of  November,  when,  at  10  o’clock, 

I the  party  of  loyalists,  led  on  by  Captain 
' John  Hood,  rode  up  to  the  station  at 


full  gallop.  This  Hood  was  a very 
daring  fellow.  He  went  close  to  the 
piazza  in  front  of  the  house,  and  called 
out  in  a loud  voice,  that  “none  should 
fire  from  within,  or  they  should  all  be 
put  to  death.”  Those  within,  disre- 
garding this  warning,  fired  through  the 
openings,  and  killed  one  man.  Major 
Cunningham  arriving  shortly  afterward, 
sent  a flag  of  truce  with  a written  mes- 
sage, demanding  “instant  surrender,” 
and  promising,  if  they  did  so,  “to  spare 
all  their  lives,”  but  declaring  at  the  same 
time,  that  “if  they  should  resist,  aud  so 
cause  the  spilling  of  his  men’s  blood,  he 
would  give  them  no  quarter,  but  put 
them  all  to  death.”  Col.  Hays,  trusting 
to  receive  a reinforcement  before  the 
station  could  be  carried,  refused  to  sur- 
render, and  answered,  “he  should  hold 
out  to  the  last,  at  the  risk  of  the  lives  of 
his  whole  party.”  After  some  shooting 
on  both  sides,  Cunningham  succeeded 
in  setting  fire  to  the  “station,”  which 
was  of  wood,  by  means  of  a ramrod 
wrapped  round  with  tow,  dipped  in 
pitch,  and  thrown  in  a blazing  state  on 
the  roof.  Half-suffocated,  Hays  and  his 
party  at  length  surrendered  at  discretion. 
Cunningham  immediately  hanged  Hays 
and  another  man  called  Daniel  Williams 
on  the  pole  of  a fodder-stock,  the  former 
for  his  cruelty  to  women  and  children, 
and  the  latter  for  having  murdered  in 
cold  blood  his  favorite  follower,  Thomas 
Ellison,  whose  death  he  had  sworn  to 
avenge.  Before  they  were  dead,  the 
pole  broke,  and  Cunningham,  drawing 
his  sword,  slew  them  both  with  his  own 
hand.  Being  told  that  Cook,  the  man 
who  with  Ritchie  and  Moore  had 
whipped  his  brother  to  death,  was  among 
the  prisoners,  he  ordered  him  out  from 
the  rest,  and  slew  him  with  his  sword. 

He  then  gave  permission  to  his  men 
to  do  as  they  pleased  with  the  rest.  All 
who  had  rendered  themselves  obnoxious 
by  acts  of  cruelty  and  plunder,  were 
slain  without  mercy.  The  others  were 
saved.  Each  of  Cunningham’s  men 
singled  out  whomsoever  among  the  pris- 
oners had  been  guilty  of  murdering  any 
of  his  relatives,  and  killed  him  forthwith. 
The  execution  took  place  about  sunset. 

At  the  affair  of  Turner’s  station,  there 


was  no  surrender  made,  nor  quarter 
asked,  and  of  course  such  a party  as 
Cunningham’s  could  not  burden  them- 
selves with  prisoners.  At  the  time  they 
were  attacked,  the  people  of  that  station 
were  busy  cutting  up  some  beeves  of 
which  they  had  just  plundered  the  tories. 
To  conceal  their  occupation,  they  had 
fastened  up  blankets  before  the  windows. 
The  call  for  vengeance  upon  these  ma- 
rauders, which  had  reached  Cunningham 
and  his  followers  in  Charleston,  received 
an  additional  impulse  from  learning  their 
present  employment.  The  house  was 
surrounded,  and  the  inmates  cut  down 
as  they  attempted  to  fly.  Only  one  man 
escaped  the  general  massacre.  Seven 
were  saved  at  Hays’  station,  and  were 
next  morning  set  free  without  terms  or 
conditions. 

On  their  way  back  to  Charleston,  the 
party  encountered  one  “Oliver  Toles,” 
famous  for  stealing  tory  cattle.  Cun- 
ningham had  him  hanged  with  a thong 
cut  from  a tory  cow’s  hide. 

By  this  time  the  country.had  become 
fully  alarmed.  . Parties  under  Pickens, 
Leroy  Hammond,  &c.,  commenced  a vig- 
orous pursuit,  and  before  they  arrived 
at  Charleston,  Ringtail’s  mettle  was  well 
tried.  Seven  fresh  parties  started  in 
pursuit  of  Cunningham,  one  after  the 
other,  but  Ringtail  carried  his  master 
safe  off  from  the  whole  of  them.  It  was 
at  the  expense,  however,  of  his  own  life, 
for  he  died  twenty- three  days  after  they 
reached  the  city,  of  fatigue,  and  the  vio- 
lent exertions  he  had  been  forced  to 
make.  Major  Cunningham,  “Bloody 
Bill,”  “the  heartless,  unfeeling  mon- 
ster,” “ the  coldblooded  demon,”  as  they 
called  him,  wept  like  a child  over  his 
pftor  favorite  and  friend,  as  he  was  wont 
to  term  him.  He  had  him  buried  with 
all  the  honors  of  war,  the  bells  of  Charles- 
ton were  tolled  and  volleys  were  fired 
j over  the  hero  of  many  fights. 

! When  the  English  evacuated  Charles- 
i ton,  Major  Cunningham,  instead  of  em- 
barking with  them,  chose  to  proceed  to 
Florida  by  land,  accompanied  by  five  of 
his  followers.  One  day  having  pitched 
his  tent  near  the  region  of  Greenville, 
in  the  fancied  security  of  a deep  wood, 
they  laid  aside  their  arms,*  unsaddled 


372 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


their  horses,  and  began  to  cook  and  get  I the  time  devoted  to  its  preparation  for 
ready  their  dinner.  In  the  midst  of  this  market.  The  inventor  of  this  invaluable 


interesting  occupation,  they  were  sud- 
denly interrupted  by  the  unwelcome  ap- 
pearance of  a Captain  Butler  and  twenty 
men  of  the  revolutionary  party.  Taken 
thus  by  surprise,  each  man  sprung  as 
he  was,  without  arms,  on  his  unsaddled 
horse,  and  made  off,  as  he  best  could. 
The  tent,  arms,  and  everything,  except 
themselves  and  their  barebacked  horses, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  gallant  captain 
and  his  band.  The  odds  of  twenty-one, 
well  armed,  to  six  unarmed  men,  was 
rather  too  great,  even  for  Bloody  Bill; 
so,  thinking  in  ibis  case  that  discretion 
was  decidedly  the  better  part  of  valor, 
he  and  Captain  Hood,  who  kept  close 
to  him,  made  off  as  fast  as  their  horses’ 
legs  could  carry  them,  and  were  soon 
beyond  the  reach  of  danger. 

He  arrived  safely  in  Florida,  and  af- 
terward went  to  England  with  General 
Cunningham.  He  was  presented  at 
court,  and  during  the  rest  of  his  life, 
enjoyed  the  #ha]f-pay  of  a major  in  the 
British  service. 

Cotton , the  principal  product  of  South 
Carolina,  is  of  three  kinds  : the  long- 
staple  or  black-seed,  the  short-staple, 
green-seed  or  upland,  and  the  nankeen. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  most  valuable 
kind  of  cotton,  and  is  raised  on  the  small, 
low,  fertile  islands,  and  on  the  immedi- 
ate coast,  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
The  fibres  are  much  longer  and  finer 
than  those  of  the  other  kinds,  and*  it  is 
highly  prized  for  the  manufacture  of 
some  of  the  finest  fabrics,  in  Europe  as 
well  as  in  this  country. 

The  second  kind  is  extensively  culti- 
vated in  the  interior,  and  in  much  the 
greatest  quantity:  but  the  culture  add 
supply  were  greatly  restricted  for  many 
years,  in  consequence  of  the  difficulty 
of  separating  the  seeds,  to  which  the 
fibres  adhere  very'closely.  There  was 
no  other  way  known  to'  effect  the  neces- 
sary separation,  until  the  invention  of 
dhe  cotton  gin,  by  Mr.  Eli  Whitney, 
of  Connecticut,  which  was  soon  exten- 
sively introduced,  and  is  now  in  univer- 
sal use,  to  the  incalculable  benefit  of  the 
culture,  commerce,  and  manufacture,  of 
cotton,  by  greatly  reducing  the  cost  and 


machine  was,  however,  long  unrewarded 
for  his  skill  and  ingenuity;  for,  while 
on  a tour  of  visitation  in  the  south,  after 
it  had  become  extensively  introduced, 
he  was  informed  that  it  would  be  unsafe 
for  him  to  prosecute  a claim  for  viola- 
tions of  his  patent.  He  afterward,  how- 
ever, received  sums  of  money  from  some 
of  the  states  most  benefited,  as  a small 
return  for  the  favor  he  had  conferred 
upon  them. 

The  nankeen  cotton  is  of  a clear  and 
lasting  buff  color,  and  has  been  intro- 
duced with  success  into  the  middle  and 
northern  parts  of  the  state,  where  it  is 
much  employed  for  home  use.  It  is  that 
kind  of  which  the  nankeen  cloths  of 
China  are  made. 

Rice,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  is 
one  of  the  principal  productions  of  South 
Carolina.  Being  a water  plant,  its  cul- 
ture is  confined  to  the  lowlands,  to  which 
water  can  be  brought  in.  It  is  a crop 
which  requires  peculiar  care  and.  atten- 
tion, as  may  be  presumed  from  the  vari- 
ous processes  necessary  in  its  cultiva- 
tion. 

On  the  tide-lands,  or  those  which  lie 
on  the  coast  and  are  open  to  the  ocean, 
so  that  the  supply  of  water  is  obtained 
from  it,  rice  is  sown  about . the  20th  of 
March,  while  on  those  inland,  which  are 
irrigated  from  fresh-water  streams,  the 
sowing-time  is  about  three  weeks  later. 
The  soil  is  turned  up  with  the  hoe  or 
plough,  and  then  formed  into  drills  or 
trenches.  From  one  to  two  bushels  are 
sown  upon  an  acre,  and  then  the  water  is 
let  in,  and  left  standing  from  two  to  four 
days,  to  kill  the  worms,  and  make  the 
grain  germinate.  The  water  is  then 
drawn  off,  and  the  hoeing  commences, 
which  is  soon  repeated,  the  grass  being 
now  picked  from  among  the  young  grain 
by  hand.  The  water  is  again  let  in  af- 
ter the  third  hoeing,  for  ten  days  and 
often  more,  sometimes  for  twenty.  The 
water  is  then  suffered  to  run  off  by  de- 
grees, and  the  rice  branches  out,  each 
branch  at  length  bearing  an  ear  of  from 
100  to  300  grains.  Three  months  after 
sowing  it  begins  to  blossom,  and  then 
the  floodgates  are  again  opened  and  the 


View  of  Keowee  Lake. 


374*  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


water  flows  in,  where  it  remains  till  har- 
vest, which  takes  place  in  August  on  the 
coast,  and  in  September  inland.  But 
the  great  obstacle  in  the  way  of  rice- 
culture,  is  the  unhealthiness  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, caused  by  the  miasma  raised 
by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  which  is  most 
deadly  to  white  men,  and  very  injurious 
also  to  the  negroes.  The  rice-planters 
I generally  leave  their  homes  during  the 
summer,  and  take  their  families  to  the 
cities,  or  to  the  uplands,  to  avoid  this 
j evil. 

j From  600  to  1,500  pounds  of  rice  are 
! obtained  from  an  acre  inland,  and  on 
! the  coast  from  1,200  to  1,500,  and  even 
I sometimes  2,400. 

! The  separation  of  families  from  each 
other,  in  a country  where  the  plantation 
system  is  universal,  and  the  scarcity  of 
villages  and  even  smaller  settlements, 
necessarily  throw  many  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  social  improvement.  Children 
can  hardly  be  collected  in  schools,  or 
the  people  in  churches,  while  social  in- 
tercourse must  be  limited,  even  though 
there  may  be  much  hospitality,  leis- 
ure, and  love  of  society,  such  as  are 
generally  found  in  this  and  other  south- 
ern states. 

Railroads.  — South  Carolina  distin- 
guished herself  by  her  early  enterprise, 
in  constructing  one  of  the  first  great 
railroads  in  the  Union,  on  a plan  whose 
success  has  proved  its  sagacity.  It  was 
constructed  across  an  extensive  region, 
offering  indeed  few  obstacles  of  surface, 
but  encouraged  by  few  of  the  advanta- 
ges found  in  a thickly-populated  coun- 
try. The  grand  object  lay  in  opening  a 
communication  with  the  Savannah  river 
overland,  by  which  the  delay  and  expo- 
sure of  the  sea  voyage  might  be  avoid- 
ed; and  a large  part  of  the  great  cotton 
crops,  annually  gathered  on  its  banks, 
is  now  carried  in  safety  and  at  a rapid 
rate  to  the  city  of  Charleston,  the  great 
commercial  port  of  the  south,  to  be 
j shipped  for  New  York  and  Europe. 

Keowee  lake  (see  page  373). — This 
secluded  little  lake  lies  among  the  wild 
scenes  of  a region  little  changed  by  cul- 
tivation or  the  neighborhood  of  man. 
A bold  and  wooded  hill  rises  on  the  right 
with  a sudden  swell,  while  a path,  wind- 


ing along  the  left  bank,  is  shaded  with 
a variety  of  trees,  presenting  a diversity 
of  form  and  foliage.  A white  sail,  seen 
at  a distance,  intimates  that  the  placid 
waters  are  sometimes  disturbed  by  a 
passing  boat,  while  the  group  of  visiters 
in  the  foreground,  reminds  us,  that  the 
beautiful  scene  has  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  admirers  of  nature. 

The  falls  of  the  charashilac- 
tay. — This  view  is  inserted  here,  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  bold  and  picturesque 
scenery  which  abounds  in  some  parts  of 
the  high,  western  regions  of  the  state. 
The  stream,  whose  singular,  aboriginal 
name  has  been  preserved,  after  flowing 
some  distance,  meets  an  abrupt,  mural 
precipice  in  its  course,  and  falls,  in  a 
beautiful  sheet,  interrupted  by  two  suc- 
cessive projecting  shelves  of  the  rock, 
to  the  bottom  of  the  gulf  which  opens 
b&neath.  The  effect  is  very  striking,  es- 
pecially when  viewed  from  below,  the 
bare  ledges  in  front,  whitened  by  the 
glistening  foam  of  the  falling  stream, 
being  crowned  with  foliage,  and  half 
shaded  by  trees,  which  line  the  banks, 
and  spring  from  the  crevices. 

Charleston  is  the  principal  Atlantic 
seaport  of  the  southern  states,  and  a 
large  and  flourishing  city.  It  stands 
upon  a peninsula,  at  the  mouths  of 
Cooper  and  Ashley  rivers,  which  empty 
into  a spacious  bay,  with  depth  of  water 
sufficient  to  form  an  excellent  harbor. 
By  the  aid  of  several  islands,  advanta- 
geously situated,  it  is  well  protected  from 
the  waves  of  the  ocean,  and  fortified 
against  foreign  attack.  The  population, 
including  the  Neck,  in  1850,  was  42,806. 

Although  the  site  of  the  city  is  level 
and  low,  like  the  neighboring  land,  its 
appearance  is  favorable  from  the  water. 
The  buildings,  however,  are  chiefly  of 
wood,  and  the  streets  are  narrow,  ex- 
cept the  two  principal  ones,  which  cross 
each  other,  and  traverse  the  city  in  its 
length  and  breadth.  The  principal  pub- 
lic buildings  are  the  city-hall,  court- 
house, college,  orphanhouse,  medical 
college,  guardhouse,  hospital,  poorhouse, 
customhouse,  jail,  St.  Andrew’s  hall, 
and  state  building,  with  several  church- 
es. The  city  suffered  from  a great  con- 
flagration in  1S35,  which  laid  waste  a 


Falls  of  the  Charasliilactay. 


376 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


Charleston  Hotel. 


considerable  extent  of  ground.  The 
private  houses  are  generally  of  a plain 
style,  but  many  of  them  are  neat  and 
substantial ; and  the  appearance  of  the 
city  is  much  improved  by  many  gardens, 
in  which  some  of  the  finest  fruits  are 
cultivated,  with  a success  which  well  re- 
wards the  taste  and  care  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. Oranges,  figs,  pomegranates, 
grapes,  &c.,  abound,  with  a great  vari- 
ety of  flowers  and  ornamental  shrubs. 
Of  these  a charming  display  is  annually 
made,  in  the  exhibitions  of  the  horticul- 
tural society. 

The  inhabitants,  who  amount  to  about 
43,000,  include  many  persons  from  the 
eastern  states,  and  a considerable  num- 
ber of  French.  In  the  summer  months 
the  city  is  the  residence  of  many  of  the 
planters  from  the  neighboring  estates ; 
and  the  interior,  who  are  driven  from 
home  by  the  unhealthiness  of  the  country. 

Our  engraving  of  Meeting  street  pre- 
sents two  churches  in  the  distance,  while 
Charleston  Hotel  (a  front  view  of  which 
is  given  above)  is  seen  on  the  left.  This 
edifice  has  a fine  colonnade  of  fourteen 
tall  Corinthian  pillars,  rising  from  the 
second  story,  and  supporting  the  roof 
above  the  fourth,  with  a broad  piazza 
within,  while  the  tall  pediments  below, 
afford  between  them  entrances  to  the 
basement  story.from  the  street. 

The  Charleston  College,  the  oldest  in- 
stitution of  the  kind  in  the  state,  was 


founded  in  1795,  and  has  four  professors, 
with  a library  of  3,000  volumes,  and 
about  50  or  60  students. 

The  Medical  College  of  the  state  was 
founded  in  1833,  and  has  eight  profes- 
sors and  about  150  students,  and  enjoys 
a high  reputation. 

The  Orphan  Asylum  is  an  interesting 
and  highly  useful  institution,  containing 
about  200  friendless  children. 

Free  Schools  have  been  supported  in 
all  parts  of  the  state,  at  considerable 
expense,  by  the  legislature.  The  an- 
nual appropriations  of  money,  as  early 
as  1828,  were  nearly  40,000,  the  num- 
ber of  schools  840,  and  of  pupils  9,000. 

The  Guardhouse , which  has  been  men- 
tioned among  the  public  buildings,  is 
large,  and  the  headquarters  of  the  city 
guard,  a part  of  which  consists  of  mount- 
ed men,  who  form  the  regular  night  pa- 
trol. 

The  Citadel,  which  was  formerly  used 
as  the  gnardhouse,  is  now  occupied  as 
the  state  military  school. 

The  Literary  and  Philosophical  Soci- 
ety is  an  association  creditable  to  the 
state,  and  possesses  a valuable  collection 
of  specimens  in  the  different  departments 
of  science. 

The  City  Library  contains  about 
20,000  volumes. 

The  Apprentices'  Library  contains 
about  10,000  volumes,  and  supplies  the 
members  with  a course  of  lectures. 


View  in  Meeting  Street,  Charleston. 


378  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Among  the  objects  in  the  vicinity  of 
Charleston  worthy  of  particular  atten- 
tion, is  Sullivan's  Island,  which  was  the 
scene  of  important  military  operations 
in  the  revolutionary  war.  Fort  Moul- 
trie, which  commands  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor,  was  gallantly  defended  by 
a very  feeble  force,  against  a British 
squadron  sent  to  take  the  city. 

The  harbor  now  presents  a scene  of 
great  activity.  Besides  the  regular  for- 
eign and  coasting  vessels,  which  are  nu- 
merous, steamboats  and  packet  vessels 
arrive  or  depart  every  day,  chiefly  for 
the  transport  of  passengers.  There  is 
a daily  line  of  steamboats  to  Wilming- 
ton, North  Carolina,  and  other  lines  to 
Savannah  and  St.  Augustine.  Regular 
lines  of  fine  ships  sail  at  stated  times  for 
New  York,  &c.,  &c.  Railroad  cars 
start  every  day  on  the  great  track,,  for 
several  important  cities,  to  which  the 
branches  lead,  Columbia,  Augusta,  and 
Savannah,  and  onward  to  more  distant 
places  beyond  the  last  two:  Mobile, 
Montgomery,  Ala.,  and  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Stage-coaches  offer  the  means  of  con- 
veyance to  other  towns,  near  and  distant. 

Beaufort,  75  miles  from  Charleston, 
is  situated  on  Port  Royal  river,  and  has 
one  of  the  largest  and  best  harbors  in 
South  Carolina.  With  a population  of 
about  1,600,  it  contains  an  academy,  a 
library,  and  three  churches ; and  has 
communication  with  Charleston  and  Sa- 
vannah by  steamboats. 

Columbia,  130  miles  from  Charleston, 
is  the  capital  of  South  Carolina,  and 
stands  on  a large  plain,  about  200  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Congaree  river, 
which  flows  at  a little  distance  south  of 
it,  crossed  by  a bridge.  The  town  makes 
a handsome  appearance,  being  laid  out 
with  regularity,  in  long  and  broad  streets, 
planted  with  shade  trees.  Steamboats 
and  railroad  cars  keep  up  a daily  com- 
munication with  Charleston. 

The  Statehouse  is  a handsome  edifice 
of  two  stories,  and  170  feet  in  length; 
and  the  town  contains  two  banks,  a the- 
atre, an  academy,  and  several  other  pub- 
lic building’s,  including  six  churches  of 
different  religious  denominations.  The 
population  amounts  to  6,100. 

! The  College  of  South  Carolina , at 

Columbia,  was  founded  in  1801,  by  an 
act  of  the  legislature,  and  has  been  sup- 
ported in  a great  degree  by  the  treasury, 
which,  previously  to  the  year  1833,  had 
expended  about  $ 200,000  in  erecting 
edifices,  procuring  a library  and  appa- 
ratus and  other  contingencies,  besides 
an  annual  sum  of  $15,000.  There  are 
six  tutors,  about  150  students,  and  a 
library  of  15,000  volumes.  The  com- 
mencement is  held  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  December. 

The  Southern  Theological  Seminary , 
which  also  is  situated  ill  this  place,  has 
a library  of  4,000  volumes,  two  profes- 
sors, and  as  yet,  only  a small  number  of 
students.  It  was  founded  in  1831. 

Cheraw  stands  on  the  great  Pedee 
river,  93  miles  from  Columbia,  and,  like 
it,  at  the  dividing  line  between  the  high 
and  the  low  regions,  at  the  head  of  nav- 
igation. The  town  is  on  a considerable 
elevation,  about  100  feet  above  the  water, 
but  is  small,  containing  oidy  about  1,400 
inhabitants.  The  public  buildings  are 
the  bank,  the  town  hall,  five  churches,  and 
two  academies.  Steamboats  come  from 
Georgetown,  and  stage-coaches  daily  to 
Columbia  and  Raleigh. 

Camden,  33  miles  from  Columbia, 
stands  on  a plain  on  the  left  banl£  of  the 
Wateree,  and  contains  several  fine  pub- 
lic buildings  ; the  city-hall,  courthouse, 
masonic  hall,  bank,  library,  academy, 
and  four  churches. 

The  Monument,  in  De  Kalb  street, 
was  founded  in  1825,  when  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  by  General  Lafayette,  in 
honor  of  Baron  De  Kalb.  The  Indian 
mound,  a few  miles  west  of  the  town, 
is  said  to  be  one  of  the  remains  of  the 
Catawbas,  formerly  a powerful  tribe. 

Spartansburg  is  a pleasant  town,  in 
a hilly  part  of  the  state,  much  resorted 
to  by  travellers,  on  account  of  the  water- 
ing places  in  the  vicinity;  the  Limestone, 
Pacolet,  Cedar,  and  Glenn  Sulphur 
springs. 

Greenville  stands  near  the  bank  of 
Reedy  river,  which  has  several  falls. 
The  town  is  laid  out  with  caste,  and  en- 
joys a healthful  situation.  It  contains 
a courthouse,  two  academies,  a library, 
and  several  churches.  It  is  107  miles 
from  Columbia. 

1 • • 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA.  379 


GEORGIA. 

This  state,  extending  from  Tennessee 
to  Florida  and  the  ocean,  and  lying 
between  South  Carolina  and  Alabama, 
has  the  same  variety  of  surface,  soil, 
and  climate,  as  most  of  the  other  south- 
ern states,  but  differs  from  the  Carolinas 
in  having  much  less  seacoast.  The  area 
of  the  state  is  62,083  miles  ; and  from 
the  mouth  of  St.  Mary’s  river  to  the 
northwest  corner  (the  longest  straight 
line  that  can  be  drawn  within  its  boun- 
daries), is  394  miles. 

The  general  surface  of  Georgia  pre- 
sents a great  slope  toward  the  south,  of 
which  the  peninsula  of  Florida  is  a mere 
continuation.  The  rivers  which  descend 
it  flow  eastward  into  the  Atlantic,  or  westward  into. the  gulf  of  Mexico.  On 
the  coast,  the  slope  descends  to  the  very  level  of  the  salt  water,  forming  the  nc 
islands  and  shores  which  produce  the  celebrated  sea-island  cotton;  while  m 
the  north  it  presents  a general,  elevation  of  1,200  feet,  which  is  overlooked  by 
the  still  higher  mountain  ranges.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  temperature  is  two 
degrees  higher  on  the  Atlantic  coast  than  on  the  gulf,  where  the  latitude  and  ele- 
vation are^equal  ; and  this  is  proved  by  the  vegetation,  as  well  as  by  scientific 
experiments.  The  gieat  length  of  the  state,  with  its  variety  of  surface,  gives 
Georgia  a greater  extent  of  vegetable  production  that  any  other  state  in  the  Union, 
producing  wheat  in  the  north,  and  sugarcane  in  the  south,  with  the  various  plants, 
in  different  parts,  between  these  two  extremes. 

The  nature  of  the  surface  requires  us  to  distinguish  three  zones  in  this  state, 
like  those  of  North  and  South  Carolina.  The  sea-border  has  an  almost  tropical 
climate,  and  is  so  nearly  on  the  water  level,  as  to  be  in  part  overflown  by  the 
daily  tides ; and  where  the  soil  is  rich  and  dry  enough,  sugarcane  flourishes,  as 
well  as  the  orange,  date,  and  other  palms,  with  a variety  of  plants  not  found 


380  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


further  north.  The  islands  and  shores 
on  which  the  long-staple  cotton  is  culti- 
vated, above  alluded  to,  are  bordered  by- 
narrow,  and  often  intricate  channels, 
navigable  by  vessels,  which  appear  from 
a distance  as  if  moving  upon  the  land. 
This  species  of  cotton  is  well-known, 
and  most  highly  valued  in  all  the  ports 
and  manufacturing  cities  of  Europe,  as 
well  as  of  this  country  ; and  all  attempts 
made,  at  home  and  abroad,  to  produce 
a rival  have  proved  unsuccessful.  The 
length  and  fineness  of  the  staple  or  fibre 
fit  it  for  some  of  the  most  costly  fabrics ; 
and  the  demand  is  always  great,  and  the 
prices  high.  A considerable  proportion 
of  this  first  and  lowest  region  of  the 
state,  however,  has  a poor  and  even  bar- 
ren soil. 

The  second  district,  which  is  both 
sandy  and  hilly,  has  considerable  tracts 
of  worthless  land,  though  other  parts 
yield  corn  and  cotton;  but  the  most  val- 
uable portion  of  the  state  is  the  higher 
region  beyond,  which  presents  a more 
varied  surface,  and  a soil  of  superior 
fertility,  well  watered  by  numerous 
streams;  while  the  sultry  and  unhealthy 
atmosphere  of  the  lower  country  is  re- 
placed by  cool,  pure,  and  wholesome 
air. 

The  grand  primitive  formation  of  the 
United  States  commences  at  Milledge- 
ville,  in  this  state,  and  extends,  with  the 
highest  ridge  of  the  Allegany  moun- 
tains, through  several  northern  ones, 
forming  the  boundary  between  the  great 
western  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
the  eastern  slope  to  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic.  This  range  is  distinguished 
through  a great  part  of  its  length,  by  a 
remarkable  feature.  It  terminates  ab- 
ruptly at  the  border  of  the  extensive 
alluvial  region  which  forms  the  broad 
band  between  it  and  the  ocean.  This 
character  accompanies  it  as  it  passes 
west  of  Washington  and  Philadelphia, 
to  the  Hudson  river,  and  is  attended 
with  several  circumstances  and  effects, 
of  great  practical  importance,  which 
have  been  referred  to  in  our  notices  of 
the  geography  of  North  and  South  Car* 
olina.  Beyond  the  Hudson  the  same 
primitive  range  extends  eastward,  and 
spreads  over  the  New  England  states, 


reaching  down  to  the  coast,  and  lining 
the  shore  with  a range  of  rough  granite 
rocks. 

Westward,  the  same  primitive  range 
extends  almost  to  Tennessee,  being 
bounded  beyond  by  a transition  range, 
which  intervenes  between  it  and  the 
secondary  region  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  Chatahoochee  river  is  said  to  have 
derived  its  name  from  a rock  of  a pecu- 
liar appearance,  which  stands  on  its 
bank,  a short  distance  above  Columbus. 
It  is  marked  with  various  bright  colors, 
so  intermingled  as  to  make  it  appear  as 
if  overgrown  with  various  plants,  in  full 
bloom.  Hence  the  Indians  bestowed 
upon  the  stream  the  name  which  it  has 
retained,  and  which  signifies  the  “flower- 
rock  waters.”  Many  parts  of  this  fine 
stream  are  interesting,  on  some  account 
flr  other,  between  its  source,  in  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Georgia,  and  Appalachi- 
cola  bay,  which  is  four  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  below  Columbus.  The  sce- 
nery just  above  that  city  is  remarkably 
wild  and  picturesque ; rocks  projecting 
from  the  banks,  and  many  rising  from 
its  bed,  impeding  the  current,  and  in- 
creasing the  roughness  of  the  stream, 
rendered  hasty  by  the  descent  of  the 
channel.  Its  course  is,  for  several  miles, 
a succession  of  falls  and  rapids,  within 
four  of  which  the  declivity  is  more  than 
one  hundred  feet. 

Along  its  shores  have  been  some  of 
the  most  rapid  improvements  made  in 
the  state.  Columbus  has  already  be- 
come a considerable  town,  although  but 
a few  years  ago  an  Indian  village.  Be- 
low its  site  many  villages  are  to  be  seen 
from  the  steamboats,  in  which  the  trav- 
eller makes  his  way  through  the  heart 
of  the  state. 

The  Lover’s  Leap. — The  place  bear- 
ing this  name  is  a romantic  spot  on  the 
Chatahoochee,  and  is  represented  in  'the 
vignette  at  the  head  of  this  state.  It  is 
a high  and  ragged  cliff,  which  is  the  ter- 
mination of  an  ascending  knoll  of  dark 
rocks,  and  projects  boldly  into  the  river. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  of  na- 
ture can  be  viewed  from  this  rock.  In 
a straight  line  on  the  left,  the  river  pur- 
sues its  downward  course  to  the  city. 
The  water  foams  and  frets  over  the 


382 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


rocks,  in  angry  surges.  A deep  ravine 
forms  the  ted  of  the  stream,  and  it  is 
walled  by  lofty  and  irregular  cliffs,  cov- 
ered to  their  tops  with  forest-trees  of 
beautiful  growth. 

The  falls  of  Coweta  are  enveloped  in 
a thick  mist,  which  partially  obscurer  all 
the  surrounding  objects,  among  which 
are  the  steamboats  which  constantly  ply 
upon  the  river,  and  the  bridge  which 
stretches  across  the  river. 

The  river  at  the  leap  suddenly  turns 
so  as  to  form  a right  angle  with  its 
course  below,  flowing  in  a narrow  chan- 
nel, which  is  so  regularly  lined  on  each 
side  with  rocks,  and  of  so  uniform  a 
width,  as  greatly  to  resemble  a canal; 
but  a little  distance  above,  it  again  forms 
a right  angle,  and  moves  onward  in  its 
old  course.  The  beauty  of  the  view 
which  we  have  described,  does  not  ex- 
ceed that  of  the  other  parts  of  the  land- 
scape, for  the  scene  on  the  right,  and  in 
the  foreground,  is  scarcely  less  beautiful 
and  picturesque. 

“ Dr.  F.,  the  guide  and  life  of  our 
party,”  says  Richards,  “remarked,  that 
a surprising  change,  indeed  almost  ma- 
gical, has  come  over  the  scene  upon 
which  we  gaze,  since  1828,  when  the 
Indians  lighted  their  council  fires  in  the 
town  of  Coweta,  an  Indian  settlement, 
where  now  the  fair  city  of  Columbus, 
obedient  to  the  will  of  civilization  and 
commerce,  erects  her  noble  head.  Then, 
the  fields  over  which  we  have  rambled 
to-day,  had  never  felt  the  ruthless  share 
ploughing  their  virgin  soil.  The  trees, 
which  now  spread  their  bare  and  de- 
caying arms  to  the  sky,  were  enrobed  in 
their  primeval  greenness  and  strength. 
The  cliff*,  which  we  now  behold,  had 
rarely  echoed  to  the  woodman’s  axe. 
Its  voices  were  responsive  to  the  occa- 
sional rifle  of  the  wild  hunter,  and  the 
more  frequent  yell  of  the  savage,  and 
roar  of  the  wild  beast.” 

The  spot  derives  its  name  from  an  In- 
dian tradition:  A young  woman  of  the 
tribe  having  fallen  in  love  with  a youth  of 
a neighboring  one,  just  before  hostilities 
occurred  between  them,  she  was  pur- 
sued as  a traitress,  and  the  lovers  threw 
themselves  into  the  stream,  and  were 
carried  to  destruction  down  the  falls. 


The  Falt.s  of  Tullulah. — In  the 
midst  of  the  picturesque  region  which 
forms  the  county  of  Habersham,  in  the 
northeastern  corner  of  the  state,  we  find 
the  falls  of  Tullulah,  twelve  miles  from 
Clarkesville.  The  road  is  rough,  and 
almost  dangerous  to  carriages ; and  there 
is  not  a single  habitation  to  be  seen, 
except  a log  house,  two  miles  from  the 
spot,  where  visiters  stop  for  refreshment. 

A small  stream,  called  by  the  Indians 
the  Terrora,  rushes  impetuously  from  a 
remarkable  rent  in  the  Blue  Ridge, 
which  extends  several  miles,  and  every- 
where presents  a most  impressive,  and 
often  a terrific  scene.  The  granite  rocks 
which  compose  the  banks  are  precipi- 
tous, and  about  a thousand  feet  in  height ; 
though  the  breadth  of  the  narrow  gulf 
between  hardly  exceeds  that  distance. 
The  engraving  on  page  381  presents  the 
reader  with  the  view  from  the  most  fa- 
vorable point,  which  is  a mass  of  rock 
called  “the  Pulpit,”  that  projects  from 
the  face  of  a precipice  overhanging  the 
narr.ow  valley,  and  looking  down,  from 
a considerable  height,  upon  the  roaring 
brook,  as  it  pours  furiously  over  three  of 
the  principal  cascades  in  its  course. 

Some  distance  above,  a steep  and  bro- 
ken path  leads  down  the  bank,  and  ladies 
have  sometimes  descended  to  the  margin 
of  the  stream,  though  it  is  not  free  from 
danger,  and  the  return  is  laborious.  The 
visiter  may  also  find  access  to  the  foot 
of  the  second  fall,  by  a path  too  hazard- 
ous to  be  prudently  passed,  namely,  by 
creeping  on  his  hands  and  knees  along 
the  brow  of  a precipice,  a fall  from 
which  would  be  almost  certain  death.  A 
gentleman,  as  we  are  informed,  once  fell 
in  making  this  experiment,  plunged  into 
the  stream,  and  was  carried  rapidly  along 
till  he  reached  the  cataract  and  was 
swept  down  it,  sixty  feet,  yet  escaped 
without  serious  injury. 

The  Indian  name  of  this  stream,  which 
is  written  by  Americans  Terrora  and  Tel- 
lula,  is  said  to  signify  terror , presenting 
a singular,  though  doubtless  an  acciden- 
tal resemblance  to  its  meaning  in  Eng- 
lish and  Latin. 

Rock  Mountain. — Within  view  of 
the  Blue  Ridge,  and  at  a short  distance 
from  the  course  of  the  Chatahoochee, 


Rock  Mountain. 


384 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


rises  the  Rock  mountain,  a tall  and  con- 
spicuous eminence,  nine  hundred  feet 
high,  with  a gentle  slope  toward  the 
west,  and  a precipitous  termination 
toward  the  east.  The  road  winds  along 
the  base,  till  it  reaches  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  bluff,  where  the  sublime  emi- 
nence, rising  far  above,  produces  an  im- 
pression of  wildness  and  grandeur,  diffi- 
cult to  describe.  The  rock  above  pre- 
sents a convex  surface,  with  a rapid 
descent  to  the  plain,  channeled  by  nu- 
merous ravines,  down  which,  in  every 
storm,  pour  numerous  torrents,  whose 
channels  again  become  as  speedily  dry. 
We  present  the  reader  with  a handsome 
engraving  of  this  mountain,  on  page  383. 

On  the  summit  of  the  mountain  has 
been  erected  an  octagonal  tower,  built 
of  wood,  one  hundred  feet  square  at  the 
base,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-five 
feet  high.  This  singulai  construction, 
so  convenient  to  the  visiter,  and  eleva- 
ting his  eye  to  a superior  sphere,  has 
already  stood  several  years,  although 
it  rests  upon  the  bare  rock,  without  any- 
thing except  its  own  weight  to  keep  it 
in  its  position.  In  the  lower  part  is  a 
small  hotel,  which  contains  even  a piano. 
The  view  from  the  top  of  the  tower  is 
very  extensive  and  interesting,  ranging 
over  a long  extent  of  the  blue  ridge, 
with  varied  tracts  of  country  below, 
chiefly  covered  with  forest. 

The  Cross-Roads  are  two  remarkable 
fissures  in  the  rocks,  which  cross  each 
other  at  a point  where  they  are  five  feet 
wide;  and  at  that  spot  they  are  covered 
by  a large,  flat  rock,  twenty  feet  in 
diameter. 

The  Fort. — The  whole  summit  of  the 
mountain  is  enclosed  by  the  remains  of 
an  ancient  entrenchment,  of  the  history 
of  which  the  Indians  disclaimed  all 
knowledge,  except  that  it  was  of  a date 
prior  to  that  of  their  ancestors. 

The  circumference  of  Rock  mountain 
is  about  six  miles,  and  the  height  of  its 
summit  2,230  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean.  It  exhibits,  in  different  parts,  a 
great  variety  of  vegetation  ; plants,  flow- 
ers, and  berries  of  many  different  kinds, 
presenting  themselves  to  the  visiter,  as 
he  winds  along  its  base,  climbs  the 
rocky  sides,  and  wanders  over  its  lofty 


eminences,  amid  the  exhilarating  atmo- 
sphere of  a superior  region. 

History. — Georgia  was  one  of  the 
original  thirteen  states  of  the  American 
Union,  but  the  youngest  in  respect  to 
the  time  of  settlement.  Its  increase  in 
population,  however,  has  been  among 
the  most  rapid  since  the  revolution. 
The  first  colonies  were  planted  under 
authority  of  a patent  granted  by  George 
II.,  in  1732,  to  twenty-one  persons,  who 
were  called  “ the  trustees  for  settling  the 
colony  of  Georgia,”  a name  bestowed  in 
honor  of  the  king.  The  first  party  of 
emigrants  reached  Charleston  in  1733, 
under  the  direction  of  General  James 
Oglethorpe,  and  the  settlement  of  Savan- 
nah was  begun  in  the  spring.  In  conse- 
quence, however,  of  injudicious  restric- 
tions laid  on  the  colonies,  the  increase 
of  the  population  was  checked,  and  its 
prosperity  retarded  for  some  years. 

Unfortunately,  this  part  of  the  country 
was  easily  accessible  to  the  Spaniards, 
who  claimed  it  as  their  own ; and  the  fear 
of  invasion,  as  well  as  the  actual  at- 
tempts made  to  gain  possession,  greatly 
retarded  the  increase  of  the  colony. 
Retaliation  on  the  part  of  the  English 
served  to  increase  the  difficulties  of  the 
community.  In  1742,  General  Ogle- 
thorpe made  his  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
capture  St.  Augustine ; and  two  years 
after,  the  Spaniards  invaded  the  colony, 
but  were  in  their  turn  defeated.  The 
Georgians  were  thus  burdened  by  heavy 
debts,  like  the  Carolinians,  and  by  the 
same  causes,  from  which  they  were  soon 
able  to  recover,  in  consequence  of  the 
more  favorable  circumstances  in  which 
they  were  placed  by  coming  under  the 
royal  government,  as  a colony  of  the 
king.  This  occurred  in  1752. 

A general  representative  assembly 
was  formed  in  1755;  and  in  consequence 
of  the  cession  of  Florida  to  Great  Brit- 
ain, the  country  between  the  Altamaha 
and  St.  Mary’s  rivers  was  ceded,  much 
to  the  advantage  of  Georgia.  Symp- 
toms of  increasing  prosperity  soon  be- 
gan to  appear ; but  the  Cherokees,  a 
powerful  and  warlike  nation  of  Indians, 
occupied  the  western  and  northern  parts 
of  the  territory  ; and  several  others  were 
near  them ; and  a period  of  danger  and 


!'  )| 

■ 386  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA.  U 

wars  soon  commenced,  which  caused 
great  sufferings,  and  greatly  checked  the 
increase  and  extension  of  the  settle- 
ments. 

During  the  revolution,  Georgia  suf- 
fered in  common  with  the  country  at 
large  ; and  since  the  close  of  that  war, 
she  has  ceded  to  the  general  government 
a larger  extent  of  territory  than  any  of 
her  sisters,  except  Virginia,  embracing 
all  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  north  of 
latitude  31°  : about  100,000  square  miles. 

The  first  constitution  was  adopted  in  - 
the  year  1777,  and  the  second  in  1785. 
The  latter  was  amended  in  1789  ; and 
the  present  was  adopted  in  1798.  The 
senators  and  legislators  are  elected  an- 
nually. A senator  must  be  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  nine  years  a citizen  of  the 
United  States,  one  year  a resident  of  the 
district,  and  the  owner  of  an  estate  of 
five  hundred  dollars,  in  the  county,  or  of 
taxable  property  of  one  thousand  dol- 
lars. Each  county  sends  one  senator. 
The  number  of  representatives  is  pro- 
portioned to  the  number  of  whites,  and 
three  fifths  of  colored  persons,  of  whom 
an  enumeration  is  made  every  seven 
years.  Each  county  has  one  member, 
but  none  can  elect  more  than  seven.  A 
representative  must  be  twenty-one  years 
old,  seven  years  a citizen  of  the  United 
States,  three  years  an  inhabitant  of  the 
state,  a resident  in  the  county  the  pre- 
ceding year,  and  owner,  for  a year,  of  a 
freehold  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars, or  five  hundred  dollars’  worth  of 
taxable  property,  cleared  of  incum- 
brance. 

The  governor  is  elected  by  the  assem- 
bly, for  two  years.  He  must  be  thirty- 
six  years  old,  have  been  a citizen  of  the 
United  States  for  twelve  years,  six  years 
a citizen  of  Georgia,  and  the  owner  of 
five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Georgia, 
and  four  thousand  dollars  in  other  prop- 
erty. A voter  must  be  a citizen,  twen- 
ty-one years  of  age,  and  a payer  of 
taxes. 

Education  was  quite  neglected  in 
Georgia  before  1811,  about  which  time 
academies  sprang  up  in  almost  every 
town.  Since  that  period,  few  persons 
have  grown  up  in  entire  ignorance, 
while  thousands,  born  before  the  year 

1 

i 

1800,  it  has  been  said,  “know  not  a 
letter.”  The  baptists  and  methodists 
are  the  most  numerous  denominations  in 
the  state,  and  after  them  the  presbyte- 
rians  and  episcopalians. 

Printing  was  first  introduced  into 
Georgia  in  1762,  by  James  Johnston,  a 
Scotchman,  who  commenced  the  publi- 
cation of  a newspaper,  called  “ The 
Georgia  Gazette,”  in  the  following  year. 
The  first  number  of  it  was  published 
on  the  b7th  of  April.  He  continued 
the  publication  twenty-seven  years,  after 
which  it  was  published  by  his  succes- 
sors. This  was  the  only  newspaper 
printed  in  the  limits  of  Georgia  before 
the  revolution. 

Savannah. — This  chief  town  and  prin- 
cipal seaport  of  Georgia  is  situated  on 
the  western  bank  of  the  river  of  the 
same  name,  fifteen  miles  from  its  mouth, 
one  hundred  miles  southwest  from 
Charleston,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  miles  southeast  by  east  from  Mil- 
1 edge vi lie ; in  latitude,  32°  5',  and  west 
longitude,  4°  18'.  Population  30,000. 

The  streets  of  Savannah  are  sandy, 
but  shaded  by  China-trees,  and  the 
houses  are  generally  of  wood.  There 
are  eighteen  public  squares  in  different 
parts  of  the  city.  The  commercial  ad- 
vantages which  it  enjoys,  from  the  abun- 
dant crops  of  cotton,  &c.,  raised  along 
the  banks  of  the  river,  and  the  free  ac- 
cess of  ships  drawing  not  more  than 
twelve  or  thirteen  feet  of  water,  ren- 
dered it  an  important  town,  even  while 
the  place  was  made  unhealthy  by  the 
practice  of  wet  culture  on  the  neighbor- 
ing rice-plantations,  which  has  been 
abandoned  since  the  year  1817,  in  con- 
sequence of  an  act  of  the  legislature, 
passed  at  that  time.  In  1820,  Savannah 
suffered  to  the  amount  of  four  millions, 
from  a devastating  fire,  which  swept 
irresistibly  over  a large  part  of  the  city. 

Care  has  been  taken  to  embellish  the 
city,  by  providing  abundance  of  shady 
trees  for  the  numerous  public  squares. 
Among  these  the  celebrated  Pride-of- 
India  is  conspicuous,  whose  graceful 
form  and  delicate  foliage,  with  its  semi- 
tropical  aspect,  render  it  peculiarly  ap-  , 
propriate  to  such  a use.  Among  the 
houses,  the  city  now  presents  a consid- 

The  Statehouse.  Milledgeville 


388  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 

erable  number  of  handsome,  well-built 
dwellings,  while  the  following  are  the 
principal  public  edifices  : the  arsenal, 
exchange,  courthouse,  barracks  belong- 
ing to  the  United  States,  theatre,  hos- 
pital, market,  banks,  public  library, 
three  academies,  thirteen  churches,  &c. 

The  Pulaski  Monument  was  erected 
in  the  year  1825,  in  memory  of  Generals 
Pulaski  and  Greene,  of  the  revolutionary 
army.  It  is  a neat  and  simple  obelisk 
of  white  marble,  fifty-three  feet  high. 

1 The  base  of  the  pedestal  is  ten  feet  four 
inches  by  six  feet  eight  inches,  and  its 
height  thirteen  feet,  the  rueedle  which 
surmounts  the  pedestal  being  thirty- 
seven  feet  in  height.  It  is  built  upon 
a platform  of  granite,  three  feet  above 
the  ground,  and  the  whole  is  enclosed, 
by  a cast-iron  railing.  It  has  a very 
advantageous  position,  in  the  middle  of 
one  of  the  public  squares.  See  p.  385. 

Milledgeville.-— This  town  is  the 
capital  of  the  state.  It  stands  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  Oconee,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-eight  miles  from  Savan- 
nah, on  an  irregular  surface,  at  the  head 
of  steam  navigation.  The  streets  cross 
each  other  at  right  angles  ; those  run- 
ning in  one  direction  lying  parallel  to  the 
river.  At  the  distance  of  three-quarters 
of  a mile  from  its  banks  is  a fine  public 
square,  on  the  summit  of  a hill,  which  is 
adorned 'with  the  statehouse.  This  is  a 
building  in  the  Gothic  style  ; and  the 
representatives’  hall,  which  is  sixty  feet 
in  length,  and  fifty-four  in  breadth, 
is  ornamented  with  full-length  portraits 
of  Generals  Oglethorpe  and  Lafay- 
ette, while  those  of  Washington  and 
Jefferson  are  in  the  chamber  of  the 
senate. 

In  different  parts  of  the  city  are  the 
arsenal,  magazine,  market,  academy, 
three  banks,  three  churches,  and  the 
governor’s  residence. 

Columbus,  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  miles  from  Savannah,  stands  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Chatahoochee,  at  an 
elevation  of  sixty  feet  above  the  water. 
The  falls,  which  extend  for  three  miles 
above  the  town  terminate  steamboat 
navigation.  They  are  a succession  of 
rapids,  descending,  in  all,  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  feet.  The  two  ppn- 



cipal  streets  are  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  wide,  and  run  north  and  south, 
crossed  by  twelve  others,  ninety-nine 
feet  wide.  The  academy,  market,  school- 
houses,  five  banks,  and  five  churches, 
are  among  the  public  buildings,  and  the 
place  contains  a number  of  cotton-fac- 
tories, mills,  &c.  The  population  is 
about  eight  thousand.  A flourishing 
trade  in  cotton  employs  several  steam- 
boats, and  it  is  a place  of  much  busi- 
ness, although  so  late  as  1827  it  was  a 
council-town  of  the  Coweta  Indians,  and 
the  commissioners  appointed  to  appor- 
tion the  lots  of  the  city  began  their  work 
so  late  as  the  10th  of  July,  1828.  The 
Cowetas,  who  inhabited  this  region,  and 
made  this  spot  the  chief  settlement, 
were  one  of  the  seven  tribes  of  the 
Creek  nation. 

The  Courthouse  is  a fine  building,  with 
a basement,  two  stories,  and  a steeple 
one  hundred  and  ten  feet  high,  and  two 
Grecian  porticoes  on  the  front. 

The  Planters ’ and  Mechanics'  Bank 
has  a portico,  in  the  style  of  the  cele- 
brated Temple  of  the  Winds,  in  Athens. 

The  private  buildings  of  Columbus 
display  a good  degree  of  taste,  as  do  the 
decorated  yards  and  flower-gardens 
which  are  here  and  there  displayed. 

The  Cotton  Warehouse , on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  is  one  of  the  largest  in 
Georgia,  an  extensive  fireproof  building, 
covering  an  acre  and  three  quarters.  In 
the  year  1838,  42,000  bales  of  cotton 
were  shipped  here,  and  the  amount  has 
increased  considerably 

Athens,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Oconee,  contains  about  three  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  has  a pleasant  and 
healthy  situation,  seventy  five  miles  from 
Mill  edge  vine.  It  is  the  seat  of 

The  Georgia  University,  founded  in 
1785,  which  has  six  professors  and  about 
eighty  students,  with  a large  philosoph- 
ical apparatus,  and  libraries  containing 
about  twenty  thousand  volumes. 

The  railroad  affords  the  means  of  a 
daily  communication  with  Augusta. 

Madison  Spring. — This  fashionable 
resort  is  named  after  the  county  in  which 
it  is  situated,  and  is  found  in  the  midst 
of  a wild  region,  near  Oconee  river, 
seven  miles  distant  from  Danielsville, 

View  of  Columbus. 


390  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


Entrance  to  the  Madison  Springs. 


the  county  town.  It  is  convenient  to  go 
in  a stage-coach  from  Athens.  The  na- 
ture of  the  water  has  been  known  about 
twenty  years,  but  the  place  has  but  re- 
cently attracted  much  notice,  since  ac- 
commodations have  been  provided  for 
visiters.  A large  hotel  has  been  erected, 
surrounded  by  small  tenements,  for  the 
summer  residence- of  families;  and  an 
avenue,  several  hundred  yards  in  length, 
leads  through  the  forest  to  the  spring, 
which  is  provided  with  conveniences,  as 
represented  in  our  engraving.  The  wa- 
ter, which  flows  from  a marble  curb,  is 
chalybeate,  in  a greater  degree  than  the 
springs  of  Cheltenham  and  Brighton,  in 
England.  A sulphur  spring  has  been 
discovered  at  three  miles’  distance. 

Macon  is  already  a considerable  and 
flourishing  place,  with  seven  thousand 
inhabitants,  although  so  lately  as  the 
year  1822  there  was  but  a single  house 
on  the  spot.  The  situation  is  favorable 
for  business,  being  at  the  head  of  steam 
navigation  on  the  Ocmulgee  river,  which 
flows  through  the  middle  of  it,  and  is 
crossed  by  a fine  bridge,  three  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  long.  A great  quantity 
of  cotton  is  annually  received  at  this 
place,  and  sent  down  the  river,  while 
there  is  a daily  communication  with  Sa- 
vannah by  the  railroad. 


An  institution  for  female  education 
was  opened  here  in  1839,  under  the 
name  of  the  Georgia  Female  College, 
which  is  in  a flourishing  condition,  hav- 
ing about  one  hundred  pupils,  under  the 
charge  of  a president,  three  professors, 
and  several  other  instructors. 

Augusta. — This  town  is  situated  on 
the  Savannah  river,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  north  of  Savannah. 
It  is  a place  of  much  trade,  receiving 
large  quantities  of  produce  from  the 
neighboring  country,  especially  cotton, 
and  being  connected  with  Charleston  by 
the  great  railroad,  which  extends  beyond 
it,  still  further  into  the  interior.  During 
a certain  part  of  the  year,  the  river  is 
navigable  by  steamboats. 

The  streets  are  regular,  and  planted 
with  shade-trees,  and  the  houses  are 
generally  of  brick.  Among  the  public 
buildings  are  the  courthouse,  city-hall, 
medical  college,  hospital,  theatre,  ar- 
senal, female  asylum,  several  academies 
and  churches. 

The  Medical  College  of  Georgia. — 
The  first  proposal  to  establish  a medical 
school  in  this  state  was  made  by  Dr. 
Antony,  in  1827 ; but  active  measures 
for  it  were  not  taken  until  the  year  1830, 
when  the  legislature  passed  a bill,  incor- 


Medical  College  of  Georgia. 


392  DESCRIPTION  OF 


poratingthis  institution,  and  authorizing 
them  to  confer  the  degree  of  Doctor  in 
Medicine  on  persons  who  have  complied 
with  the  requisitions  of  the  most  respec- 
table institutions  in  the  United  States. 
In  1835,  the  faculty  addressed  a circular 
to  all  the  medical  schools,  proposing  a 
convention  in  Washington  city,  which 
has  not  been  held,  but  the  honor  of  the 
project  is  due  to  this  state.  In  1833,  a 
donation  of  $10,000  was  made  by  the 
legislature,  and  another  of  $5,000,  by  the 
city  council  of  Augusta,  on  condition 
that  the  college  should  supply  the  hos- 
pital, for  ten  years,  with  attendance  and 
medicines.  These  sums  enabled  the 
trustees  to  erect  the  fine  edifice  which 
they  at  present  occupy.  It  is  a large 
structure,  in  the  Doric  style,  with  ac- 
commodations and  arrangements  well 
adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  institution, 
and  which  has  been  pronounced  by  good 
judges,  equal,  in  this  respect,  to  any 
other  in  the  Union.  It  enjoys  a fine  and 
pleasant  situation,  admirably  adapted  to 
its  use,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  on  a 
lot  appropriated  to  it  by  the  trustees  of 
Richmond  academy. 

In  1834,  ten  thousand  dollars  were 
raised  by  the  faculty,  who  sent  one  of 
the  professors  to  Europe,  to  purchase 
an  anatomical  museum,  chymical  appar- 
atus, and  surgical  cabinet.  In  1835,  the 
legislature  conferred  on  the  institution 
a second  grant,  amounting  to  about 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  which  af- 
forded them  a fund  for  contingent  ex- 
penses. The  first  class  was  instituted 
1833-’4,  and  amounted  to  thirty;  and 
the  members  have  been  increasing-  al- 
most  every  year,  although  the  institution 
suffered  a severe  reverse,  in  consequence 
of  the  -fatal  epidemic  of  1S39,  when, 
among  many  other  losses,  the  valuable 
life  of  Dr.  Antony  fell  a sacrifice  to  his 
humane  exertions  for  the  benefit  of  the 
sick. 

The  lectures  begin  on  the  second 
Monday  in  November,  and  close  early 
in  March ; and  the  expense  of  the  whole 
course,  including  practical  anatomy  and 
matriculation,  is  only  twenty-five  dol- 
lars. In  the  first  ten  years  of  its  exist- 
ence, the  medical  college  of  Georgia  had 
three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  students, 


THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


of  whom  one  hundred  and  nineteen  re- 
ceived degrees. 

Georgia  Female  College. — The  va- 
rious religious  denominations  in  this 
state,  by  combined  contributions,  having  j 
collected  more  than  six  hundred  thcu-  | 
sand  dollars,  for  the  support  of  educa- 
tion, which  has  been  appropriated  to 
different  institutions,  in  all  parts  of  the 
state;  and  this  college,  so  creditable  to 
the  intelligence  of  Georgia,  and  so  well 
calculated  to  confer  upon  it  the  highest 
benefits,  owes  its  existence  to  the  en- 
lightened spirit  and  indefatigable  laboi's 
of  a few  individuals  in  the  city  of  Macon. 
Twenty  thousand  dollars  were  raised, 
to  found  a female  college,  in  conformity 
with  a resolution  passed  at  a public 
meeting,  and  soon  after,  placed  at  the 
direction  of  the  annual  conference  of  the 
methodist  episcopal  church.  In  1836, 
the  legislature  incorporated  the  trustees 
appointed  by  that  body,  and  granted 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to  the  in- 
stitution. 

The  college  edifice  enjoys  a command- 
ing situation,  on  a fine  eminence  between 
Macon  and  Vineville,  overlooking  the 
former  (which  lies  upon  the  plain  be- 
neath), and  the  surrounding  hills,  beau- 
tified by  many  neat  and  tasteful  edifices. 
On  the  west  is  the  village  of  Vineville ; 
and  on  the  north  Fort  Hawkins  shows 
its  remains,  consisting  of  old  block- 
houses and  trenches,  while  the  forests 
spread  far  away  on  the  east,  and  bound 
the  distant  horizon.  The  college  build- 
ing is  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long, 
and  sixty  in  breadth,  four  stories  high 
in  the  middle,  with  a cupola.  Four 
large  columns,  in  the  centre  of  the 
front,  support  a roof  over  the  entrance; 
and  the  building  contains  fifty-six  rooms. 
Most  of  those  in  the  basement  are  occu- 
pied as  recitation-rooms.  The  stew- 
ard’s apartments  are  also  below,  wheie 
some  of  the  officers  have  accommoda 
tions.  The  chapel  is  forty  feet  by  sixty, 
on  the  second  story,  where  are  also  the 
library,  music-room,  and  president’s 
apartments.  The  young  ladies  attend- 
ing this  institution  provide  their  own 
furniture;  and  their  lodging-rooms, 
which  occupy  the  third  and  fourth  sto- 
ries, accommodate  four  each. 


Oglethorpe  University, 


1 

394  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


The  yard  extends  over  four  acres; 
and  the  rest  of  the  section  of  land  de- 
voted to  the  institution  is  judiciously 
left  covered  with  groves  of  fine  oak- 
trees,.  so  that  ample  opportunities  are 
afforded  for  agreeable  and  healthful  ex- 
ercise. Six  acres  of  ground  opposite 
have  been  reserved  for  a botanical  gar- 
den— the  gift  of  the  city  council. 

The  college  was  opened  in  1839,  and 
has  a president,  three  professors,  with 
the  principal  of  the  primary  depart 
ment,  professors  of  music  and  drawing, 
a matron,  and  a superintendent  of  do- 
mestic economy.  The  methods  of  in- 
struction are  thorough  and  practical. 
The  regular  course  includes  the  French 
language ; but  Latin,  Greek,  and  Span- 
ish, are  taught,  only  in  extra  classes. 
There  is  but  one  term  in  the  year:  from 
the  first  Monday  in  October,  for  ten 
months.  Pupils  are  not  received  under 
twelve  years  of  age. 

Oglethorpe  University. — This  in- 
stitution is  situated  at  Medway,  in  Bald- 
win county,  on  account  of  its  central 
position,  in  a pleasant  and  healthful  re- 
gion, being  a place  easily  accessible  from 
all  directions.  The  spot  is  elevated,  on 
a ridge  lying  east  and  west,  two  miles 
and  a half  south  of  Milledgeville,  and 
ending  at  the  bluff  on  Oconee  river,  on 
which  are  the  ruins  of  old  Fort  Wilkin- 
son. The  foundation  of  the  edifice  is 
on  a level  with  the  top  of  the  cupola  of 
the  statehouse;  and  the  view  is  exten- 
sive on  every  side,  embracing  an  undu- 
lating surface  of  twenty  miles  round, 
including  Milledgeville. 

The  erection  of  the  principal  building 
was  begun  in  1836,  and  completed  in 
1838.  It  is  of  brick,  two  stories  high, 
with  abasement,  in  the  Doric  style ; and 
being  painted  white,  and  of  great  extent,  j 
makes  a striking  appearance.  The  chapel  j 
occupies  the  centre,  forty-eight  feet  by  | 
sixty,  with  a colonnade  and  vestibule,  i 
The  wings  are  each  thirty  feet  in  front, 
and  three  stories  high,  with  professors’ 
and  recitation  rooms,  while  other  rooms 
are  appropriated  to  the  library,  museum, 
apparatus,  &c.  Two  ranges  of  small 
buildings  stand  at  some  distance  on  each 
side,  each  containing  two  students’ 
rooms;  while  the  house  of  the  presi- 1 


dent  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the 
campus. 

The  institution  commenced  operation 
in  January,  1838,  with  six  professors; 
and  the  first  class  was  graduated  in  IS39. 
It  is  under  the  direction  of  the  piesby- 
terian  synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  but  its  advantages  are  free  to 
all.  There  are  two  sessions  in  the  year : 
one  from  the  first  Monday  in  January 
to  the  second  Wednesday  in  May;  after 
which  is  a vacation  of  four  weeks. 
Commencement  is  held  on  the  Monday 
succeeding  the  second  Monday  in  No- 
vember. 

Oglethorpe  university  owes  its  origin 
to  two  manual  labor  schools,  under  the 
Education  society  of  Georgia.  That 
association  was  dissolved,  and  in  1835, 
the  trustees  of  the  Medway  seminary, 
which  was  one  of  those  institutions, 
offered  it  to  the  Hopewell  presbytery, 
who  received  it,  and  soon  constituted  it 
a college,  under  their  •government  and 
control,  with  a charter  from  the  legisla- 
ture. That  charter  forbids  any  shop  to 
be  opened,  within  a mile  and  a half  of 
the  institution,  on  penalty  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  or  more;  while  deeds  of 
university  lots  provide  for  the  forfeiture 
to  it  of  lots  on  which  such  shops  may 
stand.  This  feature  has  since  been  in- 
troduced into  other  charters,  and  has 
doubtless  prevented  many  of  the  evils 
to  which  other  literary  institutions  are 
often  liable. 

The  Falls  of  the  Towaliga,  eight 
miles  from  Indian  springs.  This  pic- 
turesque scene  is  presented  by  the  little 
river  whose  name  it  bears,  at  the  spot 
where  it  pours  down  a rocky  ledge, 
which  there  disturbs  its  generally  gentle 
course,  and  gives  it  an  aspect  of  wild- 
ness, elsewhere  foreign  to  its  shores. 

The  Towaliga  has  an  Indian  name,  of 
uncertain  import,  pronounced  with  the 
accent  on  the  last  syllable.  The  stream 
has  its  origin  in  Henry  county,  and  pur- 
sues a course  of  seventy  miles,  to  the 
Ocmulgee,  of  which  it  is  a tributary. 
Just  before  it  reaches  the  falls  (which 
are  represented  in  the  engraving  on 
page  123),  the  bed  has  a rapid  descent 
for  some  distance,  where  the  surface  of 
the  water  is  broken  in  rapids,  overlooked 


Falls  of  Towaliga. 


396  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


from,  the  summit  of  a hill,  over  which 
passes  the  road  leading  to  the  spot.  A 
mill  occupies  one  of  the  banks ; and  a 
lofty  bridge,  erected  across,  was  partly 
destroyed,  a few  years  since,  by  a 
flood. 

The  falls,  seen  from  below,  make  an 
impressive  appearance.  The  breadth  of 
the  bed  is  there  about  three  hundred 
feet,  and  a mass  of  rock,  at  the  brow  of 
the  first  precipice,  divides  it  into  two 
sheets,  which  descend  perpendicularly 
about  fifty  feet,  in  beautiful  foam,  made 
in  the  course  of  its  tumultuous  passage 
down  the  rapids.  Here  it  is  received 
by  a deep  gulf,  which  suddenly  checks 
its  fury ; but,  before  it  has  time  to  re- 
cover its  tranquillity,  it  reaches  the  brow 
of  the  second  rapids,  down  which  it  hur- 
ries, with  roar  and  turbulence,  a distance 
of  two  hundred  feet,  and  then  pours 
over  the  second  fall,  in  a current  broken 
into  several- cascades,  when  it  soon  sub- 
sides, below,  to  comparative  quietness. 
The  height,  roughness,  and  thick  shade 
of  the  banks,  greatly  increase  the  effect 
of  the  scene.  The  reader  may  form 
some  correct  conception  of  the  interest- 
ing spot,  by  a glance  at  the  accompa- 
nying engraving,  which  is  copied  from 
a print  in  that  elegant  work,  “ The  Sce- 
nery of  Georgia,”  to  which  we  have 
been  indebted  for  many  interesting  facts 
on  these  pages.  The  drawing  was  made 
from  the  northern  bank  of  the  stream,  a 
spot  rather  difficult  of  access,  and  not 
easily  attained  by  many  spectators,  who 
generally  find  it  more  convenient  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  a view  from  the 
opposite  side.  There  are,  however, 
many  favorable  points  of  view,  both  near 
and  more  distant,  especially  from  some 
of  the  rude  rocks  which  border  and 
overhang  the  water,  in  different  parts  of 
its  romantic  and  terrific  course. 

A short  distance  below  the  falls,  a 
little  island  occupies  the  middle  of  the 
river,  dividing  it  into  two  currents,  which 
are  narrow,  but  rapid.  This  vicinity 
was  formerly  a favorite  resort  of  the 
deer,  which  visited  it  in  considerable 
numbers,  to  feed  on  a peculiar  kind  of 
long  and  delicate  plant,  resembling  moss, 
which  grows  to  the  length  of  two  feet,  in 
the  sluices  of  the  falls.  They  have, 


however,  been  destroyed  or  driven  away 
by  the  hunters. 

Tockoa  Falls. — The  most  remark- 
able waterfall  in  this  state  is  that  of  the 
Tockoa  creek,  which  flows  from  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Alleganies, 
at  Cunawhee  mountain.  It  descends 
one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  feet,  from 
a precipice,  in  a narrow  stream,  twenty 
feet  in  breadth,  which,  in  the  rainy  sea- 
son, forms  an  unbroken  sheet  of  foam  to 
the  bottom.  At  the  ordinary  height  of 
water,  the  supply  is  so  small,  that  it  is 
said  to  be  dissipated  in  vapor  before  it 
reaches  the  level  below. 

Remarkable  Incidents  in  the  His- 
tory of  Georgia. — As  we  have  not 
room  to  gi  ve  a connected  history  of  this 
state,  it  may  be  interesting  to  our  read- 
ers if  we  recount  a few  incidents  rela- 
ting to  some  of  its  most  important 
periods. 

Yamacraw,  the  Indian  name  of  the 
bluff  on  which  Savannah  now  stands, 
was  the  spot  on  which  the  treaty  was 
held  with  the  Creek  Indians  by  General 
Oglethorpe,  at  which  the  first  tract  of 
land  was  ceded  to  him.  The  place  was 
then  occupied  by  a small  tribe  of  that 
nation,  called  the  Yamacraws. 

In  1733,  General  Oglethorpe  brought 
out  from  England-  a band  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  colonists,  who  landed 
at  Charleston.  They  were  there  kindly 
assisted,  and  furnished  with  boats,  &c., 
by  which  they  were  enabled  to  proceed 
to  the  place  of  destination,  and  soon 
reached  the  Savannah  river.  The  fol- 
lowing year  they  were  joined  by  five  or 
six  hundred  more,  who  were  provided 
with  tracts  of  wild  land,  but  soon  proved 
ill-qualified  for  the  task  they  had  under- 
taken, and  ere  long  difficulties  arose, 
as  many  of  them  had  been  collected 
from  among  the  poor  and  idle  popula- 
tion of  European  cities.  The  trustees 
of  the  colony  therefore  took  measures 
to  secure  emigrants  of  a better  class; 
and,  in  1735,  about  four  hundred  arrived 
in  Georgia,  from  Scotland,  Switzerland, 
and  Germany. 

Mary  M us  grove  was  the  name  of  an 
Indian  wom'an,  or  half-breed,  who  ren- 
dered material  service  to  General  Ogle- 
thorpe, in  promoting  his  plans  for  the 


398  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 

benefit  of  the  colony.  She  was  able  to 
speak  both  languages,  and  appears  to 
have  been  a woman  of  much  address, 
acting  as  interpreter  at  several  import- 
ant treaties  which  terminated  favorably. 
In  gratitude,  he  bestowed  upon  her  a 
hundred  pounds  a year,  in  addition  to 
the  presents  with  which  he  had  secured 
her  interest.  Fifty  Creek  chiefs  pre- 
sented themselves  at  the  treaty  of  Savan- 
nah, at  which  the  great  land-grant  was 
obtained,  and  among  these  was  Tomo- 
chichi,  who,  in  the  name  of  the  others, 
thus  addressed  Oglethorpe,  in  reply  to 
the  general’s  speech,  in  which  he  had 
dwelt  oq  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the 
British  king  : — - 

“ Here  is  a little  present.  I give  you 
a buffalo-skin,  adorned  on  the  inside 
with  the  head  and  feathers  of  an  eagle, 
which  I desire  you  to  accept,  because 
the  eagle  is  an  emblem  of  speed,  and 
the  buffalo  of  strength.  The  English 
are  swift  as  the  bird,  and  strong  as  the 
beast;  since,  like  the  former,  they  flew 
over  the  vast  seas  to  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  like  the  latter,  they 
are  so  strong  that  nothing  can  withstand 
them.  The  feathers  of  the  eagle  are 
soft,  signifying  love;  the  buffalo’s  skin 
is  warm,  and  signifies  protection:  there- 
fore I hope  the  English  will  love  and 
protect  their  little  families.” 

But,  although  this  treaty  terminated 
in  so  amicable  a manner,  difficulties,  ere 
long,  began  to  arise,  being  fomented  by 
one  of  those  restless,  unprincipled,  and 
dangerous  men,  so  often  the  bane  of 
young  colonies.  Thomas  Bosomworth, 
the  chaplain  in  Oglethorpe’s  regiment, 
for  his  own  selfish  and  ambitious  views, 
wrought  upon  a petty  prince,  named 
Malatchie,  king  of  Frederica  (near  Sa- 
vannah), till  he  persuaded  him  to  as- 
sume the  ridiculous  title  of  Emperor  of 
the  Creek  Nation.  Bosomworth  then 
married  Mary  Musgrove,  and  set  up  for 
her  a claim  to  the  empire,  on  pretence 
of  her  being  the  elder  sister  of  Mal- 
atchie. The  Indians  were  incited  to 
support  her,  and  escorted  her  to  Savan- 
nah, to  establish  her  claim. 

The  president  of  the  colony,  and  his 
council,  were  alarmed  at  their  approach, 
and  at  first  knew  not  what  course  to 

pursue.  The  militia,  however,  were 
soon  under  arms,  and  Captain  Noble 
Jones,  by  his  resolute  conduct,  induced 
the  Indians  to  lay  by  their  weapons,  when 
Bosomworth,  with  his  queen,  escorted 
by  the  chiefs  and  their  warriors,  solemnly 
paraded  the  streets,  and  struck  the  fee- 
ble colonists  with  fear.  They,  however, 
made  such  fair  promises,  that  their  arms 
were  returned.  Bosomworth  was  soon 
after  seized  and  confined,  which  so  irri- 
tated his  wife  that  she  threatened  ven- 
geance, and  excited  the  savages  to  hos- 
tile demonstrations.  By  great  prudence 
and  coolness,  the  governor  succeeded  in 
tranquillizing  them,  two  or  three  suc- 
cessive times,  though  Mary  and  Mal- 
atchie as  often  again  enkindled  their 
passions,  and  misled  their  judgment. 
The  storm  was  at  length  dispelled  by 
the  decision  of  Captain  Noble,  who  en- 
tered the  council-room  with  a guard, 
and  made  the  Indians  surrender.  Bo- 
somworth was  subsequently  induced  to 
lay  aside  his  • ridiculous  claims,  and  re- 
ceived a pardon,  while  the  Indians  de-  . 
parted  in  peace.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  Bosomworth  presented  his 
case  in  England,  which  remained  pend- 
ing in  the  courts  for  twelve  years.  The 
result  was,  that  the  island  of  St.  Cath- 
arine was  granted  to  him  and  his  wife, 
of  which,  they  took  possession.  She, 
however,  died  soon  after. 

In  the  year  1778,  Savannah  was  occu- 
pied by  General  Howe,  with  six  hundred 
regular  troops  and  a few  militia,  when 
it  was  attacked  by  a British  army  of  six 
thousand  men,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Campbell,  who  had  arrived  from  New 
York  by  water.  „ The  defenders  were  in 
too  small  force  effectually  to  resist  such 
numbers,  but  did  not  yield  without  a 
severe  struggle.  An  obstinate  battle 
was  fought,  in  which  our  countrymen 
lost  about  six  hundred  men  killed,  and 
thirty-eight  officers  and  four  hundred 
and  fifteen  soldiers  prisoners,  with  forty- 
eight  guns,  twenty-three  mortars,  and 
all  the  vessels  lying  in  the  river. 

The  enemy  remained  in  possession  of 
the  city  until  1779,  when  Count  d’Es- 
taing,  commander  of  the  French  fleet, 
then  in  the  West  Indies,  being  invited 
by  General  Lincoln  to  make  a combined 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


399 


attack  upon  Savannah,  proceeded  to  the 
river  with  twenty  ships-of-the-line,  two 
of  fifty  guns,  and  eleven  frigates.  Lin- 
coln, with  the  militia  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina,  proceeded  toward  Sa- 
vannah; but,  before  his  arrival,  Count 
d’Estaing,  after  demanding  a surrender, 
had  granted  a suspension  of  hostilities 
for  twenty-four  hours,  before  the  expi- 
ration of  which,  a reinforcement  of  eight 
hundred  troops  arrived  at  Savannah, 
from  Beaufort,  who  encouraged  the  gar- 
rison to  reject  the  demand  of  a surren- 
der. The.  siege  of  the  town  was  there- 
fore commenced  on  the  4th  of  October, 
with  thirty-seven  cannon  and  nine  mor- 
tars, on  land,  and  fifteen  cannon  from 
the  -water.  An  assault  was,  however, 
determined  on;  and  on  the  9th,  at  day- 
break, a strong  force  attacked  the  Spring 
Hill  battery,  which  was  taken,  and  held 
for  a short  time,  but  soon  recovered,  and 
the  invaders  retreated,  abandoning  the 
enterprise.  A regular  siege,  it  is  be- 
lieved, would  have  soon  reduced  the 
place;  but  the  French  officers  objected 
to  hazarding  their  fleet  so  long  on  the 

coast.  . . 

Count  Pulaski,  a Polander,  distin- 
guished by  his  birth,  and  exploits  in 
Europe,  who  had  recently  been  made  a 
brigadier-general  in  our  army,  received 
a mortal  wound  in  that  engagement. 
In  memory  of  him,  Congress  ordered 
the  erection  of  the  monument,  which  is 
described  on  page  388. 

We  will  close  our  brief  account  of 
that  interesting  period,  by  mentioning  a 
remarkable  exploit  performed  by  six 
Americans,  just  before  the  attack  on 
Savannah.  It  is  equally  remarkable  for 
the  sagacity  of  the  plan  and  the  cool- 
ness and  bravery  of  the  execution. 

On  the  Ogeeche  river  was  a British 
force  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
men,  of  whom  one  hundred  were  under 
Captain  French,  of  the  royal  army,  and 
forty  were  sailors,  composing  the  crews 
of  five  small  vessels  lying  in  that  stream, 
four  of  them  armed,  and  the  largest  with 
fourteen  guns.  The  six  men  above  re- 
ferred to,  formed  an  ingenious  plan  for 
capturing  this  force.  They  made  prep- 
arations for  kindling  numerous  fires,  at 
short  distances  from  each  other,  and 

IL=— = — 


lighted  them  all  at  once,  in  the  evening, 
presuming  the  Englishmen  would  mis- 
take them  for  the  camp-fires  ol  a large 
body  of  troops.  In  order  ^to  counte- 
nance such  a deception,  they  resorted  to 
other  measures  which  their  ingenuity 
dictated;  and  then,  in  due  form,  and  in 
a peremptory  manner,  summone-d  the 
enemy  to  surrender. 

Colonel  John  White,  of  tfie  Georgia 
line,  arid  Captain  Elholm,  were  the  lead- 
ers in  these  movements,  which  required 
so  much  skill  and  caution ; and  with 
such  success  did  they  perform  their 
parts,  that  the  British  were  completely 
blinded,  and  their  commander,  “to  pre- 
vent the  effusion  of  blood,”  promised  to 
surrender.  It  was  now  extremely  im- 
portant for  the  captors  to  avoid  the  ex- 
posure of  their  weakness;  and  Colonel 
White  represented  to  Captain  French, 
that  he  was  afraid  to  bring  forward  his 
troops,  because  they  were  exasperated 
against  the  invaders  of  their  country, 
and  offered  to  give  him  three  faithful 
men,  as  guides,  who  would  conduct 
them  to  safe  and  comfortable  quarters. 
The  offer  was  thankfully  accepted  ; and 
the  Englishmen  marched  off  in  haste, 
leaving  the  colonel,  with  his  whole  “re- 
serve” (his  servant  and  one  other  man), 
to  bring  up  the  rear.  To  perform  this 
last-remaining  duty  required  a little 
time,  for  he  immediately  hurried  away 
to  call  out  ,the  militia ; but  he  soon  fol- 
lowed on,  and  made  his  appearance 
with  a respectable  force,  which  had  been 
collected  rather  later  than  the  enemy 
supposed. 

General  Lee  declares,  that  this  exploit 
was  of  so  extraordinary  a nature,  that  he 
could  never  have  persuaded  himself  to 
record  it,  if  it  had  not  received  general 
credit,  without  ever  having  been  contra- 
dicted.* 


* For  the  pictures  which  accompany  this  article, 
we  are  indebted  to  the  pencil  of  T.  Addison  Rich- 
ards, Esq.,  the  first,  if  not  the  only  artist,  who  has 
sought  themes  of  study  amid  the  beautiful  scenery  of 
the  south.  It  is  to  his  works,  which  have  been  en- 
graved on,  steel,  wood,  and  stone,  and  widely  circu- 
lated, that  we  owe  our  acquaintance  with  the  beau- 
tiful mountains,  valleys,  and  cascades  of  the  southern 
states.  No  work  of  the  kind,  in  this  country,  has 
equalled  in  beauty  his  interesting  publication,  “ Geor- 
gia  Illustrated.” 


400  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


Among  the  numerous  men  who  per- 
formed important  parts  in  the  early  pe- 
riods of  our  colonial  history,  there  are 
few  more  remarkable  for  activity,  enter- 
prise, and  purity  of  principle,  than 
Oglethorpe.  He  performed  a variety 
of  duties,  and  generally  with  equal  skill 
and  success.  As  circumstances  requir- 
ed, he  could  confer  with  the  friends  of 
America  in  England,  on  plans  for  plant- 
ing colonies,  then,  collecting  bands  of 
emigrants,  and  placing  himself  at  their 
head,  conduct  them  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  transport  them  to  the  places  assign- 
ed for  their  habitation.  He  would  con- 
duct negotiations  with  the  savages,  pro- 
vide for  the  sustenance  and  defence  *of 
the  community,  encourage  his  compan- 
ions under  adversity,  protect  them  from 
invaders,  and  eveu  march,  with  a band 
of  white  men  and  Indians,  through  the 
wilderness,  to  seize  the  post  of  a dan- 
gerous enemy,  or  to  intimidate  them, 
when  an  attack  was  to  be  apprehended. 

Oglethorpe  combined  in  his  character 
much  strength  of  purpose,  and  boldness 
and  perseverance,  with  philanthropy 
and  active  zeal.  Had  he  been  of  a less 
manly  disposition,  he  might  have  chosen 
a less  exposed  and  less  dangerous  thea- 
tre to  act  upon ; but  the  peculiar  posi- 
tion of  the  country  now  forming  the 
southern  part  of  Georgia,  offered  attrac- 
tions for  such  a spirit  as  he  possessed. 
It  was  wholly  unoccupied  by  civilized 
men ; for,  although  it  was  included  in 
Heath’s  old  patent,  that  instrument  had 
been  declared  void,  on  account  of  the 
failure  to  fulfil  the  terms  on  which  it 
had  been  granted,  viz.,  that  settlements 
should  be  made  on  the  land.  But  the 
time  had  now  arrived,  when  it  was  high- 
ly important  that  some  of  the  principal 
military  points  should  be  occupied  : for 
the  Spaniards  in  Florida,  and  the  French 
in  Louisiana,  had  the  power  to  traverse 
it  at  will,  and  were  at  liberty  to  enter  it 
with  whatever  force  they  could  com- 
mand, and  mierht  soon  annex  it  to  their 
own  territories. 

The  exposed  situation  of  that  district 
excited  much  solicitude  in  England ; 
and  to  interpose  a protecting  power  be- 
tween it  and  the  rival  Spanish  neigh- 
bors, whose  antipathies  were  religious 


as  well  as  national,  was  the  principal 
motive  for  the  first  settlements  made  in 
the  territory  of  Georgia.  A charter  was 
therefore  granted  to  Sir  James  Ogle- 
thorpe, and  several  other  noblemen  and 
gentlemen,  in  1732,  of  the  country  ly- 
ing between  the  Savannah  and  Altama- 
ha  rivers;  and  they  proposed  to  form  a 
colony  of  criminals  taken  from  the  pris- 
ons, on  the  plan  afterward  practised 
on  a larger  scale  in  New  Holland.  The 
project  was  approved  by  the  benevolent, 
and  a considerable  sum  of  money  was 
collected  in  different  parts  of  England, 
while  the  house  of  commons  granted,  at 
several  times,  appropriations  to  the 
amount  of  thirty-six  thousand  pounds, 
to  the  enterprise.  We  have  already 
given  a brief  outline  of  some  of  the 
principal  events,  and  shall  now  only  at- 
tempt to  supply  some  of  the  important 
particulars,  not  included  in  our  cursory 
glance. 

On  his  first  visit  to  Savannah,  Ogle- 
thorpe in  a short  time  erected  a fort, 
formed  his  colonists  into  a military  com- 
pany, consummated  his  treaty  with  the 
Creek  Indians,  and,  appointing  two  of 
his  officers,  named  Scott  and  St.  Julian, 
to  exercise  the  government  of  the  colo- 
ny during  his  absence,  returned  to  Eng- 
land. He  gave  them  charge  to  make  a 
treaty  with  the  Choctaws,  which  they 
successfully  accomplished,  and  thus  se- 
cured the  friendship  and  protection  of 
another  powerful  native  nation,  of  great 
importance  in  the  infancy  of  the  colony. 

The  principal  chief  of  the  Creeks  ac- 
companied the  governor  to  England, 
with  his  wife  and  several  of  his  inferior 
sachems.  They  were  received  with 
much  honor  in  London,  being  introdu- 
ced to  the  king  and  nobility,  and  enrich- 
ed with  numerous  presents,  estimated 
to  be  worth  four  hundred  pounds.  Af- 
ter a stay  of  four  months  they  returned 
with  Oglethorpe,  in  a vessel  which 
brought  out  a new  band  of  colonists. 
Among  the  numerous  emigrants  who 
soon  after  arrived  from  Germany  and 
Switzerland,  weie  several  of  the  associ- 
ates of  the  celebrated  Moravian  mission- 
ary, Count  Zingendorf;  and  a no  less  fa- 
mous individual  of  that  age,  John  Wes- 
ley, came  from  England  in  the  same 


year,  1735.  The  character  and  history 
of  this  man,  then  in  his  youth,  are  wor- 
thy of  a much  more  particular  notice 
than  can^  be  given  in  a work  like  the 
present.  It  is  pleasing  to  recur  to  this 
early  enterprise  of  one  so  eminently 
distinguished  by  Christian  philanthropy, 
directed  to  a class  of  men,  and  a region 
of  the  New  World,  presenting  so  little 
to  incite  the  interest  of  any  person  not 
devoted  to  doing  good. 

John  Wesley, with  his  brother  Charles, 
had  become  known  to  Oglethorpe,  in 
London,  in  consequence  of  their  labors 
in  the  prisons,  for  the  instruction  and 
improvement  of  criminals.  They  had 
formed  a society,  in  company  with 
George  Whitfield  and  a few  pious  young 
men,  while  in  college,  for  that  truly  be- 
nevolent object,  in  which  they  persever- 
ed, in  spite  of  the  jeers  of  some  of  their 
acquaintance,  who  called  it  in  contempt 
the  Godly  Club.  What  important  ef-  j 
fects  have  resulted  from  that  associa-  j 
tion ! It  may  have  been  the  original 
model  of  those  societies  since  formed 
for  kindred  purposes,  especially  of  those 
for  the  reformation  of  delinquents  and 
criminals,  whose  influence  has  been  so 
salutary  and  extensive. 

It  was  through  Oglethorpe’s  persua- 
sion that  the  two  Wesleys  were  induced 
to  visit  the  new  colony ; and  they  were 
accompanied  by  three  or  four  of  their 
associates, and  a company  of  three  hun- 
dred other  persons,  including  a hundred 
and  seventy  more  Moravians.  After  a 
short  period  of  religious  exertions,  he 
returned  to  England  : and  Whitfield 
soon  after  came  out,  with  similar  objects. 
He  proposed  the  foundation  of  an  or- 
phan asylum,  which,  as  appears  from  his 
published  letters,  was  a favorite  plan, 
and  pursued  with  his  characteristic 
zeal  and  perseverance.  It  exists  at  the 
present  day;  but  it  has  never  proved 
successful  in  the  degree  anticipated  by 
its  founder.  This  may  be  partly  ac- 
counted for  from  the  fact,  that  compara- 
tively few  orphans,  in  our  country,  need 
such  provision  for  their  support.  Vice, 
rather  than  the  mere  loss  of  parents,  re- 
duces children  to  destitution  and  dis- 
j tress  ; for  the  means  of  living  are  easi- 
ly obtained  in  our  new  settlements  and 


smaller  towns  ; and  no  great  number  of 
children  are  cast  off  wholly  unprovi- 
ded for.  Public  or  private  charity  steps 
in  for  their  relief. 

A fort  was  soon  built  at  Augusta,  for 
the  defence  of  the  Savannah  river;  a 
second  at  Frederica,  which  was  a con- 
siderable work  with  four  bastions  ; and 
a third  on  Cumberland  island,  to  com- 
mand the  entrance  of  Jekyl  sound,  the 
only  ship  passage  to  Frederica.  These 
were  constructed  at  the  expense  of  par- 
liament, which  appropriated  ten  thou- 
sand pounds  for  their  erection  and  main- 
tenance. Before  they  were  completed, 
a message  was  received  from  the  Span- 
ish commander  in  Florida,  that  a con- 
ference was  desired  with  the  governor, 
and  the  news  came  that  a reinforcement 
had  arrived  from  Havana.  A peremp- 
tory demand  was  made  for  the  immedi- 
ate evacuation  of  the  territory  south  of 
St.  Helena  sound,  with  a threat  that 
the  king  of  Spain  would  seize  his  own 
possessions  by  force  of  arms  in  case  of 
refusal.  Oglethorpe,  being  unprovided 
with  adequate  means  as  well  as  author- 
ity, immediately  embarked  for  England, 
and  there  received  the  appointment  of 
major-general  of  all  the  fr  rces  of  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia,  and  a regiment 
of  military  emigrants,  with  whom  he 
hastened  back. 

On  his  arrival,  he  .learned  that  the 
Spaniards  had  been  busy  in  attempts  to 
draw  off  the  Indians  from  his  interest, 
and  that  some  of  the  Creek  chiefs  were 
then  at  St.  Augustine.  But  he  had  the 
address  to  counteract  the  enemy ; he 
sent  invitations  to  the  Indians  to  visit 
him  at  Frederica,  whither  they  repaired 
after  their  return  from  Florida,  and  by 
his  influence  were  easily  confirmed  in 
their  friendly  relations  with  the  English. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  alarming 
symptoms  of  treachery  were  discovered 
among  the  English  troops.  One  of  the 
soldiers  had  served  at  Gibraltar,  and 
there  acquired  an  acquaintance  with  the 
Spanish  language,  through  the  medium 
of  which  he  had  held  a traitorous  com- 
munication with  the  enemy ; and,  after 
being  corrupted  himself,  he  had  found 
j means  to  excite  disaffection  among  his 
I comrades.  The  first  intimation  received 


26 


402  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA. 


by  the  general,  was  made  in  an  attempt 
to  assassinate  him,  which  fortunately 
failed,  and  the  conspirators  were  execu- 
ted. 

By  a report  made  to  the  trustees  of 
the  colony  in  1740,  it  appears  that  at 
that  time  twenty-five  hundred  persons 
had  been  sent  out  as  settlers,  and  that 
the  amount  of  money  expended  was 
half  a million  of  dollars ; but  it  was 
so  far  from  yielding  any  returns  to  the 
proprietors,  and  even  from  supporting 
itself,  that  it  still  required  annual  aid. 
The  character  of  the  colonists  was  far 
different  from  that  of  many  of  the  earlier 
settlements;  though  when  we  consider 
the  natural  advantages  of  the  country, 
we  may  well  be  surprised  at  the  discour- 
aging result.  A mixed  population,  how- 
ever, especially  with  a large  proportion 
of  the  dregs  of  European  cities,  and 
even  of  the  prisons  of  England,  could 
not  rationally  be  expected  to  bring  a 
colony  to  such  a condition  as  was  early 
attained  by  the  Pilgrims  in  the  north, 
the  Friends  in  Pennsylvania,  the  patient, 
economical  Hollanders  at  New  York, 
or  the  bands  of  farmers  and  others,  who 
at  different  periods  occupied  different 
points  along  our  extensive  seacoast. 
Perhaps,  we  might  rather  be  surprised 
that  Oglethorpe  was  able  to  accomplish 
as  much  as  he  did  for  the  benefit  of  the 
colony,  amidst  the  numerous  obstacles 
which  surrounded  him. 

We  have  before  mentioned  his  attempt 
to  seize  St.  Augustine,  and  his  want  of 
success,  in  consequence  of  an  unexpect- 
ed reinforcement  of  the  Spanish  garri- 
son at  that  place.  We  have  also  spoken 
of  the  invasion  made  in  retaliation  ; but 
a few  particulars  may  here  be  added, 
which  show  at  once  the  perilous  condi- 
tion of  affairs  at  that  juncture,  and  the 
military  abilities  of  the  general. 

The  expedition  which  sailed  from 
Havana  for  the  Altamaha  river  in  1742, 
consisted  of  six  thousand  men  ; and  its 
object  was  finally  to  destroy  the  south- 
ern colonies,  and  to  seize  upon  the  ter- 
ritory for  the  crown  of  Spain.  An  en- 
ergetic demand  was  immediately  made 
upon  South  Carolina  for  troops  ; but  all 
assistance  was  refused,  and  he  was  left 
to  his  own  resources.  His  policy  was 


therefore  to  be  adapted  to  his  weakness  ; 
and,  instead  of  offering  such  resistance 
as  he  would  have  wished  on  the  front- 
iers, he  retreated  as  far  as  Frederica, 
having  only  about  seven  hundred  Euro- 
peans under  his  command,  with  a body 
of  Indians.  After  this  show  of  timidi- 
ty, or  of  prudence,  however,  he  boldly, 
but  secretly,  moved  on  toward  the  ene- 
my, intending  to  take  them  by  surprise, 
and  had  already  marched  within  two 
miles  of  their  camp,  with  every  prospect 
of  success,  when  a French  deserter 
among  his  ranks,  fired  his  musket  and 
fled  back  to  the  enemy.  Although  thus 
disappointed,  Oglethorpe’s  ingenuity 
still  found  a resource,  and  sitting  down, 
he  wrote  a letter  to  the  deserter,  in 
terms  calculated  to  lead  the  Spaniards 
to  suspect  the  runaway  as  faithless  to 
them,  in  the  style  of  instructions  to  him, 
for  his  guidance  in  the  enemy’s  camp. 
In  this  he  requested  him  to  represent 
that  Frederica  was  defenceless,  and 
ought  to  be  immediately  taken.  If  the 
Spanish  commander  should  appear  un- 
willing to  take  that  step,  the  French- 
man was  instructed  to  use  his  utmost 
exertions  to  persuade  him  to  remain 
three  days  longer  in  his  present  posi- 
tion, as  that  would  allow  time  for  the 
removal  of  six  thousand  troops,  who,  he 
pretended,  were  on  their  way  to  rein- 
force the  British  army,  and  six  ships, 
expected  on  the  coast.  The  letter  in- 
sisted particularly  on  the  greatest  cau- 
tion being  used,  to  avoid  any  allusions 
to  Admiral  Vernon’s  plan  of  attack  up- 
on St.  Augustine,  as  a secret  of  the  ut- 
most importance.  The  letter  was  then 
put  into  the  hands  of  a Spanish  desert- 
er, who  was  set  at  liberty  under  a prom- 
ise to  deliver  it  to  the  Frenchman.  On 
reaching  the  Spanish  camp,  however, 
he  took  it  to  the  commander,  who  was 
completely  imposed  upon  by  the  ingeni- 
ous device,  and  thinking  he  had  happily 
obtained  important  information,  seized 
the  Frenchman,  and  put  him  in  Irons. 
In  the  midst  of  doubts  and  fears,  in- 
to which  this  letter  had  thrown  the  ene- 
my, a fortunate  event  occurred,  which 
turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  Oglethorpe. 
South  Carolina  had  slowly  yielded  to 
I the  request  he  had  made  for  assistance, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  GEORGIA.  403 


so  far  as  to  send  three  vessels  with 
troops  ; and  these  arrived  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Altamaha  just  in  season  to  be 
mistaken  by  the  invading  general,  for  a 
part  of  the  naval  reinforcement  alluded 
to  in  the  intercepted  letter.  Such  appa- 
rent confirmation  of  the  document  con- 
vinced him  of  its  truth;  and  he  imme- 
diately destroyed  his  fortifications,  and 
embarked  for  Florida  in  consternation, 
leaving,  in  his  haste,  a number  of  his 
cannon,  & c.,  and  some  military  stores. 

The  success  of  this  stratagem,  the  in- 
genuity of  which  is  certainly  very  re- 
markable, secured  the  deliverance  of 
the  colony,  when  it  was  in  its  most  crit- 
ical condition,  and  threatened  with  final 
destruction.  Without  the  loss  of  life, 
and  at  a small  expense  of  money,  the 
sagacious  Oglethorpe  was  thus  able  to 
deliver  the  colony  of  an  enemy  far  too 
numerous  to  be  resisted,  and  from  the 
threatening  prospect  of  falling  irretriev- 
ably into  the  hands  of  a foreign  power, 
opposed  to  that  of  Great  Britain  in  pol- 
icy, laws,  and  religion. 

Having  accomplished  so  important  a 
service,  and  finding  nothing  important 
to  demand  his  future  presence,  he  em- 
barked for  England  for  the  last  time, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
tranquillity.  On  the  commencement  of 
hostilities  in  America  in  1775,  he  receiv- 
ed the  offer  of  the  command  of  the  Brit- 
ish forces,  prepared  to  suppress  the  spir- 
it of  opposition,  but  accepted  only  on 
condition  of  being  authorized  to  assure 
the  colonies  that  they  should  have  justice 
done  them.  This  reply  appears  to  have 
been  unsatisfactory  to  the  ministry,  for 
Sir  William  Howe  was  appointed  com- 
mander in  his  stead.  Oglethorpe  re- 
mained in  retirement  until  the  close  of 
his  life.  He  attained  an  extraordinary 
age,  surviving  the  unhappy  contest  be- 
tween his  native  country  and  the  colo- 
nies which  he  had  so  faithfully  served. 
He  witnessed  the  first  nine  years  of 
peace  which  succeeded  the  revolution, 
during  which,  the  colony  that  he  had 
planted,  nursed,  and  defended,  became 
an  independent  state,,  connected  with  a 
young  republic  which  already  showed 
signs  of  that  rapid  increase,  in  popula- 
tion, wealth,  and  improvement,  which  it 


has  since  experienced,  and  is  likelv  lon«- 
to  enjoy. 

Among  the  numerous  striking  chan- 
ges which  have  been  produced  in  our 
country  by  the  lapse  of  a short  period 
of  time,  that  effected  on  the  ancient  seat 
of  Yamacraw  may  be  appropriately 
mentioned.  One  hundred  and  eighteen 
years  ago,  a small  band  of  settlers  late- 
ly from  England,  driving  a few  “ hogs 
and  cows,”  which  had  been  given  by 
people  at  Charleston,  “to  begin  their 
stock,”  arrived  near  the  spot,  escorted 
by  “the  rangers,”  and  aided  by  “the 
scout-boats,”  sent  by  the  governor  of 
South  Carolina. 

“ Oglethorpe  and  Bull  explored  the 
country  ; and,  having  found  a high  and 
pleasant  spot  of  ground,  situated  on  a 
navigable  river,  they  fixed  on  this  place 
as  the  most  convenient  and  healthy  sit- 
uation for  settlers.  On  this  hill  they 
marked  out  a town ; and  from  the  Indi- 
an name  of  the  river  which  ran  past  it, 
called  it  Savannah.  A small  fort  was 
erected  on  the  banks  of  it  as  a place  for 
the  defence  of  the  colony.  The  people 
were  set  to  work  in  felling  trees  and 
building  huts  for  themselves  ; and  Ogle- 
thorpe animated  and  encouraged  them, 
by  exposing  himself  to  all  the  hardships 
which  the  poor  objects  of  his  compas- 
sion endured.  He  formed  them  into  a 
company  of  militia,  appointed  officers 
from  among  themselves,  and  furnished 
them  with  arms  and  ammunition.  To 
show  the  Indians  how  expert  they  were 
in  the  use  of  arms,  he  frequently  prac- 
tised them. 

“ Having  thus  put  his  colony  in  a 
good  state  of  defence,  the  next  object, 
of  his  attention  was,  to  treat  with  the 
Indians  for  a share  of  their  possessions. 
The  principal  tribes  that  at  this  time  oc- 
cupied the  territory  were  the  upper  and 
lower  Creeks  : the  former  were  numer- 
ous and  strong ; the  latter,  by  diseases 
and  war,  had  been  reduced  to  a smaller 
number  ; both  tribes  together  were  com- 
puted to  amount  to  about  twenty-five 
thousand,  men,  women,  and  children. 

“At  a little  distance  from  Savannah, 
is  a high  mound  of  earth,  under  which 
the  Indian  king  lies  interred  who  held  a 
conference  with  Sii*  Walter  Raleigh.” 


404  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA. 


FLORIDA. 

The  history  of  Florida,  from  the  ear- 
liest expedition  of  discovery  almost  to 
the  present  hour,  has  been  but  a record 
of  disappointments  and  disasters.  Hav- 
ing neither  mines  of  gold,  nor  any  pe- 
culiar advantages  for  agriculture  or  com- 
merce, the  Spanish  character  of  the 
people,  while  occupying.it  for  three 
hundred  years,  had  a full  opportunity  to 
display  its  imbecility;  while  our  own 
government,  since  entering  upon  the 
possession  a few  years  ago,  have  exhib- 
ited, in  a manner  no  less  lamentable,  a 
disregard  to  humanity  in  their  treatment 
of  the  poor  remains  of  the  original  red 
race. 

Florida  is  one  of  the  few  great  peninsulas  of  America,  and  presents  several 
peculiar  features,  one  of  which  is  its  very  important  position.  As  has  been 
remarked,  in  speaking  of  Georgia,  this  long  point  is  only  the  continuation  of  the 
southern  slope  of  that  state.  It  nowhere  presents  any  considerable  elevation ; 
and  the  greatest  part  of  the  surface  is  a level,  raised  but  little  above  the  ocean, 
with  vast  tracts  too  wet  for  use,  and  even  wholly  or  chiefly  impassable,  or  sub- 
merged in  water.  s 

The  western  coast  of  Florida  extends  six  hundred  miles,  from  the  Perdido 
river  to  Cape  Sable;  while  the  eastern,  from  St.  Mary’s  river,  including  the 
southern,  to  Cape  Sable,  is  four  hundred  and  fifty.  The  Atlantic  ocean 
bounds  the  eastern  coast,  and  the  southern  extremity  is  washed  by  the  Bahama 
and  Cuba  channels.  The  northern  boundary  runs  from  the  mouth  of  St.  Mary’s 
river  to  the  mouth  of  Flint  river,  up  the  Chatahoochee,  to  latitude  31  deg.  40 
min.,  separating  it  from  Georgia.  Thence  the  line  proceeds  along  the  limits  of 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA. 


Alabama,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles,  1 
to  Perdido  river,  and  down  that  stream 
forty  miles,  to  its  mouth.  The  whole 
outline  of  Florida  is  about  fifteen  miles, 
and  it  extends  through  six  degrees  of 
latitude. 

The  climate  is  more  uniform  than  in 
any  other  tract  of  equal  extent,'  north 
and  south,  in  the  United  States.  This 
is  owing  to  the  little  variation  of  surface, 
tmd  the  proximity  of  the  sea.  Pine  pre- 
vails amontr  the  forests,  as  the  soil  is 
generally  poor;  but  the  variety  of  other 
trees  is  very  great.  Rice  and  Indian 
corn,  sweet  potatoes,  cotton,  indigo,  and 
sugarcane,  are  the  chief  productions  of 
agriculture,  while  oranges,  limes,  pome- 
granates, and  figs,  grow  in  abundance. 

The  surface  of  Florida  presents  a 
great  proportion  of  waste  land  and  wa- 
ter, with  all  the  varieties  of  bays,  creeks, 
and  lagoons,  along  the  coast ; and  in- 
land, of  hammocks,  savannahs,  and  ever- 
glades. The  hammocks  vary  in  their 
nature  from  dry  to  wet,  and  many  of 
them  are  impassable,  or  with  a few  in- 
tricate intervals  of  hard  and  shallow 
grounds,  wholly  under  water;  never 
known  to  any  except  the  Indians,  whose 
superior  acquaintance  with  the  country, 
during  the  late  lamentable  Florida  war, 
often  gave  them  advantage  over  our 
troops,  in  the  hammocks  and  everglades. 
The  various  plants  which  grow  abund- 
antly in  some  parts  of  those  swamps 
and  lakes,  often  add  their  obstacles  to 
the  traveller ; especially  saw-grass,  which 
soon  cuts  in  pieces  the'  clothes  of  men, 
and  even  their  flesh.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  for- 
bidding aspect  of  those  extensive  and 
desolate  regions.  Yet,  in  some  places, 
verdant  tracts  occur  even  among  those 
low  and  swampy  districts,  where  flow- 
ers in  profusion  display  their  beauties 
throughout  the  year. 

The  eastern  coast  is  dangerous  for 
large  vessels,  in  easterly  gales,  as  the 
numerous  inlets  are  generally  too  shal- 
low for  ships,  having  water  only  for 
vessels  of  a light  draught.  On  the  west, 
however,  are  the  harbors  of  Perdido, 
Pensacola,  Choctawhatchee,  St.  An- 
drew’s, St.  Joseph’s,  Appalachicola,  Ap- 
pelachee,  Tampa,  Carlos,  and  Gullivain. 


St.  John’s  river  is  very  crooked,  and  in 
some  parts,  four  or  five  miles  wide. 

Pensacola,  in  north  latitude  30  deg. 

23  min.,  and  longitude  10  deg.  19  min. 
west  from  Washington,  stands  on  the 
northwestern  shore  of  the  bay  of  the 
same  name,  and  enjoys  the  advantages 
of  a fine  and  safe  harbor,  with  a bar 
passable  by  vessels  drawing  twenty-one 
feet  of  water.  The  anchorage  is  good, 
but  the  water  is  shallow  near  the  land. 

The  city  was  founded  in  the  year 
1699,  by  a Spanish  officer  named  Don 
Andre  de  Riola.  The  entrance  to  the 
bay  of  Pensacola  is  narrow,  between 
St.  Rose’s  island  and  Barrancas  point, 
eight  miles, from  the  city. 

St.  Augustine  is  the  principal  town  j 
and  seaport  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Florida,  in  north  latitude  29  deg.  48 
min.,  and  longitude  west  from  Washing- 
ton, 40  deg.  21  min.  It  is  the  gldest 
settlement  in  the  limits  of  the  Amer- 
ican Union,  and  even  older  than  the  first 
Canadian  colony,  having  been  founded 
in  1565,  by  the  Spaniards.  The  harbor 
has  twenty-eight  or  thirty  feet  of  water, 
and  is  safe  and  commodious,  being  pro- 
tected from  the  sea  by  Anastatia  island. 
The  town  extends  along  its  side,  on  a 
peninsula,  elevated  only  twelve  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  of  an 
oblong  form,  about -a  mile  in  length,  but 
j not  very  compactly  built.  The  shell-  j 
I limestone  which  forms  the  coast  is  the  J 
j building  material.  It  presents  a very 
j attractive  appearance  from  without,  as  I 
orange-trees  in  abundance  grow  in  the  \ 
yards  and  gardens;  but  many  of  the 
streets  are  crooked  and  narrow.  The 
climate  is  as  mild  as  that  of  southern 
Europe,  and  this  city  is  therefore  a re- 
sort of  many  invalids  from  the  north. 
The  sea-breezes  by  day,  and  the  land- 
breezes  by  night,  co-operate  to  keep 
the  temperature  mild  and  uniform. 
Steamboats  go  to  Savannah  and  Charles- 
ton. Population  about  3,000. 

The  square  near  the  water  is  orna- 
mented with  an  obelisk  of  stone,  erected 
in  the  centre  by  the  Spaniards,  in  the 
davs'of  the  constitution.  It  is  surround- 
ed" by  two  churches,  the  courthouse, 
and  a number  of  handsome  private 
buildings. 


View  of  the  Public  Square  and  Obelisk,  St.  Augustine. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA.  407 


Fort  Marion , at  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor,  is  intended  for  seventy  guns  and 
one  thousand  soldiers. 

The  harbor  of  Pensacola  receives  the 
two  rivers,  Yellow  Water  and  Escam- 
bia; Choctaw  river  falls  into  the  bay  of 
the  same  name;  while  the  Appalachi- 
cola  forms  a delta,  and  the  Suwanee 
empties  into  Vacasausa  bay,  in  latitude 
29  deg.  25  min.  The  St.  John’s  differs 
from  all  the  other  rivers  in  the  Union, 
in  taking  its  rise  from  low,  flat  grassy 
plains,  which  extend  to  about  latitude  28 
deg.  It  then  flows  a little  westward  of 
north,  for  a considerable  distance  paral- 
lel to  the  coast,  and  has  the  appearance 
of  a sound. 

The  low  and  uniform  character  of  the 
coast  of' Florida  renders  it  very  danger- 
ous to  navigation,  especially  on  the  east- 
ern side  ; and  the  perils  of  the  seaman 
are  greatly  increased  by  the  numerous 
shoals  and  banks  which  line  the  south- 
ern coast. 

The  Florida  Keys  are  celebrated 
for  the  numerous  shipwrecks  which  have 
occurred  upon  them.  They  are  now  the 
resort  of  wreckers,  who  often  afford  im- 
portant assistance  to  vessels  in  distress, 
for  rewards  proportioned  to  the  value 
of  their  services.  They  have  hereto- 
fore been  infested  by  pirates,  at  differ- 
ent periods,  and  stained  with  the  blood 
of  many  of  their  unfortunate  prisoners. 
The  Keys  consist  of  a long  line  of  sand- 
banks, reefs,  rocks,  and  small  islands, 
some  bare,  and  others  thickly  overgrown 
with  grass,  reeds,  or  bushes,  which  for- 
merly gave  complete  shelter  and  con- 
cealment to  the  outlaws  who  lay  in  wait 
for  prizes,  and  the  last  of  whom  were 
destroyed  and  captured  by  some  of  our 
armed  ships,  a few  years  ago. 

Tallahassee. — This  town,  the  capi- 
tal of  Florida,  210  miles  from  St.  Au- 
gustine, stands  on  a considerable  emi-  | 
nence,  and  contains  above  two  thousand 
inhabitants,  with  several  public  squares, 
a courthouse,  statehouse,  masonic  hall, 
land-office,  market,  and  three  churches. 
There  is  a valuable  mill-stream  which 
passes  along  the  eastern  side  of  the 
town,  and  has  a fall  of  sixteen  feet, 
a short  distance  from  the  place  where  it 
sinks  into  the  earth,  and  disappears. 


Jacksonville,  thirty-eight  miles  from 
St.  Augustine,  and  thirty  from  the  sea, 
is  a pleasant  town,  on  the  bank  of  St. 
John’s  river,  with  less  than  one  thou- 
sand inhabitants. 

Appalachicola  stands  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  of  the  same  name,  on  the 
gulf  of  Mexico.  It  contains  about  fif- 
teen hundred  inhabitants,  and  has  con- 
siderable trade  in  cotton.  Steamboats 
go  to  New  Orleans,  and  Columbus,  Geo. 

Curiosities. — Among  the  natural  cu- 
riosities of  Florida  are  : — 

The  White  Sulphur  Spring , on  the 
bank  of  the  Suwanee  river.  The  water 
makes  its  appearance  in  a large  basin, 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  and  ten  feet  deep, 
from  which  it  flows  in  a strong  current. 
It  is  so  highly  impregnated  with  sul- 
phur, that  the  taste  and  smell  are  very 
disagreeable;  and  it  is  celebrated  for  its 
efficacy  in  various  cutaneous  and  other 
diseases. 

Subterranean  Streams. — Williams,  in 
speaking  of  this  state,  says,  Florida  is, 
in  itself,  a natural  curiosity.  It  is  (as 
all  who  are  acquainted  with  the  outline 
of  the  United  States  will  allow),  a sin- 
gularly-formed peninsula.  Mr.  Sea- 
grove  alleges  that  it  is  a sand-bank  ; but 
Mr.  Williams  supposes  it  to  be  a calca- 
reous fragment  of  the  Appalachian 
mountain,  clothed  with  some  sterile 
sand-banks,  some  rich,  variegated  clay- 
banks,  and  some  beautiful  coralines. 
It  is  remarkable  that,  although  Florida 
has  many  beautiful  streams,  some  of 
them  are  found  pursuing  a considerable 
part  of  their  course  under  ground. 
Pretty  streams  of  sweet  and  pure  water 
often  rush  headlong  into  some  wild 
opening  in  the  rocks,  and  entirely  dis- 
appear; and  it  is  quite  common  to  see 
streams  jet  forth  from  the  earth.  Mr. 
Williams  gives  the  following  description 
in  his  work  on  Florida,  published  in 
1837  : — 

“ The  Wakully  River  rises  about  ten 
miles  northwest  of  St.  Mark’s,  from  one 
of  the  finest  springs  in  Florida,  or,  per- 
haps, in  the  world.  It  is  of  an  oval 
form,  the  largest  diameter  of  which  is 
about  six  rods.  It  is  of  an  unknown 
depth,  and  perfectly  transparent.  In 
looking  into  it,  the  color  resembles  a 


408  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA. 


clear  blue  sky,  except  near  the  border, 
where  it  has  a slight  tinge  of  green, 
from  the  reflection  of  the  surrounding 
verdure,  which  hangs  over  it  in  droop- 
ing branches  and  waving  festoons.  The 
eastern  side  presents  a rugged,  rocky 
precipice ; all  else  is  an  abyss  of  bound- 
less depth.  Squadrons  of  fishes  are  seen 
careering  round  their  own  world,  in  per- 
fect security.  The  water  is  moderately 
cold,  and  highly  impregnated  with  lime. 
The  beauty  of  the  fountain,  the.  luxu- 
riance of  the  foliage  around  it,  and  the 
calm  retirement  of  the  whole  scene, 
render  this  one  of  the  most  charming 
spots  that  West  Florida  affords.” 

Lime-Sinks, — All  over  the  territory 
are  scattered  lime-sinks,  or  sink-holes, 
which  mark  the  course  of  the  subterra- 
nean rivers.  Holes  in  the  ground, 
where  the  earth  caves  in,  and  where  the 
hollow  is  filled  with  water,  form  these 
lime-sinks.  Williams  says  : “ They  are 
often  very  deep,  and  from  them  I have 
often  taken  fine  strings  of  trout.  Two 
instances  have  occurred,  within  our 
knowledge,  where  persons  have  camped 
under  the  pines  for  one  night,  and  the 
next,  earth,  trees,  and  all,  have  disap- 
peared, and  an  unfathomable  sink  has 
supplied  the  place.” 

Caves. — A large  part  of  Florida  (that 
is,  the  limestone  region)  abounds  in 
caves.  The  rock  is  porous  and  soft,  and 
slowly  dissolves  in  water.  Swift-running 
streams  rapidly  wear  and  tear  away  mass 
after  mass,  an'd  from  time  to  time  new 
channels  are  formed,  by  which  means 
the  old  are  left  dry.  In  many  places, 
channels  are  worn  under  ground,  and 
there  considerable  rivers  pursue  their 
way,  for  greater  or  less  distances,  be- 
neath the  surface,  some  of  which  reap- 
pear, and  others  fall  into  the  sea  by  un- 
known passages.  Such  is  the  nature  of 
a number  of  streams  in  Europe,  some 
of  which  have  been  connected  with  my- 
thological traditions  and  poetical  asso- 
ciations. Wherever  an  old  subterra- 
nean channel  is  deserted,  a cavern  is 
left;  and  among  those  which  have  been 
discovered  in  Florida,  the  most  curious, 
perhaps,  is 

The  Arch  Cave. — This  remarkable 
excavation  is  about  three  miles  from 


Chipola  river,  in  Jackson  county.  At 
the  foot  of  an  immense  limestone  bluff 
is  an'  opening,  only  five  feet  in  height/ 
and  thirty  feet  wide.  Having  entered, 
the  visiter  finds  a descending  passage  of 
fifty  feet,  when  he  perceives  that  he  has 
reached  a spacious  apartment,  a hun- 
dred feet  across  and  fifty  in  height,  along 
the  southern  side  of  which,  flows  a stream 
of  pure,  cold  water,  which  soon  disap- 
pears. A narrow  passage  leads  onward 
to  the  northwest,  with  a pointed  arch 
overhead,  like  a Gothic  aisle.  After 
proceeding  sixty  yards,  a stream,  twenty 
feet  wide  and  five  feet  deep,  crosses  the 
path,  which  abounds  in  white  cray-fish. 
The  passage  next  turns  northeastwardly, 
to  a chamber  one  hundred  feet  long, 
with  a floor  of  red  clay,  scattered  with 
fragments  of  fallen  rock,  and  blocks  of 
stalagmite,  formed  by  the  water  drip- 
ping from  the  numerous  stalactites 
‘above.  These,  of  different  forms  and 
sizes,  almost  conceal  from  view  the  lofty 
roof;  while  a collection  of  the  longest, 
united  in  one  undivided  mass,  extends 
from  the  ceiling  to  the  floor,  forming  an 
immense,  but  well-proportioned  column, 
which  seems  erected  to  support  the  rock 
above.  The  entrance  of  visiters  into 
this  hall  with  torches,  disturbs  a large 
flock  of  bats,  which  have  their  residence 
far  above;  and  on  their  rapid  wings, 
after  fluttering  about  awhile,  they  dis- 
appear among  the  inner  recesses  of  the 
extensive  cavern,  making  a sound  like 
that  of  a rushing  wind. 

A narrow  and  winding  passage  next 
opens,  to  conduct  the  stranger  to  a new 
hall,  from  which  several  paths  branch 
off  in  different  directions,  where  several 
streams  are  observed  rushing  through 
crevices  of  different  sizes,  and  annually 
producing  changes  in  their  subterranean 
courses.  The  stalactite  formations,  at 
the  same  time,  gradually  fill  up  some  of 
the  chambers  in  which  they  are  found; 
and  the  .beauty  of  these  it  is  difficult  to 
describe,  and  even  to  imagine.  They 
are  masses  of  small  crystals,  more  or 
less  regular,  though  endlessly  varying  in 
form.  The  sides  of  the  cavern  are  cov- 
ered with  them  in  many  parts,  while  the 
pendants  above,  like  icicles,  usually 
have  a corresponding  mass  of  the  same 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA.  409 


material  forming  on  the  floor  below ; and 
thus  the  light  of  the  torches  is  reflected 
in  a thousand  spangles,  from  every 
quarter. 

This  cavern  has  been  explored  about 
six  hundred  yards,  and  many  more  hol- 
lows are  known  to  exist  in  its  vicinity. 
Several  wells,  sunk  by  Colonel  Stone, 
opened  into  dark  caves,  by  which  the 
workmen  became  too  much  alarmed  to 
continue  their  labors. 

The  Ladies ’ Cave  is  another  remark- 
able opening  in  the  earth,  about  a mile 
distant,  in  a southeast  direction.  The 
entrance  is  large,  and  the  interior  more 
spacious.  The  passage  at  first  divides 
into  two,  of  which  that  on  the  left  soon 
leads  the  visiter  to  a deep  stream,  which 
disappears  under  an  arched  rock,  cov- 
ered with  crystals.  The.  other,  after  a 
longer  course,  and  leading  through  sev- 
eral halls,  is  interrupted  by  water,  be- 
yond which  is  seen  a large  room. 

The  Everglades. — This  peculiar  fea- 
ture may  be  ranked  among  the  natural 
curiosities  of  Florida.  South  of  the 
twenty-eighth  degree  of  north  latitude, 
Florida  has  very  much  the  shape  of  a 
dish,  the  border  of  which  is  raised  toward 
the  coast.  Near  to  the  cape  this  border 
lies  at  the  distance  of  from  twelve  to 
twenty  miles  from  the  shore.  It  is  com- 
posed of  the  same  calcareous  rock 
which  forms  this  peninsula.  This  ex- 
tensive basin  is  intersected  by  numer- 
ous lakes  and  lagoons,  and  is  filled  by 
marshes  and  wet  savannahs,  which  form 
a labyrinth,  and  are  called  the  ever- 
glades. It  is  drained  on  the  north  by 
the  St.  John’s,  on  the  east  by  the  St. 
Lucia,  Greenville,  Jupiter,  New  river, 
Rattones,  and  Miami,  and  by  the  Snake, 
Swallow,  Delaware,  Caloosahatche,  and 
Macaco,  on  the  west.  As  one  approaches 
the  level  of  the  glades,  he  is  surprised 
by  the  appearance  of  a field  of  grass 
before  him,  which  seems  like  the  ocean, 
without  bounds.  He  may  then  pass  on 
westward,  from  six  to  twelve  miles,  till, 
by  degrees,  the  grass  disappears,  and 
he  is  left  in  an  unexplored,  grassy  lake, 
the  limits  of  which  his  eye  can  not  dis- 
cover. The  grass  is  so  tall  and  thick, 
that,  although  the  borders  of  the  lake 
are  usually  covered  in  winter  with  water, 

- 


it  is  never  so  deep  as  to  cover  it.  For 
ten  miles  from  the  timbered  land, 
the  earth  is  generally  hard  and  dry  in 
summer.  This  tract  of  country  would 
afford  a fine  place  for  cattle  to  range, 
and  is  always  well  stocked  with  wild 
game.  La  Vega  tells  us,  that  pearls 
were  known  to  abound  in  this  region, 
at  the  time  of  the  invasion  by  De  Soto. 
Mr.  Williams  says  : “An  old  manuscript 
in  my  possession  asserts,  that  a governor 
of  Florida  appointed  a commission,  for 
the  purpose  of  seeking  pearls  in  these 
lakes,  which  was  successful.”  Mr.  Wil- 
liams seems  to  infer  from  this  and  other 
facts,  that  it  would  be  of  much  advan- 
tage to  drain  this  portion  of  the  country. 
He  asserts,  that  if  the  waters  could  be 
lowered  ten  feet,  it  would  probably 
drain  six  hundred  thousand  acres ; and 
if  this  should  prove  to  be  a rich  soil,  as 
it  appears  to  be,  what  a field  wouftd  it 
open  for  tropical  productions ! 

History. — We  have  only  room  for  a 
few  leading  events  in  the  history  of 
Florida : — 

1497. — Discovery  by  Sebastian  Cabot, 
under  the  English  flag,  who  merely 
saw  the  coast,  without  landing. 

1512. — Visited  by  Ponce  de  Leon,  in 
search  of  “ the  fountain  of  health ,”  re- 
ported to  him  by  an  Indian  girl.  He 
landed  from  Hispaniola  at  Capfe  Sable, 
on  Easter  day,  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
Florida,  which  the  Spaniards  afterward 
used  to  embrace  all  the  country  to  Can- 
ada. After  a long  search  for  the  foun- 
tain (which  may  have  been  the  Sulphur 
Spring),  he  returned,  with  the  loss  of 
many  men. 

1516. — He  made  a second  search  for 
gold,  and  was  driven  away  by  the 
Indians. 

1524. — The  king  of  Spain  having 
granted  Florida  to  Guerray,  his  succes- 
sor, Allyon,  attempted  to  seize  the 
country,  but  was  repulsed  by  the  na- 
tives. 

1528. — Pamfilo  de  Narvaez,  with  four 
hundred  foot  and  forty  horse,  after  many 
sufferings,  and  much  perfidious  conduct 
toward  the  Indians,  lost  almost  all  his 
men;  eighty  only  reached  Mexico  in 
boats. 

1539. — Fernando  de  Soto  next  at- 


410  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA. 


tempted  to  occupy  the  country,  having 
sold  his  claims  on  the  Peruvian  con- 
quest, to  which  he  had  contributed,  for 
one  and  a half  millions.  Landing  at 
Tampa  bay  with  one  thousand  men,  and 
assisted  by  Ortez,  a survivor  of  the  last 
expedition,  who  was  a favorite  with  a 
chief  in  the  interior,  he  proceeded  far 
without  interruption,  treating  the  na- 
tives with  kindness,  until  he  had  won 
their  confidence,  and  had  an  opportunity 
to  seize  one  of  their  large  towns.  A 
numerous  body  of  Indians  ambushed 
him  some  time  after,  but  were  repulsed 
in  an  obstinate  battle.  He  pursued  his 
way  through  Florida,  though  bravely 
and  powerfully  resisted;  and,  led  on  by 
j the  hope  of  finding  gold,  two  years 
afterward  died  on  the  Red  river,  having 
crossed  the  Cumberland  mountains  and 
the  Mississippi. 

1^62. — A Huguenot  colony,  sent  out 
from  France  by  Admiral  Coligny,  ar- 
rived on  the  coast,  but  proceeding  north, 
landed  at  Beaufort.  After  extreme  suf- 
ferings, however,  they  abandoned  their 
undertaking. 

1564. — A second  and  larger  colony 
was  established  at  May  river,  supposed 
to  be  the  St.  John’s,  where  they  built 
Fort  Caroline,  six  leagues  from  the  sea. 
General  Menendez  sailed  from  Spain  to 
destroy  them,  as  heretics,  as  his  catholic 
majesty  had  received  from  the  pope  a 
grant  of  the  new  world,  on  condition 
that  he  should  convert  the  Indians  to  the 
Romish  faith.  He  succeeded,  partly  by 
perfidy,  in  butchering  the  colonists;  and 
in  revenge,  the  Chevalier  Dominique  de 
Gourges,  though  born  a Romanist,  led 
an  expedition  to  Florida,  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  a body  of  Indians,  cut  off 
the  Spaniards  at  Caroline.  Finding  the 
remains  of  his  countrymen  hanging  on 
trees,  with  the  inscription:  “ Not  as 
Frenchmen , hut  as  heretics ,”  he  hung 
the  Spaniards  in  their  places,  and  put 
up  signs  bearing  these  words:  “ Not  as 
Spaniards,  hut  as  devils .” 

1574. — Menendez,  governor  of  Saint 
Augustine,  sent  out  many  friars  among 
the  Indians. 

1583. — The  last  of  the  Indian  nations 
formed  treaties  with  the  Spaniards,  and 
a missionary  system  was  established  for 


all  Florida,  the  head  of  which  was  at 
the  Franciscan  convent  in  the  capital. 
The  convents,  whose  ruins  are  now  seen 
in  different  parts,  were  built  about  this 
time. 

1702. — Governor  Moore’s  unsuccess- 
ful siege  of  St.  Augustine,  with  the  troops 
of  the  southern  English  colonies.  Two 
years  afterward,  by  a land-expedition, 
he  seized  the  north  of  Florida,  and  ex- 
cited the  Indians  to  revolt  and  mas- 
sacres. After  various  Indian  wars,  in 

1718 — M.  Chateauque,  from  Louisi- 
ana, captured  the  fort  at  Pensacola  with 
eight  hundred  Indians,  twenty-two  years 
after  its  erection.  It  was  soon  retaken 
by  a Spanish  fleet,  but  fell  again  into 
the  hands  of  the  French,  who  demol- 
ished it. 

1725. — Governor  Palmer,  to  retaliate 
for  a Spanish  and  Indian  invasion  of 
Georgia,  laid  the  country  waste  to  St. 
Augustine. 

1740. — Governor  Oglethorpe’s  expe- 
dition, mentioned  in  our  description  of 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  After  an 
invasion  of  Georgia  by  the  Spaniards,  in 

1763 — Florida  was  ceded  to  Great 
Britain,  when  only  six  hundred  poor 
Spaniards  were  found  inhabiting  the 
country,  and  these  soon  removed  to  Cuba. 
The  land  was  therefore  parcelled  out 
among  half-pay  officers  and  disbanded 
soldiers,  who  had  served  in  the  Ameri- 
can war;  while  colonists  of  different 
classes  arrived  from  Great  Britain. 

1767. — New  Smyrna,  seventy  miles 
south  of  St.  Augustine,  was  settled  by 
1,500  Greeks,  Corsicans,  and  others, 
under  Dr.  Turnbull,  who  for  several 
years  treated  them  with  great  injustice 
and  barbarity.  In  1776,  they  were 
placed  in  an  independent  situation  by 
the  government,  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  St.  Augustine,  where  many  of 
their  descendants  now  reside. 

1781. — Pensacola  was  besieged  and 
taken  by  the  French  from  Louisiana. 

1783. — Florida  was  ceded  back  to 
Spain,  and  the  manufacture  of  sugar, 
and  other  enterprises  introduced  by  the 
English,  were  abandoned,  the  British 
subjects  leaving  the  country.  The  Greek 
colony  alone  preserved  signs  of  pros- 
perity. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  FLORIDA.  411 

1811. — Seven  commissioners  were 
sent  to  Pensacola  by  the  president  of 
the  United  States,  to  obtain,  if  possible, 
a cession  of  Florida,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful. The  next  year,  Fernandina 
and  Amelia  island  were  captured  by 
Com.  Campbell  and  an  American  force ; 
and  the  place  was  a great  resort  of 
smugglers  and  slave-traders,  during  the 
American  embargo. 

1813.  — The  place  was  restored  to  the 
Spaniards. 

1814.  — Colonel  Nichols,  with  an  Eng- 
lish fleet,  took  Pensacola,  and  armed 
the  Indians  against  the  Americans.  On 
the  6th  of  November,  in  that  year,  Gen. 
Jackson  appeared  before  Pensacola  with 
a strong  force,  and  soon  took  the  place, 
but  the  British  escaped  in  their  ships. 
Gen.  Jackson  destroyed  the  fortifica- 
tions and  evacuated  the  place,  leaving 
private  property  wholly  uninjured. 

1819. — A treaty  of  amity,  settlement, 
and  limits,  was  concluded  between  Spain 
and  the  United  States,  by  which  Florida 
was  ceded  to  this  country.  Gen.  Jack- 
son  was  appointed  governor. 

1822. — Florida  was  made  a territory; 
and  the  following  year  Tallahassee  was 
made  the  seat  of  government. 

The  improvements  made  in  popula- 
tion, agriculture,  arts,  and  commerce, 
have  been  rapid  since  that  epoch,  though 
much  retarded  for  several  years  by  the 
war  with  the  Indians,  who,  in  spite  of 
their  claim  to  their  own  country,  and  the 
bravery  and  skill  with  which  they  de- 
fended it,  have  been  removed  beyond 
the  Mississippi. 

A careless  and  wasteful  plan  of  agri- 
culture, too  common  in  some  of  the 
southern  parts  of  the  Union,  has  ex- 
hausted great  tracts  of  land  in  Florida. 
Williams  says  it  “ has  destroyed  the  na- 
tive fertility  of  the  soil,  from  the  Ches- 
apeake bay  to  the  St.  Mary’s  river,  with 
few  exceptions.  The  object  has  been 
to  cultivate  as  much  land  and  with  as 
few  hands  as  possible  ; to  exhaust  the 
soil  and  turn  it  common,  and  then  to  re- 
move and  pursue  the  same  course  again, 
upon  new  land.”  He  remarks  that 
abundance  of  seaweed  and  marsh  mud 
are  to  be  found  all  along  the  coast  of 
Florida,  and  that  all  experience  proves 

that  it  is  much  less  expensive  to  manure 
old  land  than  to  clear  the  timber  from 
new. 

Sea-island  cotton  on  the  sea-border, 
and  green-seed  cotton  inland,  have  here- 
tofore been  the  principal  crops  ; but  the 
cultivation  of  sugar  is  now  fast  gaining 
the  ascendency  in  the  middle  and  east- 
ern parts  of  the  country ; and  experi- 
ments have  proved  that  the  cane  will 
flourish  anywhere,  while  it  is  more  cer- 
tain and  valuable  in  most  places,  and 
there  can  be  no  danger  of  glutting  the 
market  with  this  article. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  sugar-cane 
cultivated  in  Florida  : the  Creole,  the 
Otalieite,  and  the  Ribbon  ; the  first  of 
which  is  thought  to  yield  more  sugar, 
though  slower  in  ripening.  The  Rib- 
bon is  better  adapted  to  a more  northern 
climate,  as  it  ripens  in  a short  time;  but 
the  grinding  is  more  laborious,  on  ac- 
count of  the  superior  hardness  of  the 
stalk.  It  has  another  advantage,  in  not 
fermenting  as  speedily  as  the  Creole. 
The  yellow  varieties  are  preferred  south 
of  thirty  degrees  latitude.  Transplant- 
ing is  best  performed  at  the  season  of 
ripeness.  Excellent  stalks  have  been 
raised  six  successive  years  from  the 
same  roots  ; and  we  are  yet  unable  to 
say  how  much  longer  it  might  be  done 
with  depreciation. 

In  the  spring  it  is  useful  to  cut  off  the 
tops  several  times,  to  make  the  plant 
spread  and  destroy  the  weeds  ; and  the 
heads  cut  off  are  excellent  food  for  cat- 
tle and  horses.  Williams  assures  us 
that  the  culture  and  manufacture  are 
carried  on  with  full  success  on  small 
farms,  as  well  as  on  the  largest  estates  : 
for  a press  may  be  made  by  the  farmer, 
at  little  cost,  which  will  perform  the 
work  as  well  or  even  better,  than  a mill 
costing  ten  thousand  dollars.  This 
branch  of  business  has  some  peculiar 
advantages,  particularly  in  the  small 
amount  of  labor  required  in  the  cultiva— - 
tion  of  a sugar  plantation.  No  work 
upon  it  is  necessary  from  midsummer 
until  harvest,  though  at  that  time  many 
hands  must  be  employed. 

Indigo  was  the  principal  product  un- 
der the  British,  and  silk  might  be  well 
made  in  the  northern  districts. 

412  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


ALABAMA. 


This  state  lies  between  thirty  degrees 
ten  minutes,  and  thirty-five  degrees, 
north  latitude,  and  between  eight  and 
eleven  degrees,  west  longitude  from 
Washington.  From  north  to  south  it 
occupies  a tract  of  land  three  hundred 
and  seventeen  miles  long,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-four  miles  broad,  con- 
taining forty-six  thousand  square  miles. 
In  1850,  the  population  was  numbered 
at  771,650. 

Alabama  is  situated  in  the  valley  of 
Tennessee,  and  the  basin  of  Mobile,  ex- 
cept its  southeast  and  southwest  angles.  The  southern  part  borders  on  the  gulf 
of  Mexico  for  the  space  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  and  is  nearly  covered  with  pines, 
and  low  and  level.  In  the  central  part  it  is  hilly  and  varied  by  prairies,  and  broken 
and  somewhat  mountainous  in  the  north.  The  soil,  in  the  northern  portion  of  the 
state,  is  excellent;  but  in  the  southern,  it  is  sandy  and  barren.  The  native  trees 
in  the  northern  and  middle  sections  are  black  and  white  oak,  hickory,  poplar,  ce- 
dar, chestnut,  pine,  mulberrj,  &c.  The  arable  land  of  southern  Alabama  may 
be  found  mostly  on  or  near  to  the  water-courses,  and  is  called  by  two  diffeient 
names,  alluvion  and  intermediate.  The  intermediate  has  a kind. of  soil  between 
the  open  pine  woods  and  the  alluvial  river-bottoms.  Although  it  comprises  the 
much  greater  part  of  the.  state,  it  is  sterile.  It  abounds  more  m the  southern 
than  in  the  northern  sections. 

Alabama  has  a number  of  fine  rivers,  of  which  the  Mobile  is  the  principal. 
The  Alabama  is  a very  fine  river,  and  is  navigable  to  Claiborne,  sixty  miles  above 
its  junction,  for  vessels  drawing  six  feet  of  water.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Cahawba, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  further,  it  has  four  or  five  feet  of  water,  and  m the 
shallowest  places,  to  the  junction  of  the  Coosa  and  Talapoosa,  the  rivers  by  which 

it  is  formed,  it  is  never  less  than  three  feet.  . n 

The  Tomligbee  is  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long,  and  is  navigable  for 
schooners  to  St.  Stephen’s,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  and  for  steamboats  to 
Columbus,  Mississippi.  Indeed,  it  is  boatable  for  the  greater  part  of  its  course. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


It  has  a large  branch  which  is  called  the 
Black  Warrior.  This  river  is  naviga- 
ble to  Tuscaloosa. 

Another  river,  the  Chatahoochee, 
forms  a boundary  of  Alabama  ; and  the 
northern  part  is  watered  by  the  Tennes- 
see. 

Mobile  river,  properly  the  lower  part 
of  the  principal  stream  in  the  state,  is 
formed  by  the  confluence  of  two  others, 
the  principal  of  which  is  the  Alabama, 
and  the  second  the  Tombigbee.  And 
the  Alabama,  in  its  turn,  is  formed  by 
the  Coosa  and  the  Talapoosa.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  this  incorrect  plan  in 
naming  streams  has  been  adopted  here, 
as  in  some  other  places,  as  it  leads  to 
confusion  and  often  to  false  impressions. 
A stream  should  bear  one  name  from 
its  source  to  its  mouth,  and  each  branch 
should  be  named  in  the  same  manner. 

The  Coosa,  which  is  regarded  as  the 
main  branch  of  the  Alabama,  ought  to 
have  been  named  as  the  main  stream  ; 
and  we  shall  so  consider  it,  and  follow 
the  order  of  nature,  and  the  proper 
practice  of  geographers,  in  our  brief 
description.  It  rises  in  Tennessee,  be- 
tween the  sources  of  the  Hiwassee  and 
Chatahoochee,  in  latitude  thirty-five  de- 
grees five  minutes  south,  the  highest 
point  of  all  the  waters  flowing  .directly 
into  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  east  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  head  stream  bears 
the  name  of  the  Conessauga,  and  flows 
first  in  a westwardly  direction,  and  then 
southwestwardly  and  south.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  seventy  miles  in  Georgia,  it  re- 
ceives the  Etowah,  and  there  assumes 
the  name  of  Coosa.  About  ten  miles 
beyond  it  crosses  the  line  of  Alabama, 
and  turns  southwest,  south,  and  south- 
east, till  it  receives  the  Talapoosa  and 
changes  its  name  again,  as  beforemen- 
tioned,  to  Alabama  river,  at  Coosanda, 
in  latitude  thirty-two  degrees  twenty- 
eight  minutes,  longitude  nine  degrees 
twenty-two  minutes  west  from  Wash- 
ington. In  this  part  of  its  course,  the 
Alabama  (or  Coosa)  flows  about  four 
hundred  miles,  including  its  windings, 
while  it  gains  only  two  hundred  and 
forty,  measuring  in  a straight  line,  drain- 
ing an  area  of  about  nine  thousand  square 
miles. 


STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  413 


The  Alabama  now  flows  westwardly 
until  it  receives  the  Cahawba,  and  then 
turns  south-southwest,  until  it  is  joined 
by  the  Tombigbee,  and  changes  its 
name  to  the  Mobile.  The  lower  part 
of  the  channel  is  no  less  crooked  than 
the  upper ; for  while  the  distance  in  a 
direct  line  from  the  Talapoosa  is  but 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  the  nav- 
igation is  not  less  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty. 

Mobile  bay  is  of  a triangular  shape, 
about  thirty-two  miles  across,  and  into 
it  empties  the  Mobile  river,  by  several 
mouths.  The  outer  bar  has  sixteen  feet 
water ; but  Bog  river  bar,  which  is 
seven  miles  below  the  harbor,  has  only 
eleven.  The  principal  entrance  is  be- 
tween Bauphin  island  and  Mobile  point. 
There  is  another : the  pass  of  Heron, 
which  affords  a communication  between 
Pascagoula  sound  and  the  harbor,  be- 
tween Dauphin  island  and  the  continent. 
This  has  six  feet  of  water  at  middle 
tide,  and  is  taken  by  steamboats  and 
coasting  vessels  on  the  way  to  New  Or- 
leans, by  the  Rigolets,  Lake  Pontchar- 
train,  and, Bayou  St.  John.  Anchorage 
can  be  found  in  any  part  of  that  route, 
in  mud,  shells,  and  sand. 

The  basin  of  Mobile  river  contains 
an  area  of  37,120  square  miles,  in  the 
draining  of  which  that  stream  and  its 
branches  perform  their  parts.  It  ex- 
tends north  to  the  borders  of  the  basin 
of  the  Tennessee,  and  east  to  that  of  the 
Chatahoochee. 

When  we  consider  the  variety  of  sur- 
face, soil,  and  productions,  in  Alabama 
the  extent  of  its  navigable  routes,  and 
the  facilities  for  commerce,  together 
with  the  mildness  of  its  climate,  it  might 
seem  strange  that  it  should  so  long 
have  remained  almost  uncultivated  and 
uninhabited,  if  we  were  not  aware  of 
the  various  unfavorable  circumstances 
connected  wuth  its  situation.  It  has 
been  shown,  in  our  notices  of  the  Car- 
olinas,  that  the  colonists  near  the  coast 
remained  for  a generation  ignorant  of 
the  advantages  of  the  upper  country  in 
the  interior : those  elevated  regions, 
which  enjoy  a climate  more  favorable  to 
health  and  bodily  exertion,  and  abound- 
ing in  productions  unknown  among  the 


414  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


low,  hot,  and  often  sandy  and  barren 
plains  on  which  they  had  pitched. 

The  feebleness  of  the  young  colo- 
nies, the  distractions  caused  among  them 
by  ignorant  and  evil  counsellors  and  ru- 
lers, the  danger  of  foreign  invasion  by 
sea,  and  still  more  the  fear  of  the  pow- 
erful Indian  tribes  on  their  western 
frontiers,  afforded  sufficient  explanation 
for  this  delay  in  extending  their  borders 
in  that  direction.  These  reasons  apply 
with  double  force  to  Alabama,  for  it  lay 
still  further  beyond ; and,  in  addition  to  j 
this,  the  territory  was  in  the  vicinity  of 
another  enemy  or  rival  of  the  English  : 
the  French  on  the  Mississippi.  A por- 
tion of  it,  indeed,  and  that  the  most  im- 
portant part,  in  fact,  the  key  of  the 
whole,  was  eai'ly  occupied  by  them : we 
mean  Mobile;  which,  being  placed  at 
the  mouth  of  the  chief  river,  and  on  a 
good  harbor,  commanded  the  whole  ac- 
cessible portion  of  the  country. 

Since  Alabama  has  come  into  the 
possession  of  tlie  United  States,  and  has 
risen  to  the  dignity  of  a state,  it  has  had 
to  struggle  with  obstacles  arising  from 
its  backwardness  ; and  by  the  superiority 
of  New  Orleans  as  a great  mart  of  com- 
merce, long  established,  the  difficulty  of 
concentrating  business  at  a small  place 
in  its  neighborhood  is  much  increased. 
The  natural  obstacles  of  the  interior  are 
in  many  parts  great,  as  may  be  perceiv- 
ed from  some  of  the  particulars  we  have 
given  ; and  thus  several  circumstances 
combine,  which  are  likely  to  retard  the 
rapid  increase  of  settlements  for  some 
time  to  come. 

The  prolonged  disputes  and  contests 
for  territory  between  England,  Spain, 
and  France,  brought  an  innumerable 
host  of  evils  upon  the  early  colonies,  and 
especially  upon  those  most  accessible 
to  invasion.  Alabama  lay  so  far  from 
the  Atlantic  coast,  so  near  to  the  French 
settlements  on  the  Mississippi,  and  so 
totally  within  the  Indian  territory,  that 
an  occupation  of  any  part  as  a British 
colony,  or  even  a visit  to  it,  was  not  tQ 
be  regarded  as  a possible  thing,  for  a 
long  time.  Until  the  year  1667,  there 
had  never  been  any  treaty  or  under- 
standing entered  into  between  England 
and  Spain,  for  the  prevention  or  ar- 


rangement of  difficulties  arising  out  of 
conflicting  claims  to  territory  in  Amer- 
ica. 

It  was  then,  however,  happily  agreed, 
in  due  form,  between  those  two  powers, 
in  a treaty  framed  by  Sir  William  Go- 
dolphin,  that,  “ the  king  of  Great  Brit- 
ain should  always  possess,  in  full  right 
of  sovereignty  and  property,  all  the 
countries,  islands,  and  colonies,  lying 
and  being  situated  in  the  West  Indies, 
or  any  part  of  America,  which  he  and 
j his  subjects  then  held  and  possessed, 
inasmuch  that  they  neither  can  nor  ought 
to  be  thereafter  contested  on  any  account 
whatsoever.”  The  buccaniers  were 
suppressed,  and  the  navigation  of  the 
American  seas  was  freely  opened  to 
both  nations.  It  was  also  agreed,  that 
all  ships  in  distress  entering  any  of  the 
ports,  should  be  admitted  and  treated 
with  humanity,  and  freely  permitted  to 
depart.  The  Spaniards  then  gave  up, 
by  this  treaty,  all  claim  to  the  Caroli- 
nas ; and  the  prosperity  of  the  British 
colonies  would  have  been  increased  by 
it,  had  that  power  observed  it  in  good 
faith. 

Soon  after  this  event,  a treaty  of  neu- 
trality was  concluded  between  Great 
Britain  and  France,  by  which  limits 
were  fixed,  with  greater  precision  than 
before,  to  the  various  possessions  of 
these  three  powers  in  America,  and  the 
freedom  of  commerce  and  navigation 
was  better  secured. 

But  the  happy  results  which  might 
naturally  have  been  expected  from  these 
measures,  were  greatly  diminished  by 
the  arrogant  pretensions  advanced  by 
one  of  the  religious  orders  in  Spain. 
The  Franciscan  monks,  claiming  the 
authority  of  the  pope  as  paramount  to 
international  agreements,  found  means 
to  gain  a footing  in  Florida,  where,  un- 
der the  protection  and  favor  of  Spanish 
fortresses  and  troops,  they  soon  gained 
over  to  their  direction  the  Indians,  and 
established  amissionary  system  through- 
out that  country,  by  which  they  raised 
up  a power  hostile  to  Great  Britain,  as 
a protestant  nation,  from  which  a long 
series  of  evils  resulted,  that  continu- 
ed through  several  generations.  Hence 
arose  the  hostility  of  the  Florida  Indi- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


ans  and  some  of  the  more  northern  I 
tribes,  with  many  of  the  disasters  which 
they  produced  ; and  hence,  and  from  a 
similar  cause,  viz.,  the  long  and  contin- 
ued intrigues  and  open  military  expedi- 
tions of  the  French  Jesuits  in  Canada, 
the  sad  scenes  of  fire,  murder,  and  cap- 
tivity, which  spread  a gloom  over  the 
history  of  the  colonies  of  New  England 
and  New  York. 

The  planting  of  the  colonies  along 
the  Mississippi,  in  the  year  1709,  is  wor- 
thy of  notice  as  one  of  the  great  causes 
of  the  d-elay  in  the  occupation  of  the 
territory  of  this  state  by  the  English. 
Louis  XIV.  of  France  having  granted 
a large  tract  of  land  about  the  mouths 
of  that  river  to  Secretary  Crozat,  the 
settlement  was  soon  commenced  ; and, 
although  the  place  was  considered  by 
the  southern  Ejritish  colonists  as  lying 
within  their  patent,  no  attempt  was 
made  to  interrupt  the  intruders,  and  the 
steps  they  were  taking  were  not  even 
protested  against.  The  French  gradu- 
ally won  to  their  interest  some  of  the 
Indians,  and  extended  plantations  in 
( different  directions,  while  they  establish- 
' ed  forts  and  trading  stations  still  further 
in  advance.  In  1725,  they  built  a fort 
on  Alabama  river,  at  a considerable  dis- 
tance above  its  mouth.  That  position, 
called  Fort  Alabama,  afforded  them  fa- 
cilities of  intercourse  with  the  Creek 
nation,  whose  hunting  grounds  extend- 
ed to  that  vicinity ; and  when  a friend- 
ly standing  had  been  established  with 
them,  the  Cherokees  were,  ere  long, 
brought  into  correspondence;  and  thus 
the  foundations  were  laid  of  an  exten- 
sive rival  interest  to  the  British  colonies, 
the  evil  effects  of  which  were  long  felt. 

To  oppose  the  intrigues  of  the  French, 
who  soon  brought  the  Choctaws,  Chick- 
asaws,  and  other  tribes,  under  their  in- 
fluence, the  president  of  Carolina  em- 
ployed Captain  Tobias  Fitch,  ta  act  as 
his  agent  among  the  Creeks,  and  Colo- 
nel George  Chicken  among  the  Chero- 
kees ; but  they  were  unable  to  prevent 
all  connexion  between  those  nations  and 
the  French,  who  generally  supplied 
them  with  tomahawks  and.  firearms, 
which  they  adopted  instead  of  their 
bows  and  arrows,  and  thus  became  far 


STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  415 


| more  bold,  formidable,  and  destructive 
enemies  than  they  would  else  have  been. 

In  1730,  after  the  colony  of  Carolina, 
with  the  extensive  territory  which  it 
then  included,  had  been  purchased  by 
the  crown,  Sir  Alexander  Cumming 
came  from  England  to  America,  to  se- 
cure the  friendship  of  the  Cherokees 
by  a formal  treaty ; and  met  the  chiefs 
of  the  nation  at  Nequassee,  a place 
about  three  hundred  miles  in  the  interi- 
or, where  he  was  received  on  the  most 
friendly  terms.  Five  of  them  accompa- 
nied him  to  England,  where  they  made 
a treaty  of  peace  and  amity,  agreeing 
never  to  trade  with  any  other  people  but 
the  British,  to  aid  and  fight  for  them, 
&c. ; “ not  to  permit  the  white  men 
of  any  other  nation,  to  build  any  forts 
or  cabins,  or  plant  any  corn  among  them, 
upon  lands  which  belong  to  the  great 
king,  to  restore  runaway  negroes,  to 
submit  to  English  laws  in  case  of  mur- 
der on  either  side,”  &c.  The  Indians 
returned  the  following  year,  highly  sat- 
isfied with  their  success.  Governor 
Glen,  in  1755,  had  the  treaty  confirmed, 
and  obtained  a vast  cession  of  land. 
But  this  promising  aspect  of  affairs  was 
not  of  long  duration  ; and  the  scenes  of 
war  and  distress  which  followed,  as  we 
have  briefly  stated  in  our  accounts  of 
the  older  colonies,  condemned  the  ter- 
ritory of  Alabama  to  the  long  neglect 
which  it  suffered,  in  consequence  of  the 
hostile  state  of  its  savage  inhabitants. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that  a small  por- 
tion of  the  present  state  of  Alabama 
was  occupied  by  the  French,  early  in 
the  last  century,  when,  soon  after  the 
founding  of  Louisiana,  they  built  a fort 
at  Mobile,  and  settled  at  several  points 
upon  the  river ; while  the  English  left 
the  territory  unoccupied,  and  made  no 
attempt  to  settle  any  part  of  that  large 
portion  of  it  which  was  included  in  the 
charter  of  Georgia,  so  that  nearly  the 
whole  territory  remained  in  the  undis- 
puted possession  of  the  Indians.  In 
1802,  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States 
by  Georgia,  and  annexed  to  the  Missis- 
sippi territory.  In  1817,  it  was  made  a 
distinct  territory,  and  on  the  2d  of  Au- 
gust, 1819,  admitted  as  a free  and  inde- 
pendent state  into  the  American  Union. 


416  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


The  constitution  of  Alabama  is  re- 
markably liberal  it  its  provisions  for  the 
support  of  education,  as  it  contains  a 
long  section  on  the  subject,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  commencement  : — 

“Schools  and  the  means  of  education 
shall  for  ever  be  encouraged  in  this 
state.”  It  requires  the  legislature  to 
take  measures  to  preserve  the  lands  ap- 
propriated for  the  support  of  education, 
to  apply  the  funds,  &c.  The  income 
from  the  lands  is  devoted  to  the  support 
of  a university.  The  number  of  com- 
mon. schools  is  already  six  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  there  are  one  hundred  and 
twenty  academies  and  grammar-schools. 

The  constitution  likewise  secures  to 
slaves,  accused  of  any  crime  higher  than 
petty  larceny,  a trial  by  a pettit  jury. 

Printing  was  commenced  in  this 
state  sometime  between  1810  and  1820; 
but  as  early  as  1821  there  were  no  less 
than  eleven  newspapers. 

State  of  the  Country , fyc. — In  so  new 
and  extensive  a region  as  Alabama,  im- 
provements must  necessarily  be  back- 
ward, especially  where  the  inhabitants 
are  few,  and  the  means  of  communica- 
tion difficult,  where  facilities  have  hard- 
ly been  introduced.  Commendable  en- 
terprise has  already  been  displayed,  by 
both  the  legislature  and  the  people,  in 
introducing  important  improvements, 
and  in  devising  more.  That  the  pi  og- 
ress of  the  state,  in  many  important  re- 
spects, will  hereafter  be  great,  we  have 
flattering  reason  to  expect,  when  we  rec- 
ollect the  provision  made  for  the  gener- 
al and  lasting  support  of  education  in 
the  constitution.  Intelligence,  litera- 
ture, and  science,  united  with  religion, 
must  necessarily  render  a people  great 
and  happy ; and  it  is  gratifying  to  see 
that  means  are  employed  in  Alabama 
for  their  diffusion.  Steam  has  already 
begun  its  career  of  civilization  and  im- 
provement on  both  land  and  water. 

The  establishment  of  steamboats  on 
the  Alabama  river,  affords  one  of  the 
principal  channels  of  travelling  and 
trade  in  the  state  of  Alabama.  A safe 
and  rapid  passage  is  afforded  by  that 
route  from  Mobile  to  Montgomery,  the 
head  of  navigation.  Wetumpka,  fifty 
miles  higher  up  the  river,  by  water,  but 


only  eighteen  by  land,  is  the  highest 
point  accessible  in  light  boats.  From 
Montgomery  to  Atlanta,  a railroad  ex- 
tends 185  miles,  whence  a stage-road 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  leads 
to  Notasulga,  and  there  the  traveller 
finds  himself  on  the  Augusta  railroad, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-six  miles  in 
length.  The  part  of  this  route  which 
lies  in  this  state,  and  most  of  that  part 
in  Georgia,  is  wild  and  almost  uninhab- 
ited. A traveller  in  1846  thus  describes 
some  of  the  features  of  this  unreclaim- 
ed wildness  and  the  primitive  state  of  so- 
ciety existing  among  the  few  people  who 
inhabit  it  : — 

“The  whole  country  through  which 
we  passed,  from  Augusta  to  Montgom- 
ery, is  as  dull  and  deficient  in  interest, 
as  the  most  misanthropic  could  desire. 
It  was  sufficiently  rolling,  sometimes 
stony,  and  had  numerous  clear  rivulets 
meandering  on  it.  But  the  improve- 
ments were  mostly  a sad  blotch  on  na- 
ture. It  is  bad  enough  to  find  log-shan- 
ties, slipshod  fences,  &c.,  in  a decidedly 
fresh  and  untamed  country ; but  to  see 
these,  so  old  as  to  be  already  in  their 
dotage,  and  comparatively  little  to  re- 
deem the  general  forbiddingness  of  the 
scene,  is,  to  say  the  best,  the  reverse  of 
gratification  to  a traveller. 

“ The  log-houses  on  their  best  estates 
consist  of  a room  at  either  end,  with  a 
passage  between  (but  seldom  enclosed 
with  doors),  through  which  a loaded 
team  could  be  driven,  and  the  enclosed 
rooms  would  generally  afford  a tolerably 
distinct  view  of  the  opposite  scenery 
through  the  unchunched  double  walls. 
The  chimneys  in  most  of  the  country, 
and  some  of  the  city  houses,  from  Ma- 
ryland to  the  Gulf,  are  placed  on  the 
outside  of  one  or  both  ends,  and  are 
built  entirely  independent  of  the  houses, 
though  connected  with  the  first  floor  by 
a singly  fireplace.  This  may  abate  a 
little  the  intense  heat  of  summer;  but  it 
has  a most  unsightly  and  forbidding  ap- 
pearance. The  best  houses  are  some- 
times painted,  and  the  chimneys  are 
well  laid  up  in  brick  and  mortar,  while 
those  attached  to  the  poorest  are  more 
frequently  made  of  mud  and  sticks,  and 
the  surrounding  buildings  are  limited 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  417 

to  a rough  hovel  or  two,  about  as  closely 
housed  in,  as  a field  under  a well-laid 
worm  fence. 

“ The  shuck  provided  for  the  winter 
forage  of  the  cattle,  is  one  or  more  stacks 
of  corn-blades  or  husks,  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet  high,  aud  five  or  six  in  diam- 
eter. The  working  mules  or  horses  are 
fed  with  corn  ; but  all  the  remainder  of 
the  quadrupeds  betake  themselves  to 
the  woods  for  brouse.  As  the  range  is 
illimitable,  and  vegetation  has  a torpid 
existence  through  the  winter,  they  will 
frequently  do  very  well  on  it,  though 
they  have  in  many  cases  to  go  so  far  for 
it,  that  they  do  not  think  it  worth  while 
returning  to  report  progress  till  the  feed 
has  again  become  deserving  their  atten- 
tion  at  home.  Of  course,  milking  the 
cows  is  out  of  the  question,  unless  half 
of  one’s  time  is  used  in  pursuit  of  them. 

“Where  there  are  canebrakes,  as  is 
frequently  the  case  on  rich  bottom  lands, 
the  animals  have  a good  winter  subsist- 
ence on  the  young  shoots  of  this  gigan- 
tic grass.  Its  rich  evergreen  leaves  ac- 
quire a palatable  nutritiveness  after  the 
frosts,  which  it  does  not  possess  during 
the  summer  and  autumn,  and  when 
abundant,  cattle  will  fatten  on  this  alone. 
The  swine  through  this  country  are  the 
vilest  brutes  a farmer’s  eye  ever  rested 
on.  They  are  of  all  colors,  but  princi- 
pally black,  gray,  red,  blue,  or  striped 
and  dotted  like  a hyena,  which  comely 
beast,  and  its  congener,  the  wolf,  they 
more  nearly  resemble  than  any  of  their 
own  well-bred  family.  Even  the  fatten- 
ing porkers  are  only  in  a passably-grow- 
ing condition,  while  the  nomads  could 
hardly  lay  claim  to  hide  enough  to  hold 
their  bones  together.  As  the  stages 
rattled  along,  they  rushed  out  of  the 
woods  in  all  directions,  to  follow  the 
horses.  I asked  the  driver  the  cause  of 
their  leanness  when  the  woods  were  full 
of  oaks  and  chestnuts.  lie  said  the. 
former  bore  no  acorns,  and  the  people 
gathered  the  latter. 

“We  were  glad  to  get  on  a boat  at 
Montgomery.  Had  the  river  been  at 
moderate  height,  we  should  have  passed 
down  the  four  hundred  miles  to  Mobile 
in  two  days  instead  of  five,  owing  to  our 
frequently  grounding. 

“ The  Alabama  is  a fine  winding 
stream,  hemmed  in  by  banks  from  twen- 
ty to  eighty  feet  high.  These  are  some- 
times worn,  and  shelve  off  from  the  ac- 
tion of  the  stream  ; but  are  generally 
fringed  with  a great  variety  of  forest- 
trees,  shrubs,  and  frequently  the  cane, 
which,  springing  up  from  the  water’s 
edge,  surmounts  the  banks,  and  extends 
for  miles  in  one  impenetrable  mass.  It 
grows  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high, 
straight  as  an  arrow  and  almost  as  thick 
as  standing  wheat.  It  throws  out  deli- 
cate branches  near  the  tops,  whose 
gracefully  tapering  foliage,  at  a distance, 
nearly  resembles  a field  of  luxuriant 
hemp,  and  these  become  so  closely  in- 
terwoven at  their  tops  as  to  resemble 
one  vast  carpet  of  resplendent  green. 

A variety  of  beautiful  branching  ever- 
green, and  deciduous  oaks,  are  found  on 
the  banks  and  bordering  tablelands,  and 
occasionally  the  pine  and  other  resinous 
trees.  Here  and  there  a magnolia  may 
be  seen  shooting  up  with  perfect  sym- 
metry for  fifty  to  seventy  feet,  and  bear- 
ing the  dark-hued  evergreen  leaves,  in  a 
beautiful  cone.  In  May  and  June,  this 
is  gemmed  over  its  entire  surface  with 
beautiful  snowy  flowers,  five  to  seven 
inches  in  diameter  and  of  great  fra- 
grance. The  cypress  that  everywhere 
fills  up  the  low  grounds  south  of  Vir- 
ginia, is  always  to  be  found  in  its  appro- 
priate place  here  ; and  from  nearly  ev- 
ery tree,  of  whatever  species,  the. cling- 
ing moss  hangs  in  graceful  festoons. 
This  appears  to  be  exclusively  an  air- 
plant.  Its  slender  stem  throws  out  mi- 
nute tendrils  or  branches,  some  two  in- 
ches long,  and  about  the  same  distance 
from  each  other,  and  it  is  suspended 
from  the  twigs  solely  by  the  mechanical 
attachment  of  the  stem.  When  this 
has  become  dead  for  a long  distance 
from  the  point  of  its  origin,  the  fresh 
shoots  continue  to  multiply  and  grow 
on  with  undiminished  vigor.  Cattle  are 
said  to  be  fond  of  it,  and  if  suited  to 
impart  nourishment  to  them,  it  seems 
improvident  that  such  vast  quantities  of 
it  are  hung  so  far  above  their  reach. 
This  moss  is  exported  largely  to  the 
northern  states,  and  is  used  for  stuffing 
cushions,  beds,  &c. 

27 


418  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


“ The  soil  on  both  sides  of  the  river  is 
almost  invariably  good,  as  is  much  of 
that  in  central  Alabama.’’ 

Montgomery,  the  capital  of  the  state, 
ia  built  on  a high  bluff,  on  the  left  bank 
and  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation, 
on  Alabama  river,  three  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  miles  from  Mobile  by  the 
course  of  the  river,  and  two  hundred 
miles  in  a direct  line ; one  hundred  and 
twelve  miles  southeast  from  Tuscaloosa, 
and  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
Washington  city.  Its  contains  a court- 
house, seven  churches,  two  academies, 
and  about  seven  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  cotton  shipped  from  this  place 
amounts  to  forty  thousand  bales  annu- 
ally. Montgomery  has  recently  been 
made  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  prep- 
arations are  already  in  progress  for 
building  an  elegant  statehouse. 

Mobile  stands  on  a low  plain,  only 
about  fifteen  feet  above  the  water  at 
high  tides,  but  commands  a view  over 
the  spacious  harbor,  and  lies  open  to 
the  sea-breezes.  The  distance  from  the 
coast  of  the  gulf  of  Mexico  is  thirty 
miles,  and  from  New  Orleans,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four.  The  population  is 
about  twenty  thousand,  and  the  princi- 
pal public  buildings  are  the  United 
States  naval  hospital,  courthouse,  city 
hospital,  three  banks,  seven  churches, 
theatre,  and  Burton  academy.  Provision 
has  been  made  for  a supply  of  water  for 
the  city  from  Spring  Kill,  two  miles  dis- 
tant. The  cotton  trade  of  this  port  is 
very  great,  the  amount  received  and  ex- 
ported annually  being  larger  than  that 
of  any  other  city  in  the  Union  except 
New  Orleans. 

The  entrance  of  the  harbor  is  defend- 
ed by  Fort  Morgan,  on  a sandy  point 
opposite  Dauphin  island ; and  a light- 
house is  erected  for  ships  entering. 
Mobile  has  been  in  possession  of  the 
United  States  only  thirty-four  years, 
having  been  ceded  by  Spain  in  1813. 

Spring  Hill  College , two  miles  from 
Mobile,  has  about  four  thousand  vol- 
umes in  its  library,  and  seventy  students. 

Steamboats  depart  daily  for  New  Or- 
leans, Columbus,  Miss.,  and  Montgome- 
ry. 

Tuscaloosa,  lately  the  capital,  is  sit- 


uated on  the  left  bank  of  the  Black 
Warrior  river,  in  latitude  thirty- three 
degrees  and  twelve  minutes,  and  longi- 
tude ten  degrees  and  forty-three  min- 
utes, one  hundred  and  fifty-five  miles 
southwest  from  Huntsville,  two  hundred 
and  seventeen  miles  a little  north  of 
east  from  Mobile,  and  eight  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  miles  southwest  from 
Washington,  by  post-route.  Its  posi- 
tion is  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  falls,  at 
the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  on  an 
elevated  plain.  The  old  statehouse, 
courthouse,  land-office,  masonic  hall,  la- 
dies’ athaeneum,  four  churches,  academy, 
and  institute,  are  the  public  buildings. 
The  streets  are  broad,  straight,  and 
regular,  and  the  inhabitants  about  five 
thousand. 

The  University  of  Alabama , founded 
in  1828,  is  situated  at  the  distance  of 
one  mile  from  Tuscaloosa.  It  has  a 
librai'y  of  six  thousand  volumes,  seven 
professors  and  tutors,  and  about  sixty 
students.  The  commencement  is  held 
on  Wednesday  after  the  first  Monday  in 
December. 

Demopolis,  on  the  Tombigbee,  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Mobile, 
situated  a little  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Black  Warrior  river,  communicates  daily 
with  Columbus,  Miss.,  and  Mobile,  by 
steamboats.  Stage-coaches  go  three 
times  a week  to  Tuscaloosa  and  Mobile. 
The  principal  public  buildings  are  three 
churches,  two  academies,  and  the  land- 
office  ; and  the  population  is  about  one 
thousand. 

G-ainesville,  a small  town,  about  two 
hundred  and  eighty-three  miles  from 
Mobile,  is  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  a 
place  of  much  trade  in  cotton.  It  con- 
tains only  about  two  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, but  is  daily  visited  by  the  steam- 
boats from  Columbus  and  Mobile,  and 
stage-coaches  go  three  times  a week,  to 
the  latter  place  and  Jackson  in  Missis- 
sippi. 

St.  Stephen’s,  with  a population  of 
one  thousand,  is  the  second  settlement 
in  the  state  in  point  of  age.  It  stands 
on  the  Tombigbee,  one  hundred  miles 
from  Mobile,  and  has  two  churches,  a 
land-office,  and  an  acad  my. 

I Cahawba,  on  the  west  side  of  Alaba- 


View  of  the  City  and  Harbor  of  Mobile. 


ma  river,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles 
from  Mobile,  and  once  the  capital  town, 
contains  about  one  thousand  inhabitants. 

It  has  a courthouse,  an  academy,  and 
two  churches,  and  the  river  steamboats 
touch  there  daily,  while  stage-coaches 
go  to  Mobile,  Tuscaloosa,  and  Hunts- 
ville. 

Selma,  sixteen  miles  above  Cahawba, 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  has  two 
academies,  three  churches,  and  about 
one  thousand  inhabitants. 

Fossil  Bones,  &c. — Alabama,  more 
than  most  other  parts  of  our  country, 
abounds  in  ancient  bones,  which  are 
found  in  various  positions,  but  most 
abundantly  in  a peculiar  stratum,  which 
in  some  places  lies  many  feet  beneath 
the  natural  surface,  but  in  others,  is  laid 
bare,  or  cut  through  by  the  wearing 
away  of  streams  of  water,  &c.  In  cer- 
tain districts,  these  remains  of  ancient 
and  often  unknown  animals,  have  been 
long  familiar  to  the  present  inhabitants, 
as  well  as  to  their  predecessors  the  In- 
dians ; but  their  remote  situations  have 
prevented  many  of  them  from  being 
either  generally  seen  or  accurately  de- 
scribed. 

Dr.  Koch  of  Germany  made  a tour  of 
exploration  in  this  and  several  other 
states,  three  years  ago,  and  discovered 
and  brought  away  a collection  of  bones, 
many  of  which  were  exhibited  by  him 
in  our  principal  cities.  A great  num- 
ber of  them  were  arranged  by  him,  in 
the  order  in  which  he  supposed  them  to 
have  been  naturally  placed,  judging 
from  their  relative  positions  when  dis- 
covered in  the  earth.  When  thus  pla- 
ced, they  seemed  to  form  the  skeleton 
of  an  immense  serpent,  which  the  dis- 
coverer named  thcHydrargos  Silliiucinii , 
and  described,  with  a sketch  of  its  prob- 
able habits,  food,  &c.,  after  the  manner 
of  many  of  his  predecessors,  some  of 
whom  have  published  pictures  of  the 
animals  of  extinct  species,  as  when  re- 
stored, by  the  addition  of  the  decayed 
flesh,  &c. 

Naturalists,  however,  did  not  gener- 
ally adopt  the  opinions  of  Dr.  Koch  ; 
and  more  evidence  is  thought  necessary 
before  the  existence  of  such  an  animal 
can  be  admitted. 


The  lighter  bones 


connected  with  this  skeleton,  were  found 
in  a state  of  dislocation,  particularly 
those  which  he  placed  as  ribs.  The 
vertebrae  are  so  entirely  separate,  and 
generally  so  much  worn  away,  by  decay 
or  attrition,  that  no  evidence  of  their  re- 
lation to  each  other,  could  be  obtained 
from  their  form  or  size  ; and  their  alle- 
ged proximity  when  discovered,  is  not 
of  itself  sufficient  ground  on  which  to 
proceed  in  constructing  an  animal  of 
such  an  extraordinary  kind.  Besides, 
the  bones  placed  as  the  head,  and  which 
are  said  to  have  been  fouxid  lying  at 
that  end  of  the  skeleton,  but  inverted, 
have  little  or  no  resemblance  to  those 
of  a serpent’s  head. 

The  parts  of  which  this  collection 
consists  are  unquestionably  natural  re- 
mains of  some  gigantic  animal  or  ani- 
mals, and  were  taken  from  the  earth  in 
Alabama;  but  to  what  kind  of  animal, 
or  to  how  many  individuals  they  be- 
longed, we  pretend  not  to  decide.  They 
present  a striking  specimen  of  innumer- 
able remains  of  a similar  kind  existing 
in  abundance  in  some  parts  of  Alaba- 
ma : and  future  discoveries  and  resear- 
ches may  probably  shed  important  light 
upon  the  interesting  subject. 

The  following  statements  we  derive 
from  a letter  of  Professor  Silliman  : — 

“Dr.  Koch,  the  proprietor  of  the 
skeleton  now  in  this  city,  made  a jour- 
ney of  discovery  a year  since,  into  Ala- 
bama and  other  southern  regions,  with 
particular  reference  to  this  animal.  He 
had  the  rare  good  fortune,  as  the  result 
of  his  perseverance,  aided  by  the  kind 
assistance  of  the  inhabitants,  to  disinter 
the  stupendous  skeleton  which  is  now 
set  up  for  exhibition  here. 

“It  has  evidently  been  done  at  great 
expense  and  personal  toil;  and  the  pub- 
lic, while  they  owe  a debt  to  Dr.  Koch, 
will,  when  paying  it,  receive  a high 
gratification  in  contemplating  the  re- 
mains of  a race  of  animals  whose  length 
exceeded  that  of  all  other  creatures 
hitherto  discovered ; the  spinal  column 
of  this  skeleton  as  now  arranged  meas- 
ures one  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  in 
length.  The  skeleton  having  been 
found  entire  enclosed  in  limestone,  evi- 
dently belonged  to  one  individual,  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


there  is  the  fullest  ground  for  confidence 
in  its  genuineness.  The  animal  was 
marine  and  carnivorous,  and  at  his  death 
was  imbedded  in  the  ruins  of  that  an- 
cient sea  which  once  occupied  the  region 
where  Alabama  now  is  ; having  myself 
recently  passed  400  miles  down  the  Al- 
abama river,  and  touched  at  many  pla- 
ces, I have  had  full  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve, what  many  geologists  have  affirm- 
ed, the  marine  and  oceanic  character  of 
the  country. 

“ Judging:  from  the  abundance  of  the 
remains  (some  of  which  have  been  sev- 
eral  years  in  my  possession),  these  ani- 
mals must  have  been  very  numerous, 
and  doubtless  fed  upon  fishes  and  other 
marine  creatures — the  inhabitants  of  a 
region,  then  probably  of  more  than  trop- 
ical heat ; and  it  appears  probable  also, 
that  this  animal  frequented  bays,  estua- 
ries, and  seacoasts,  rather  than  the  main 
ocean.  As  regards  the  nature  of  the 
animal,  we  shall  doubtless  be  put  in  pos- 
session of  Professor  Owen’s  more  ma- 
ture opinion,  after  he  shall  have  review- 
ed the  entire  skeleton.  I would  only 
venture  to  suggest,  that  he  may  find  lit- 
tle analogy  with  wholes , and  much  more 
with  lizards , according  to  Dr.  Harlan’s 
original  opinion. 

“ Among  the  fossil  lizards  and  saurus, 
this  resembles  most  the  pleisiosaurus , 
from  which,  however,  it  differs  very  de- 
cidedly. 

“ Most  observers  will  probably  be 
struck  with  the  snake-like  appearance 
of  the  skeleton.  It  differs,  however, 
most  essentially  from  any  existing  or 
fossil  serpent,  although  it  may  counte- 
nance the  popular  (and  I believe  well- 
founded)  impression  of  the  existence  in 
our  modern  seas,  of  huge  animals  to 
which  the  name  of  sea-serpent  has  been 
attached.  For  a full  and  satisfactory 
statement  of  the  evidence  on  this  sub- 
ject, see  a communication  by  Dr.  Bige- 
low of  Boston  in  the  second  volume  of 
the  American  Journal.” 

Projected  Improvements. — Among 
the  projects  for  improvements  which 
now  attract  the  attention  of  the  people 
of  this  state,  is  the  establishment  of  a 
line  of  transportation  on  a grand  scale. 
A glance  at  the  principal  river  and  its 


STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  421 


branches,  is  sufficient  to  discover,  that 
thousands  of  miles  lie  along  and  near 
their  borders  ; and  that,  even  were  the 
proportion  of  land  susceptible  of  culti- 
vation much  less  than  it  is,  sufficient 
would  still  remain  to  furnish  support  for 
an  immense  population,  if  judiciously 
managed,  and  furnished  with  convenient 
means  of  sending  the  products  to  mar- 
ket. The  steamboats  already  plying 
daily  upon  the  main  stream,  and  the 
railroads  now  in  use,  with  the  advanta- 
ges which  they  afford,  intimate  what 
further  benefits  might  be  secured  by  ex- 
tending the  improvements  to  every  part 
of  the  state  which  may  be  accessible  to 
them.  But  something  more  than  this  is 
contemplated,  by  a system  of  public 
works  proposed  to  the  people. 

The  western  parts  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina  are  still  unprovided  with 
adequate  channels  of  transportation ; and 
the  slightest  examination  of  the  maps, 
will  go  far  to  justify  the  assertion  of 
those  who  maintain,  that  it  is  easy  to 
adopt  measures  now  which  shall  bring 
all  their  trade  to  Mobile.  The  exten- 
sion of  steamboat  routes  as  far  as  possi- 
ble upon  the  streams,  then  a resort  to 
railroads,  and  finally  the  improvement 
and  multiplication  of  common  roads,  it 
is  insisted,  will  accomplish  this  ; while 
the  profits  can  hardly  fail  to  justify  and 
richly  to  reward  the  expense,  and  in  a 
moderate  period. 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  valley  of  the 
Tennessee  river  is  separated  from  that 
of  the  Alabama  by  only  a narrow  ridge  ; 
and  if  that  barrier  can  be  surmounted, 
another  very  rich  and  extensive  region 
will  be  added  to  the  vast  commercial 
territory  of  Mobile.  It  is  proposed  to 
construct  a railroad  across  that  tract; 
and  thus  to  draw  off  the  trade  which 
seeks  a slow  and  difficult  channel  down 
the  Tennessee  to  the  Mississippi.  But 
the  system  of  improvements  projected 
stops  not  here.  The  route  may  be  ex- 
tended northvrard ; and  it  is  seriously 
proposed  to  carry  it  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio.  From  Selma  to  the  Tennessee, 
a railroad  route  has  been  surveyed,  and 
part  of  it  graded ; but  the  work  has 
been  abandoned,  at  least  for  the  present. 
Such  favorable  views,  however,  are  held 


422  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


forth,  that  it  is  supposed  the  project  will 
yet  be  accomplished.  From  some  of 
the  recent  publications  on  the  subject, 
we  derive  the  following  facts  respecting 
the  country  along  the  route.  It  will  be 
perceived  that  the  mineral  treasures  now 
embosomed  in  the  earth,  and  of  little  or 
no  value  on  account  of  their  inaccessible 
position,  are  among  the  chief  advantages 
promised  by  the  advocates  of  the  plan 
of  improvement.  The  coal  lands  abound- 
ing in  that  region,  are  capable  of  afford- 
ing abundant  supplies  of  fuel  for  the  use 
of  steamships  in  all  parts  of  the  gulf  of 
Mexico,  and  steamboats  on  the  rivers,  as 
well  as  for  the  locomotives  on  railroads, 
so  far  as  it  may  be  wanted. 

The  distance  from  Selma  to  the  Ten- 
nessee river,  by  a line  running  north,  is 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  ; and 
the  point  at  which  it  would  be  reached 
is  at  Decatur.  Such  a line  would  pass 
through  the  midst  of  the  coal  region, 
and  those  parts  of  it  which  border  on 
the  Cahawba  and  Warrior  rivers.  Be- 
tween Mulberry  creek  and  Cahawba 
river,  the  line  passes  along  the  water- 
shed; and  there  the  soil  is  peculiarly  fa- 
vorable for  the  construction  of  a sub- 
stantial road,  consisting  of  cretaceous 
lime-rocks,  of  a very  solid  description. 
The  Cahawba  coal-field  commences  at 
Centre ville,  and  is  crossed  by  the  line, 
as  is  that  part  of  the  coal-region  called 
the  Warrior  coal-field,  which  lies  just 
beyond  the  Mulberry  fork,  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Walker  county. 

From  that  part  of  Decatur  the  coun- 
try is  of  a different  formation,  but  of  a 
very  solid,  firm  nature  for  a railroad, 
being  of  granite.  Decatur  is  a town  ol 
considerable  business,  being  advantage- 
ously situated  for  trade,  at  the  head  of 
the  falls  of  the  Tennessee,  at  the  foot 
of  an  extensive  line  of  navigation  on 
that  river  above  the  falls,  and  with  the 
advantages  of  a railroad  to  Tuscumbia, 
on  the  part  of  the  river  below  the  falls. 

But  another  route  is  also  proposed, 
which  offers  some  important  advantages 
to  recommend  it,  not  promised  by  that 
just  described.  There  is  a railroad  al- 
ready formed  and  in  use,  between  Mont-  | 
gomery  and  Westpoint,  to  which  we  j 
have  before  alluded.  A route  laid  out  | 

L 


from  some  convenient  point  on  that,  to 
Tennessee  river,  would  be  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles  long,  only  one 
hundred  of  which  remains  to  be  provi- 
ded for,  and  this  would  cost  but  about 
ten  thousand  dollars  a mile,  including 
machinery,  &c.  Of  course,  the  whole 
expense  of  the  one  hundred  miles,  at 
this  estimate,  would  be  but  a million  of 
dollars  ; which  the  results  would  well 
warrant,  if  the  anticipations  entertained 
should  prove  well  founded.  If  the  pro- 
posed work  should  commence  at  Mount 
Jefferson  (a  point  on  the  Montgomery 
and  Westpoint  railroad),  it  would  pass  ] 
through  the  counties  of  Chambers,  Tal-  j 
lapoosa,  Randolph,  Talledega,  and  Ben-  j 
ton,  to  the  Double  Springs,  on  Coosa  } 
river,  and  thence  forty  miles  to  Gunter’s  j 
Landing,  on  the  Tennessee,  on  which  j 
part  a railroad  has  alreadv  been  project-  j 
ed,  and  funds  appropriated.  This  route  . 
has  therefore  but  one  hundred  miles  of 
railroad  to  be  provided  for,  is  much  ! 
shorter  than  the  other  (from  Selma  to  i 
Decatur),  and  passes  through  a more  j 
fertile  and  populous  part  of  the  state,  | 
and  a region  rich  in  minerals  of  value. 

A chief  object  proposed  by  the  friends 
of  these  improvements  is,  to  connect 
the  interests  of  the  two  parts  of  the 
state.  Northern  and  southern  Alabama 
are  now  so  far  divided,  by  having  differ- 
ent channels  of  trade,  that  but  little  of 
that  sympathy  exists  between  them, 
which  is  so  desirable  in  the  same  state, 
and  necessary  to  its  harmony  and  pros- 
perity. Plans  are  proposed  in  Georgia, 
for  the  opening  of  new  routes  of  trans- 
port, by  which  the  trade  of  the  north- 
eastern counties  is  likely  to  be  perma- 
nently drawn  off  into  other  channels. 
The  railroad  just  described  would  effec- 
tually counteract  such  measures,  and  at 
the  same  time  prove  so  convenient  to 
the  northwestern  parts  of  the  adjoining 
state,  that  several  large  counties  of 
Georgia  would  become  tributary,  ih  a 
commercial  point  of  view,  to  the  city  of 
Mobile. 

Alabama  has  thus  much  to  expect 
from  the  extension  of  internal  improve- 
ments. Although,  by  circumstances, 
she  has  been  long  prevented  from  ma- 
king rapid  progress,  and  was  even  so 


0 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  423 


situated,  as  to  be  unable  to  begin  for  a 
century  or  more  after  her  older  sisters 
of  the  Union,  her  exertions  made  since 
she  has  had  the  power,  are  very  credit- 
able to  her  leading  men,  and  the  results 
have  been  such  as  to  stimulate  her  to 
new  projects  and  new  labors.  Notwith- 
standing the  obstacles  and  discourage- 
ments presented  to  the  extension  of  in- 
ternal navigation  and  railroads,  there 
are  doubtless  streams  remaining,  on 
which  steamboats  may  hereafter  be  run 
with  advantage,  and  numerous  tracks 
may  be  laid  through  the  most  important 
districts,  by  which  places  now  unpro- 
vided with  the  means  of  transport,  may 
be  rendered  accessible.  There  are,  for- 
tunately, large  deposites  of  coal  and  oth- 
er minerals  in  different  parts  of  the 
state,  which  must  afford  a rich  reward 
to  the  enterprise  of  those  who  shall  open 
channels  of  transportation,  by  which 
they  can  be  brought  to  the  manufactory 
and  the  steam-furnace ; while  the  impor- 
tant advantages  to  be  expected  from  the 
opening  of  intercourse  between  distant 
points  of  the  state  and  other  districts 
more  distant,  will  annually  increase,  and 
become  stronger  incitements  to  men  of 
business  to  give  them  an  improved  di- 
rection, and  to  bring  them  within  their 
own  reach. 

However  important  rnay  be  this  de- 
partment of  the  public  interest,  and  how- 
ever much  praise  the  state  may  deserve 
for  her  early  and  spirited  attention  to  it, 
it  is  but  of  a physical  kind,  and,  from  its 
own  nature,  necessarily  inferior  to  the 
intellectual  and  moral  objects  for  which, 
as  we  have  before  remarked,  provision 
is  made  in  the  constitution  of  the  state. 
If  the  spirit  of  that  article  should  be 
carried  into  operation,  as  promptly  and 
efficiently  and  with  as  much  perse- 
verance as  has  been  displayed  in  the  in- 
troduction and  extension  of  steam-routes 
by  land  and  water,  greater  real  advan- 
tages would  be  secured,  and  a still  more 
substantial  foundation  would  be  laid  for 
the  future  greatness  of  the  state.  In- 
dustry, commerce,  and  wealth,  may  be 
pursued  too  exclusively,  to  the  neglect 
of  education.  Such  must  be  allowed  to 
be  the  case  in  our  country  generally. 
If  any  one  of  our  states  should  have 


the  wisdom  to  choose  the  opposite  course 
and  to  pursue  it,  what  evidences  of  fun- 
damental improvement  would  ere  long 
begin  to  appear.  Schools  would  not 
only  be  opened,  but  well-filled,  well-fur- 
nished, and  well-taught.  Academies  and 
colleges  would  enjoy  the  patronage  and 
respect  of  the  public,  as  well  as  an  oc- 
casional donation  from  the  state  treas- 
ury. Men  would  be  placed  in  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  education,  not  because 
of  their  political  connexions,  ability  in 
intriguing,  or  want  of  office ; but  for 
their  intellectual  and  moral  merits,  and 
their  known  qualifications  to  perform 
well  and  faithfully  those  important  du- 
ties. And  they  should  be  secured 
against  the  evil  influence  of  change  in 
politics.  They  should  be  protected 
against  those  subversive  movements, 
which  have  more  than  once  overthrown 
systems  of  education,  devised  and  put 
in  operation  in  other  states,  merely  be- 
cause they  were  the  works  of  a party 
no  longer  in  power.  In  short,  the  best 
men  in  Alabama,  should  be  at  once 
called  upon  to  take  into  their  hands  this 
great  business,  invested  with  all  author- 
ity necessary,  and  furnished  with  every 
facility  requisite  to  favor  the  most  exten- 
sive and  rapid  improvement,  and  insure 
the  greatest  regularity  and  permanence 
Even  the  fear  of  improper  interference 
should  be  prevented ; and  then,  with 
such  measures  as  good  men  might  de- 
vise, such  zeal  and  perseverance  as  they 
might  be  expected  to  display,  and  such 
cooperation  and  support  as  the  people 
might  be  soon  brought  to  afford  to  them, 
the  whole  face  of  society  must  soon  be 
essentially  improved,  and,  in  a single 
generation,  every  department  of  busi- 
ness, and  every  town,  village,  and  fam- 
ily, would  share  in  the  benefits. 

Although  some  other  regions  are  more 
attractive  to  the  masses  of  emigrants, 
Alabama  has  received  a large  increase 
of  population  since  the  commencement 
of  her  short  history  as  a territory  and 
a state.  The  northern  counties,  be- 
tween 1810  and  1820,  experienced  an 
increase  of  inhabitants  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two  per  cent.  These  are 
the  counties  of  Franklin,  Jackson, 
Lauderdale,  Lawrence,  Madison,  Mor- 


424  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 


gan,  and  Limestone,  and  belong  to  what 
we  have  before  spoken  of  as  the  Ten- 
nessee section  of  the  state.  On  the  five 
thousand,  and  sixty  square  miles  which 
they  comprise,  the  population  which,  in 
1810,  was  only  forty-six  thousand,  in 
1820  had  increased  to  one  hundred  and 
two  thousand.  Like  our  other  states, 
especially  the  new  ones,  Alabama  ex- 
periences the  various  evils  arising  from 
the  mixture  of  people  of  different,  and 
often  foreign  origin ; and  these  may  be 
most  speedily  and  effectually  overcome 
by  a universal,  sound,  and  thorough 
system  of  common  schools,  operating 
simultaneously  and  harmoniously  with 
high  schools  and  universities.  Men 
who  have  been  educated  together  in 
childhood  and  youth,  will  feel  more  like 
fellow-citizens  through  life ; especially 
if  the  education  be  good,  and  more  es- 
pecially if  it  be  the  best.  The  public 
interests  of  all  descriptions,  imperious- 
ly demand  such  a system  for  the  whole 
country;  and  whatever  state  shall  lead 
the  way,  first  and  best,  will  most  wisely 
consult  its  own  permanent  good,  and  in- 
evitably secure,  for  the  future,  the  high- 
est place  for  itself  among  the  benefac- 
tors of  the  nation,  and  the  directors  of 
its  destiny. 

The  Magnolias. — Having  described 
some  of  the  chief  vegetable  productions 
belonodnof  to  some  of  the  states,  before 
closing  our  account  of  them,  on  the  pre- 
ceding pages,  we  may  perhaps  properly 
introduce  here  a description  and  history 
of  the  magnolias,  the  finest  of  which 
are  common  to  most  of  the  southern 
states.  For  the  following  facts,  re- 
specting this  elegant  genus  of  plants, 
we  have  been  largely  indebted  to  a late 
work:  “ The  Trees  of  America,  by  D. 
J.  Browne.” 

The  several  species,  ranged  under  the 
genus  Magnolia,  form  a splendid  collec- 
tion, which  it  would  perhaps  be  impos- 
sible to  rival  in  the  world.  They  are 
indigenous  to  the  southern  parts  of 
North  America,  but  nowhere  on  our 
southern  continent;  while  in  the  east- 
ern hemisphere  they  are  not  to  be  found 
as  natives  either  in  Europe,  Africa,  or 
Australia.  In  Asia,  are  several  species, 
but  only  in  China  and  Japan,  unless, 


! perhaps,  in  Hindostan.  The  most  hardy 
species  are  some  of  our  own  ; and  these 
are  extensively  cultivated  in  England 
and  the  middle  and  southern  countries 
of  Europe,  and  are  able  to  endure  the 
winters  without  protection.  Even  the 
less  hardy  species  usually  succeed  there. 
But  in  the  north  of  Europe  they  can 
not  live  through  the  year,  out  of  the 
greenhouse.  In  England,  the  seeds  will 
not  often  come  to  maturity ; but  in 
j France  they  ripen  well.  All  the  spe- 
cies  are  much  admired,  for  the  beauty 
of  their  forms  and  their  flowers.  The 
most  elegant,  however,  is  the  grandiflo- 
ra,  which  abounds  in  the  southern  states 
of  the  Union,  and  will  be  the  last  de- 
scribed. 

The  Glaucous-leaved  Magnolia  ( M . 
glauca),  called  the  white  bay  and  the 
sweet  bay  in  our  southern  states,  is 
known  in  more  northerly  parts  of  our 
country  by  various  names ; swamp-sas- 
safras, swamp-sorrel,  swamp-magnolia, 
beaver-wood,  and  small  laurel.  It  bears 
the  specific  name  of  glauca , among  bot- 
anists, on  account  of  the  sea-green  col- 
or of  its  leaves ; and  the  name  of  bea- 
ver-tree, given  it  in  certain  parts  of  the 
Union,  is  owing  to  its  roots  being  eaten 
with  great  avidity  by  beavers.  Accord- 
ing to  Micheaux,  those  animals  prefer 
it,  when  felling  timber  to  construct  their 
dams,  because  the  softness  of  its  woods 
renders  it  very  easy  for  them  to  gnaw. 

This  species  is  sometimes  found  forty 
feet  in  height,  and  ten  or  twelve  inches 
in  diameter ; but  not  usually  above 
twenty  feet.  The  trunk  is  crooked,  and 
divides  into  several  limbs.  The  bark  is 
gray  and  bitter  to  the  taste ; the  leaves 
are  five  or  six  inches  long,  of  a shining 
bluish  green  above,  and  greenish  be- 
neath. It  is  often  an  evergreen ; and 
even  when  not  strictly  so,  sometimes  re- 
tains many  of  its  leaves  through  the 
winter. 

The  flowering  begins  in  the  South 
late  in  April  or  early  in  May,  and  often 
continues  in  autumn.  In  New  England 
it  begins  about  six  weeks  later.  The 
flowers  grow  from  the  extremities  of 
the  shoots  of  the  previous  years,  and 
are  two  or  three  inches  broad,  with  six 
white  concave  petals.  The  fragrance 


Li 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  425 


is  peculiarly  rich  and  powerful,  being 
perceptible  at  a distance ; and,  when 
kept  in  a close  room,  soon  becoming  al- 
most insupportable.  The  seed-vesse]  is 
of  a ccnica.l  shape,  about  an  inch  and 
a half  in  length,  full  of  little  cells,  which 
open  and  let  the  seeds  drop  out.  They 
are,  however,  attached  to  slender  threads, 
which  hold  them  hanging  for  some  time 
in  the  air.  This  peculiarity  belongs  to 
all  the  magnolias. 

The  glaucous-leaved  magnoliahas  two 
varieties  : the  arborea,  or  tall,  and  the 
scmpervirens,  or  evergreen ; and  there 
are  several  others,  some  of  which  are 
supposed  to  be  hybrids. 

This  species  is  the  most  extensive  in 
its  geographical  range  near  the  sea,  be- 
ing found  further  north  than  any  other 
of  the  magnolias.  The  highest  spot 
where  it  has  been  observed,  is  said  to 
be  a sheltered  swamp  in  Manchester, 
Cape  Ann,  about  thirty  miles  beyond 
Boston.  It  is  there  but  a small  tree, 
and  is  frequently  cut  down  to  the  ground 
by  severe  frosts.  In  Florida  and  Lou- 
isiana, it  is  abundant  in  wet  situations, 
and  in  Georgia  and  the  Carolinasis  con- 
fined to  the  pine  barrens. 

The  wood  is  sometimes  used  for  join- 
ers’ tools,  while  the  bark  is  sometimes 
administered  in  cases  of  fever. 

The  Umbrella  Magnolia  ( M.  trip  eta- 
la),  often  called  the  umbrella-tree,  and, 
in  Virginia,  elkwood,  is  remarkably 
uniform  and  graceful  in  the  arrangement 
of  its  leaves.  The  shoots  have  a resem- 
blance to  the  young  horns  of  the  elk  ; 
and  hence  probably  the  origin  of  the 
name  by  which  it  is  known  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions  of  Virginia.  The  leaves 
are  deciduous  and  lanceolate,  petals 
nine,  the  outer  ones  pendant.  It  is  very 
seldom  higher  than  thirty-five  or  forty 
feet,  or  thicker  than  five  or  six  inches, 
and  usually  much  smaller.  The  stem  is 
commonly  inclined.  The  leaves  are 
oval  and  acuminate  at  both  ends,  near 
twenty  inches  long,  and  seven  or  eight 
wide.  Being  thus  long  and  narrow,  and 
often  growing  around  a centre,  they 
give  the  appearance  of  an  umbrella ; 
and,  when  adorned  with  the  flowers, 
which  are  about  eight  inches  in  diame- 
ter, in  May  and  June,  present  an  ob- 


ject of  great  beauty.  The  fragrance 
emitted  is  strong. 

In  October  the  fruit  becomes  ripe, 
and  it  is  five  inches  in  length,  of  a rich 
rose  color,  with  thirty  or  more  seeds. 
It  is  found  as  high  as  the  northern  coun- 
ties of  New  York,  and  with  the  M. 
grandiflora  on  the  alluvial  grounds  of 
Georgia.  Since  its  introduction  into 
England  in  1752,  it  has  been  extended 
in  Europe,  and  is  said  to  be  the  most 
common  of  the  magnolias  on  the  conti- 
nent. It  requires  a sheltered  and  shady 
position.  It  is  best  propagated  from 
seeds,  which  must  be  planted  very  soon 
after  they  fall.  It  is  short-lived,  and  its 
wood  is  of  no  use ; but  it  is  one  of  the 
most  ornamental  trees. 

The  Large-leaved  Magnolia  ( M.  ma- 
crofylla ) has  very  large  deciduous  leaves, 
oblong-ovate,  of  about  the  same  size  as 
the  preceding,  but  much  more  rare. 
The  bark  is  smooth  and  white,  by  which 
it  is  easily  known  in  the  winter.  The 
leaves  are  not  less  than  thirty-five  inches 
long  in  the  forests,  slender  and  pointed, 
and  of  a light  green.  In  May,  June, 
and  July,  it  puts  forth  large  flowers, 
sometimes  eight  or  nine  inches  in  diam- 
eter, with  a purple  spot  in  the  centre, 
and  a rich  odor.  The  fruit  nearly  re- 
sembles that  of  the  preceding  variety. 

This  plant  was  discovered  by  the  elder 
Micliaux  in  1789,  and  first  sent  to  Eu- 
rope in  1800.  The  largest  individual 
in  England  is  at  Arley  Hall,  which,  in 
1837,  was  twenty-eight  and  a half  feet 
high.  It  is  raised  from  seeds  with 
greater  facility  and  certainty  than  in  any 
other  way. 

The  Pointed-leaved  Magnolia  ( M.  acu- 
minata), called  the  cucumber-tree  in 
this  country,  and  the  blue  magnolia  in 
England,  grows  most  abundantly  on  the 
rivers  of  upper  Georgia  and  western 
South  Carolina.  This  is  one  of  the  no- 
blest of  our  forest-trees,  growing  to  the 
height  of  sixty  feet,  and  in  May,  adorn- 
ed with  bluish  or  yellowish  white  flow- 
ers, five  or  six  inches  broad,  with  a del- 
icate odor.  It  is  called  the  cucumber- 
tree,  from  the  resemblance  of  its  fruit  or 
seed-vessel  to  cucumbers  when  green. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  this  spe- 
cies, chiefly  distinguished  by  the  shape 


■■■■  ~"1 

426  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ALABAMA. 

of  the  leaf.  Of  these  the  principal  is 
the  heart-leaved  cucumber-tree.  It  was 
introduced  into  England  in  1801.  It 
attains  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet, 
and  bears  leaves  from  four  to  six  inches  in 
length,  and  from  three  to  five  in  breadth. 
It  blooms  in  April,  and  the  flowers  are 
yellow,  streaked  with  reddish  within, 
and  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter. 

The  acuminate  magnolia  grows  as  far 
north  as  Niagara,  and  abounds  in  the 
Cumberland  mountains.  It  was  discov- 
ered in  1736,  by  John  Bartram,  sent  to 
England  to  Peter  Collingson,  and  soon 
propagated  in  Europe  by  layers.  Trees 
of  large  size  are  now  numerous  in  Eng- 
land, France,  and  northern  Italy,  forty 
and  sixty  feet  in  height,  which  bloom 
abundantly.  In  the  old  Bartram  botan- 
ic garden,  near  Philadelphia,  is  one 
eighty  feet  high,  and  three  feet  in  diam- 
eter, which  was  brought  from  Lake  Erie 
in  1753,  and  furnishes  most  of  the  seeds 
of  this  species  annually  sent  to  Europe. 
Moist  situations  on  declivities  or  narrow 
valleys  are  favorable  to  this  species. 

The  wood  is  remarkably  light  and 
chosen  for  canoes.  Where  it  abounds 
it  is  used  for  joiner- work. 

The  Ear-leaved  Magnolia  (M.  auri- 
colata ),  or  longleaved  cucumber-tree,  is 
also  known  in  some  parts  of  the  United 
States  by  the  name  of  Indian  physic  and 
washoo.  The  leaves  are  deciduous 

and  smooth,  spatulately  obovate,  cordate 
at  the  base,  with  blunt  approximate  au- 
ricles. It  grows  to  the  height  of  thirty 
or  forty  feet,  straight,  with  wide  branch- 
es pointing  upward.  . The  leaves  are 
eight  or  nine  inches  in  length,  four  or 
six  wide,  and  of  a light  green ; and,  on 
young  trees,  often  much  larger.  There 
is  a round  lobe  on  each  side  of  the  peti- 
ole. The  footstalks  are  short  and  radi- 
ating, which  gives  the  clusters  of  leaves 
the  form  of  an  umbrella.  It  flowers  in 
April  and  May,  and  the  petals  are  white. 
It  is  found  on  a portion  of  the  Allegany 
range,  in  North  Carolina;  and  a variety 
of  it  in  the  western  parts  of  Georgia 
and  Carolina.  The  bark  is  infused  in 
spirits  for  a sudorific  in  fevers. 

The  Conspicuous-leaved  Magnolia  is  a 
Chinese  tree,  and  the  Purple-Flowered 
Magnolia  is  a native  of  Japan;  and 

neither  of  them  has  been  extensively 
introduced  into  the  United  States. 

The  Magnolia  Crrandijlora , or  large- 
leaved  magnolia,  we  have  yet  to  notice, 
and  this  is  the  most  splendid  species  of 
the  kind,  the  most  admired  and  the  most 
cultivated.  It  is  known  by  several  oth- 
er names  in  different  parts  of  this  coun- 
try : as  the  laurel-leaved  and  large  flow- 
ering evergreen  magnolia,  bay-tree,  lau- 
rel-bay, and  big  laurel. 

It  is  an  evergreen,  with  oval-oblong 
leaves,  shining  on  their  upper  surface, 
and  rusty  beneath.  The  flowers  are 
erect,  with  from  nine  to  twelve  petals, 
expanding.  “ Of  all  the  trees  of  North 
America,”  says  Browne,  “the  large- 
leaved  magnolia  is  the  most  remarkable 
for  the  majesty  of  its  form,  the  magnifi- 
cence of  its  foliage,  and  the  beauty  of 
its  flowers.  It  claims  a place  among 
the  largest  trees  of  the  forest,  varying 
from  one  hundred  feet  and  upward  in 
height,  and  from  two  to  three  in  diame- 
ter. Its  head  often  forms  a perfect 
cone,  placed  on  a clean,  straight  trunk, 
resembling  a beautiful  column ; and, 
from  its  dark  green  foliage,  silvered  over 
with  milk-white  flowers,  it  is  seen  at  a 
great  distance.” 

The  leaves  are  from  half  a foot  to  a 
foot  in  length,  and  three  or  four  inches 
broad,  smooth  and  polished,  and  vary- 
ing considerably  in  form,  being  oblong, 
oval,  acuminate,  &c.,  &c.  In  our  south- 
ern states,  the  flowers  appear  in  April 
or  May,  but  in  the  north,  as  in  England 
and  France,  in  June  or  July  ; and  some 
of  the  varieties  continue  in  blossom  un- 
til the  frost.  In  the  size  of  the  flowers, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  entire  plant,  this 
splendid  species  excels  its  congeners  : 
their  diameter  being  from  six  to  ten  inch- 
ves.  The  length  of  the  flowering  season, 
is  another  very  great  advantage  : most 
of  the  other  species  of  magnolia  giving 
out  their  floweis  at  once,  and  soon  drop- 
ping them.  In  autumn,  when  the  seed- 
vessels  are  left  bare,  they  exhibit  a beau- 
tiful and  delicate  appearance,  being  con- 
ical, and,  when  they  open,  dropping  out 
a few  seeds,  which  remain  for  several 
days  hanging  by  slender  filaments.  Be- 
ing of  a blood-red  color,  they  make  a 
very  rich  and  striking  display. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Peculiar  attention  has  been  directed 
to  the  M.  magniflora  by  foreign  garden- 
ers, and  numerous  varieties  have  been 
produced,  which  have  been  regarded  by 
some  as  distinct  races.  Among  these 
are  distinguished  the  obovate,  round- 
leaved, Exmouth,  rusty-leaved,  lanceo- 
late-leaved, elliptic-leaved,  &c. 

The  native  regions  of  the  splendid 
tree  is  comprised  within  the  maritime 
districts  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama,  and  Louisiana  ; and 
up  the  Mississippi  to  Natchez,  extend- 
ing a little  way  into  North  Carolina  and 
Texas  on  the  Brazos.  It  was  introdu- 
ced into  France  in  1732,  but  not  extend- 
ed until  after  1760.  It  was  admired  by 
the  Indians,  who  used  the  bark  of  the 
roots,  mixed  with  snakeroot,  in  fevers. 

The  propagation  of  this  noble  and  el- 
egant tree  may  well  excite  particular  in- 
terest in  Alabama,  as  well  as  in  other 
of  our  southern  regions,  to  which  the 
soil  and  climate  adapt  it.  As  twenty  or 
thirty  years’  growth  is  necessary  to 
bring  one  of  the  plants  from  the  seed  to 
the  first  flowering  season,  that  manner 
of  propagation  should  never  be  resorted 
to,  for  purposes  of  ornament.  If  layers 
are  resorted  to,  they  must  remain  two 
years  before  they  are  ready  to  be  potted. 
Care  is  required,  in  transplanting  them, 
to  place  the  earth  well  about  the  roots, 
and  to  keep  it  well  shaded  for  several 
weeks.  The  Exmouth  varieties  some- 
times bears  flowers  the  second  year, 
with  great  care. 

Among  the  objects  worthy  of  the  at- 
tention of  men  of  taste  and  public  spir- 
it in  Alabama,  and  our  other  new  states, 
is  the  planting  of  shade-trees  in  the 
towns  and  villages : among  which  the 
magnolias  hold  a prominent  place,  espe- 
cially the  grandiflora. 

Natural  Bridge  in  Alabama. — The 
Natural  Bridge  over  Cedar  creek,  near 
Lexington,  in  Virginia,  has  been  noticed 
at  length  on  a previous  page,  in  our 
description  of  the  beautiful  scenery  of 
that  state.  Alabama,  too,  possesses  a 
“natural  bridge,”  which  is  spoken  of  as 
rivalling  the  far-famed  one  of  Virginia. 
Professor  Tourney  of  Alabama,  state 
geologist,  and  an  associate,  have  recently 
been  traversing  that  state,  investigating 


STATE  OF  ALABAMA.  427 


its  geological  character.  While  their  at- 
tention was  attracted  to  many  natural 
wonders  in  the  more  mountainous  le- 
gions, the  most  conspicuous  among  them 
was  the  “natural  bridge”  which  they  de- 
scribed as  follows : — 

“ It  is  situated  in  Walker  county, 
about  a mile  from  the  road,  and  on  the 
property  of  a man  by  the  name  of  West, 
but  yet  would  well  repay  a traveller  by 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery  for  deviating 
a little  from  his  regular  route.  It  oc- 
curs in  that  geological  deposite  termed 
the  millstone  grit,  the  lowest  one  in  the 
coal  measures — the  only  rock  which,  in 
Alabama,  exhibits  the  truly  wild  and 
romantic  grandeur  of  Nature.  Before 
reaching  it,  our  imaginations  had  been 
considerably  elevated  by  the  descriptions 
given  by  our  guide ; but,  notwithstand- 
ing, when  the  reality  broke  upon  us  in 
its  full  magnificence,  we  found  that  our 
expectations  fell  very  far  short  of  the 
truth.  This  grand  structure  of  the  Great 
Architect  spans  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet,  while  its  height  is  about 
seventy.  A smaller  bridge  connects  it 
with  the  bluff  beyond. 

“ The  symmetry  of  the  main  arch  will 
make  it  almost  indestructible,  though  of 
course  its  regularity  has  only  been  pro- 
duced by  the  undermining  and  breaking 
down  of  the  rock  which,  at  some  by- 
gone time,  existed  below  it.  The  cleav- 
age marks  of  the  massive  sandstone  of 
which  it  is  formed  cause  it,  even  in  the 
more  minute  construction,  to  resemble 
an  artificial  bridge,  as  these  lines  make 
it  appear  as  if  built  with  regularly- 
worked  blocks.  Beneath  it  are  many 
pieces  of  broken  and  partially  water- 
worn  rocks — materials,  as  it  were,  left 
by  the  builders ; and  these,  together 
with  the  mighty  escarpments  round 
about,  would  impart  a most  grand  as- 
pect, even  if  that  were  not  produced  by 
the  bridge  itself.  A little  spring  trickling 
from  between  these  broken  masses  make 
it  a frequent  resort  of  the  deer,  which 
abound  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
whose  numerous  footprints  on  the  soft 
soil  indicate  a favorite  lick.  Lofty  hem- 
locks and  beech  trees  growing  on  the 
bridge,  and  near  by,  shade  it  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun.” 


42.8 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 


This  state  is  bounded  north  by 
Tennessee,  east  by  Alabama,  south 
by  the  gulf  of  Mexico  and  Louis- 
iana, and  west  by  Louisiana  and 
Arkansas,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  the  Mississippi  river.  It  lies 
between  30°  8'  and  35°  north  lat- 
itude, and  10°  127  and  12°  42'  west 
longitude,  from  Washington.  Its 
entire  outline  measures  1 ,203  miles, 
of  which  large  portions  lie  along 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Tennessee. 
Extreme  length  from  noith  to  south, 
337  miles;  mean  breadth,  135  mile® ; 
area,  45,760  square  miles. 

gentle  declivity  in  the  east  part  of  the  state  toward  the  Tombigbee 
river;  but  the  grand  general  slope  is  toward  the  Mississippi,  having  abrupt  bluffs 
at  a considerable  distance  from  the  bank,  and  leaving  a wide,  low  tract  of  land 
between  them,  which  is  subject  to  inundations.  That  part  of  the  state  is  crossed 
by  the  following  streams,  Which  are  small  tributaries  of  the  great  river  of  North 
America,  viz. : Yazoo,  Big  Black,  Bayou,  Pierre,  and  Homochitto.  Pearl  river, 
a considerable  stream,  has  its  source  in  the  central  part  of  the  state  ; and  flowing 
south-southwest,  nearly  parallel  with  the  Big  Black,  for  a distance  of  eighty  miles, 
then  turns  south-southeast,  runs  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  empties  ’nto  he 
Rigolets  between  Lake  Pontchartrain  and  Boyne. 

The  soil  of  the  state  is  generally  thin,  but  in  some  places  very  rich,  especially 
on  the  narrow  border  of  lowlands  along  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  above  men- 
tioned. Cotton,  indigo,  and  tobacco,  flourish  so  well,  that  they  have  been,  in 
turns,  the  staple  productions.  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  and  various  other  uselui 
plants,  are  also  cultivated  with  great  success. 


There  is  a 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Among  fruits,  peaches  and  figs  are  the 
most  abundant ; but  the  climate  is  favor- 
able to  almost  every  kind  except  those 
confined  to  the  tropics.  The  indigenous 
trees  most  abundant  are  the  pine,  oak 
of  different  varieties  and  species,  hic- 
kory, sweetgum,  liriodendron,  tulip-tree, 
beech,  persimmon,  blackwalnut,  black- 
locust,  boneylocust,  redmaple,  dogwood, 
chinquipin,  spicewood,  papau,  &c.  The 
great  reedcane  ( arundo  gigantea)  for- 
merly abounded  in  the  low  grounds ; but 
it  has  been  nearly  rooted  out. 

The  temperature  at  Natchez  is  varia- 
ble, and,  although  usually  mild  in  win- 
ter, has  sometimes  been  as  cold  as  twelve 
degrees,  Fahrenheit,  above  zero.  F rost 
is  always  experienced  there,  in  some 
degree,  in  the  course  of  the  cold  season, 
and  snow  is  occasionally  seen  ; so  that 
it  is  not  surprising  that  neither  sugar- 
cane nor  orange-trees  are  to  be  found 
above  thirty-one  degrees  of  latitude. 
The  climate  is  about  two  degrees  colder 
than  on  the  Atlantic.  In  summer,  heats 
and  drought  are  often  unintermitted  for 
a long  period.  The  state  is  generally 
healthy,  although  intermittent  fevers  are 
common  along  the  banks  of  some  of  the 
streams.  The  prevailing  winds,  as  in 
the  southwestern  states  generally,  are 
westerly,  and  chiefly  from  the  north- 
west. 

The  first  settlement  made  in  this  state 
by  Europeans  was  by  the  French  at 
Natchez  in  1716,  when  a fort  was  built 
by  permission  of  the  Indians,  a power- 
ful tribe,  who  inhabited  the  bluff.  In 
1723  the  foreigners  were  involved  in  a 
war  with  the  natives,  which  was  ter- 
minated by  a body  of  French  troops 
marched  from  New  Orleans  by  Governor 
Bienville,  who  were  too  powerful  to  be 
resisted  by  the  savages,  and  they  sub- 
mitted. 

In  .1729,  the  French  having  become 
very  numerous  at  Natchez,  the  com- 
mandant (Choteau),  by  ill-treating  the 
Indians,  excited  them  to  revenge ; and 
by  a sudden  attack,  while  the  garrison 
were  secure  and  unprepared,  they  cut 
off  about  seven  hundred  persons,  of 
both  sexes,  leaving  alive  scarcely  enough 
to  carry  the  news.  The  Indians,  how- 
ever, were  soon  driven  from  their  homes 


STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI.  429 


by  the  fear  of  their  powerful  enemies  ; 
and  as  the  French  made  no  further  at- 
tempt to  occupy  the  place,  it  was  left 
desolate  until  the  year  1763,  when  it  was 
ceded  to  Great  Britain.  From  that  time 
a few  respectable  settlers  arrived  from 
Europe,  New  England,  and  elsewhere: 
but  the  events  which  took  place  for  some 
years  subsequently  were  very  unfavor- 
able to  the  populating  of  the  country. 

The  fort  at  Natchez  was  taken  sev- 
eral times  by  the  Spaniards,  English,  and 
Americans.  In  1781,  Governor  Galvey, 
of  Louisiana,  conquered  Florida,  and  by 
the  treaty  of  Paris  it  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1798,  congress, 
by  an  act,  authorized  the  president  of 
the  United  States  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners to  adjust  the  claims  between 
Florida,  Louisiana,  and  the  acquired  ter- 
ritory north  of  latitude  thirty-one  de- 
grees and  west  of  Chatahoochee  river; 
and  on  the  10th  of  that  month  made 
provision  for  a territorial  government. 
A territory  was  therefore  formed,  and 
named  Mississippi  territory,  which  in- 
cluded, not  only  the  present  state  of 
Mississippi,  but  also  that  of  Alabama. 
An  act  of  congress  was  passed  on  the 
9th  of  July,  1808,  admitting  a delegate 
from  Mississippi;  and  on  the  17th  of 
June  the  assent  of  Georgia  was  de- 
manded to  the  formation  of  two  states 
out  of  Mississippi  territory.  But,  al- 
though the  demand  was  acceded  to,  it 
was  not  until  December,  1817,  that  any 
change  was  made.  A petition  had  been 
presented  on  the  21st  of  January,  1815, 
from  the  Mississippi  legislature,  praying 
that  a state  might  be  constituted.  A 
favorable  report  on  this  petition  was 
made  in  December,  1816;  and  by  an 
act  passed  March  1st,  1817,  the  people 
were  authorized  to  hold  a convention, 
which  assembled  in  July  following.  A 
constitution  having  been  drawn  up,  it 
was  adopted  August  15th,  and  was  con- 
firmed by  congress  in  December  fol- 
lowing. 

The  government  consists  of  a gov- 
ernor, and  a general  assembly  of  two 
houses  (a  senate  and  a house  of  repre- 
sentatives). To  be  a candidate  for  the 
senate,  a man  must  be  twenty-six  years 


430  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 


of  age,  a citizen  of  the  United  States, 
for  four  years  previously  an  inhabitant 
of  the  state,  and  one  year  an  inhabitant 
of  his  district ; he  must  hold,  in  his  own 
right,  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Mississippi,  or  an  interest  in  real  estate 
of  one  thousand  dollars’  value,  at  the 
time  of  election  and  for  six  months  pre- 
viously. Senators  are  elected  for  three 
years.  To  be  candidate  for  a seat  as  a 
representative,  citizenship  of  the  United 
States  is  required  ; two  years’  residence 
in  the  state,  and  one  year’s  residence  in 
the  county,  city,  or  town  of  which  he  is 
candidate  ; an  age  of  twenty-one  years  ; 
and  the  ownership  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  land,  or  five  hundred  dol- 
lars in  real  estate  for  six  months. 

Voters  must  be  free  white  citizens  of 
the  United  States  ; twenty-one  years  of 
age;  residents  of  the  state  for  the  last 
year,  and  of  their  district  for  the  last 
six  months ; enrolled  in  the  militia,  or 
exempts ; or  have  paid  a state  or  county 
tax. 

The  governor  is  elected  by  electors, 
and  holds  his  office  two  years,  and  until 
his  successor  shall  be  duly  qualified. 
He  must  be  thirty  years  of  age  ; twenty 
years  a citizen  of  the  United  States  ; a 
resident  of  the  state  five  years  ; and  the 
owner  of  two  thousand  dollars  for  the 
past  year. 

There  is  a supreme  court,  and  from 
four  to  eight  judges  of  the  supreme  and 
superior  courts,  who  hold  office  during 
good  behavior,  but  may  be  removed  by 
address  to  the  governor  of  two  thirds 
of  both  houses  of  the  legislature,  or  by 
impeachment  by  the  house  before  the 
senate.  The  age  of  sixty-five  limits  the 
term  of  judgeship.  The  sixth  article 
of  the  seventh  section  of  the  constitution 
forbids  any  minister  of  the  gospel  or 
priest  to  hold  the  offices  of  governor, 
lieutenant-governor,  or  a place  in  the 
legislature.  No  officers  of  the  United 
States,  except  postmasters,  are  admitted 
to  offices  in  the  state. 

The  geology  of  the  western  border  of 
Mississippi  has  some  most  remarkable 
features.  The  land  on  the  bank  of  the 
great  river  appears  to  have  undergone 
wonderful  revolutions ; and  recent  in- 
vestigations in  the  vicinity  of  Natchez 


have  brought  to  light  curiosities  of  the 
most  interesting  nature. 

On  the  shore,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff, 
are  strewn  great  numbers  of  tubes,  re- 
sembling, at  first  sight,  the  bodies  of 
old  trees,  formed  of  iron  ore,  and  filled 
with  earth,  and  which  appear  to  have 
fallen  from  the  bank.  The  remains  of 
numerous  kinds  of  extinct  animals  are 
contained  in  the  ground  at  different 
depths ; while  on  the  present  surface  a 
mound  has  been  opened,  which  contains 
bones  and  implements  of  men  of  a race 
anterior  to  the  present  red  men ; and  , 
trees  of  great  age  were  growing  over 
the  spot. 

Population. — According  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1850  the  population  of  Mississippi 
was  605,488,  by  counties,  as  follows  : — 

Northern  District . — Attila,  10,999; 
Bolivar,  2,577  ; Carroll,  18,485  ; Chick- 
asaw, 16,368;  Choctaw,  11,403;  Coa- 
homa, 2,780 ; He  Soto,  18,052 ; Ita- 
wamba, 13,311;  La  Fayette,  14,069; 
Lowndes,  19,547 ; Marshall,  29,690  ; 
Monroe,  21,131  ; Noxubee,  16,257 ; 
Oktibbeha,  9,171 ; Panola,  11,459  ; Pon- 
totoc, 17,112;  Sunflower,  1,060;  Tal- 
lahatchee,  4,643 ; Tippah,  20,740  ; Tish- 
omingo, 15,148;  Tunica,  1,314;  V' ins- 
ton,  7,986;  Yallabusha,  17,260.  Total, 
300,561 ; of  which  number  133,672  were 
slaves. 

Southern  District. — Adams,  18,621; 
Amite,  9,624;  Claiborne,  14,903  ; Clarke, 
5,477  ; Copiah,  11,710  ; Covington,  3,348, 
Franklin,  5,904;  Green,  2,018;  Han- 
cock, 3,672  ; Harrison,  4,875  ; Hinds, 
25,310  ; Holmes,  13,930  ; Issaquena, 
4,478;  Jackson,  3,196;  Jasper,  6,174; 
Jefferson,  13,393  ; Jones,  2,135  ; Kem- 
per, 12,517  ; Lauderdale,  8, 70S  ; Law- 
rence, 6,4S54;  Leake,  5,535;  Madison, 
18,173;  Marion,  4,410;  Neshoba,  4,560; 
Newton,  4,466 ; Perry,  2,438  ; Pike, 
7,357;  Rankin,  7,227;  Scott,  3,979; 
Simpson,  4,735  ; Smith,  4,071  ; War- 
ren, 19,998 ; Washington,  8,389  ; Wayne, 
2,892;  Wilkinson,  16,638  ; Yazoo,  13,- 
582.  Total,  304,927,  of  which  174,495 
were  slaves. 

Natchez,  the  principal  town,  is  ad- 
vantageously situated  on  the  summit  and 
side  of  a high  bluff,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  Mississippi  river,  three  hundred  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI.  431 


one  miles  from  New  Orleans  by  the 
river  ; about  five  hundred  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  and  one  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-six  from  Washington  city. 

The  soil  is  rich,  and  the  climate  de- 
lightful in  the  winter.  The  vicinity  is 
adorned  with  many  fine  residences,  where 
elegant  houses  are  seen  embosomed  in 
luxuriant  groves,  amid  a wonderful  pro- 
fusion of  flowers  and  fruits.  The  streets, 
which  are  straight  and  regularly  laid  out, 
are  chiefly  on  the  high  ground,  which  is 
elevated  from  a hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  river.  The 
nature  of  the  soil,  however,  is  unfavor- 
able for  the  situation  of  a town,  as  a 
loose  sandstone-rock,  which  lies  so  low 
as  to  be  observable  only  at  low  water, 
is  the  only  substratum  of  a high  bluff 
composed  of  clay,  intermingled  in  some 
parts  with  sand.  Violent  rains,  there- 
fore, sometimes  form  large  cavities  in 
the  surface,  which  is  irregular  and  often 
changing.  A large  part  of  the  lower 
town  was  destroyed  a few  years  ago,  by 
the  falling  of  the  bank  near  the  water. 

The  houses  are  generally  of  wood,  and 
many  of  them  are  constructed  with  taste, 
and  adorned  with  trees  and  gardens. 
There  are  four  churches,  a courthouse, 
three  banks,  an  academy,  a female  sem- 
inary, a masonic-hall,  theatre,  orphan 
asylum,  hospital,  &c.  The  population, 
at  the  present  time,  probably  exceeds 
five  thousand. 

The  wharves  are  the  scene  of  active 
business,  as  an  extensive  trade  is  carried 
on  in  cotton,  which  is  produced  in  great 
quantities  in  the  neighborhood  ; and  nu- 
merous boats,  rafts,  and  steamboats,  lie 
or  touch  at  the  wharves.  The  situation 
of  the  town,  on  a prominent  elevation, 
distinguishes  it  as  the  principal  place  on 
this  part  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the 
banks  are  generally  low,  and  almost  in- 
visible from  the  waters.  It  was  as  much 
distinguished  in  former  times  as  at  the 
present  day,  having  been  the  residence 
of  the  most  powerful  Indian  tribe  in  this 
region,  whose  chief,  denominated  the 
Great  Sun,  was  undisputed  ruler  over 
the  surrounding  country,  which  he  over- 
looked from  his  lofty  fort  on  the  summit 
of  the  bluff.  This  was  the  chief  who 
permitted  the  French  to  erect  Fort 


Rosalie  on  that  eminence,  but  afterward 
massacred  the  garrison. 

Steamboats  arrive  daily  from  New 
Orleans,  and  others  depart  for  that  im- 
portant city  ; and  a similar  communica- 
tion is  kept  up  with  St.  Louis,  Cincin- 
nati, arid  the  other  principal  places  above, 
on  the  mighty  river  and  some  of  its 
branches.  Stagecoaches  depart  three 
times  a week  for  Jackson  and  for  St. 
Francisville,  Louisiana. 

The  Mississippi  Railroad  leads  to 
Washington,  sixteen  miles,  and  Mal- 
colm, fourteen  miles  beyond. 

The  distance  from  Natchez  to  New 
Orleans  by  land  is  only  two  hundred 
and  eleven  miles.  The  route  is  first  by 
stagecoach  to  Coldspring,  twenty  miles, 
and  Woodville,  fifteen  miles  ; thence  by 
railroad  to  Laurel  hill,  eleven  miles,  and 
St.  Francisville,  seventeen  miles.  The 
route  then  passes  Port  Hudson,  Baton 
Rouge,  Manchac,  Iberville,  New  River, 
Donaldsville,  Bringier’s,  Bonnet  Carre, 
and  Lafayette,  two  miles  from  New 
Orleans.  From  Natchez  to  Cincinnati 
(Ohio)  the  land-route  is  first  by  the  rail- 
road to  Washington  and  Malcolm,  then 
by  stagecoaches  through  Gallatin,  Jack- 
son,  Springfield,  Louisville,  Choctaw 
Agency,  Columbus,  Florence,  and  Nash- 
ville, to  Cincinnati,  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  miles. 

Some  of  the  most  remarkable  features 
of  the  Mississippi  river — the  greatest 
stream  of  North  America,  and  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  world — are  most  easily 
observable  from  the  elevated  position 
which  Natchez  affords  to  the  spectator. 
The  tortuous  course  which  it  pursues, 
through  a considerable  part  of  its  length, 
causes  numerous  eddies,  one  of  the 
largest  of  which  is  in  this  vicinity.  These 
eddies,  when  known  and  properly  used 
by  pilots,  afford  important  facilities  to 
vessels  passing  up  the  stream,  as  in  some 
places  they  run  northward  for  a consid- 
erable distance,  at  the  rate  of  one,  two, 
or  more  miles  an  hour.  When  not 
known,  or  when  the  navigator  is  de- 
ceived by  the  weather,  they  sometimes 
cause  great  embarrassment  and  loss  of 
time.  Some  years  ago,  a flat-bottomed 
boat  was  passing  down  the  river,  with  a 
load  of  produce  for  New  Orleans,  when 


432  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 


the  boatmen  heard  music  at  night  on  the 
neighboring  shore.  The  air  was  then  so 
misty,  that  it  was  impossible  to  distin- 
guish distant  objects  ; and  they  floated 
on  for  some  time,  until  their  ears  were 
again  greeted  with  a similar  sound.  At 
about  an  equal  interval,  music  was  again 
heard  ; and  they  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  bank  were 
celebrating  some  general  festival,  pre- 
suming that  they  were  passing  one  vil- 
lage, or  hamlet,  after  another.  Thus 
they  continued  to  move  on  through  a 
great  part  of  the  night,  and  judged  they 
were  making  rapid  progress  on  their 
voyage.  Morning,  however,  at  length 
dispelled  the  mists  and  their  delusion. 
They  found  themselves  in  the  great  ed- 
dy, which  has  a regular  sweep  of  about 
five  miles  at  a particular  stage  of  the 
water ; and  they  had  been  floating  round 
and  round  its  wide  circle  for  several 
hours,  passing  a solitary  house,  then  dis- 
tinguishable on  the  shore,  where  a small 
party  had  spent  the  time  in  mirth  and 
music. 

The  looseness  of  the  earth  along  the 
banks,  and  the  low  level  of  land  in  most 
places,  give  occasion  to  some  surprising 
phenomena.  The  channels  are  contin- 
nually  liable  to  changes,  as  the  current 
is  strong  enough  to  wear  away  the  earth 
in  any  direction  to  which  it  may  be 
turned,  either  by  an  obstruction  or  the 
removal  of  an  obstacle.  The  earth  thus 
torn  away  in  one  place  is  deposited  in 
another,  together  with  some  of  the  par- 
ticles brought  down  from  the  upper  parts 
of  the  stream,  or  its  branches,  in  the  an- 
nual floods.  A bank  undermined  soon 
falls,  often  with  a mass  of  timber;  and 
trees  then  float  along,  until  stopped  by 
some  shoal,  or  entangled  at  the  bottom. 
These,  becoming  imbedded  by  the  rapid 
accumulation  of  sand,  often  stand  fixed 
for  years,  and,  if  allowed  to  remain,  ex- 
pose the  numerous  rafts  and  boats  to 
danger.  The  boatmen  designate  these 
obstructions  by  different  names,  accord- 
ing to  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
placed  in  the  ground.  A log  or  tree 
fixed  upright  in  the  bottom  of  the  river 
is  called  a planter;  one  pointing  up- 
ward in  a slanting  direction,  and  move- 
able  by  the  current,  is  called  a sawyer ; 


one  with  numerous  prongs  or  branches 
is  denominated  a snag.  Of  these  the 
planter  is  often  an  object  of  the  greatest 
dread,  when  wholly  sunken,  as  it  may 
penetrate  a boat’s  bottom  in  an  instant. 
A sawyer,  also,  is  very  dangerous;  for 
while  a boat  lies  against  it,  and  is  pressed 
upon  it  by  the  current,  the  motion  of  the 
water  keeps  the  end  of  the  log  alter- 
nately rising  and  sinking,  which  may 
quickly  cut  through  the  side  or  upper 
works,  and  cause  material  injury. 

Such,  however,  have  been  the  labor 
and  expense  devoted  by  the  United 
States  government,  for  years  past,  to  the 
clearing  of  the  channels  from  obstruc- 
tions, that  few  of  these  now  remain  in 
situations  where  they  are  likely  to  cause 
injury — though  new  changes,  of  course, 
require  new  care. 

Natchez  has  frequently  been  visited 
by  the  yellow-fever,  and  with  fatal  ef- 
fect ; for  although  the  state  generally  is 
far  morev healthful  than  Louisiana,  some 
parts  of  it  are  not  safe  from  this  scourge 
of  our  southern  regions,  and  this  its 
principal  town  has  suffered  most  se- 
verely. This  must  be  assigned  as  one 
of  the  principal  causes  of  the  slow  in- 
crease of  population.  The  neighboring 
low  ground,  much  of  which  is  inun- 
dated by  the  river,  must  be  the  principal 
source  of  the  contagion. 

Jackson,  the  capital,  is  situated  on 
Pearl  river,  on  a plain  about  a quarter 
of  a mile  from  its  left  bank,  and  is  ac- 
cessible in  small  vessels.  The  streets 
are  regular,  and  the  town  contains  seve- 
ral public  buildings  worthy  of  particular 
notice.  The  statehouse  is  a handsome 
edifice,  and  there  are  also  the  state-pen- 
itentiary, the  governor’s  house,  and  the 
United  States  land-office.  The  number 
of  inhabitants  in  1850  was  four  thousand 
five  hundred. 

Centennary  College , founded  in  1841, 
is  a methodist  institution,  and  has  a 
president,  five  professors,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy  students. 

A railroad  leads  to  Vicksburg,  and 
cars  arrive  and  depart  daily  ; and  stage- 
coaches go  to  Nashville  (Tennessee)  via 
Columbus  and  Florence  (Alabama),  and 
to  Gainesville.  Those  for  Natchez  go 
three  times  a week. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Grand  Gulf. — This  town  bears  the 
name  of  a remarkable  bend  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi, on  which  it  is  built,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  miles  above  New 
Orleans.  It  has  a townhall,  an  hospital, 
two  churches,  and  a theatre.  The  pop- 
ulation is  about  fifteen  hundred.  It  has  a 
daily  communication  with  New  Orleans 
by  steam. 

Washington. — This  town  has  apleas- 
ant  situation,  on  a gentle  elevation,  six 
miles  east  of  Natchez,  and  contains  a 
few  detached  but  neat  and  handsome 
dwellings.  It  has  two  churches,  and  is 
distinguished  as  the  site  of 

Washington  College. — This  institution 
was  founded  in  1802,  and  received  from 
congress  an  endowment  in  a grant  of 
land.  The  buildings  are  of  brick  ; and 
it  contains  a library  of  about  one  thou- 
sand volumes,  a chemical  apparatus,  a 
geological  collection,  and  specimens  of 
various  fossil  remains,  such  as  we  have 
before  referred  to  as  being  found  in  this 
vicinity. 

Ellicot’s  spring  is  a fine  source  of 
water  rising  on  the  college  grounds ; 
several  other  springs  in  this  neighbor- 
hood are  remarkable  for  their  excellent 
water. 

Port  Gibson. — This  is  a small  town 
on  Bayou  Pierre  ; it  is  eight  miles  from 
Grand  Gulf,  and  twenty-five  miles  from 
the  Mississippi  by  water.  It  has  three 
churches,  a courthouse,  an  academy,  and 
over  two  thousand  inhabitants. 

Vicksburg. — This  town  is  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, five  hundred  and  thirteen  miles 
from  New  Orleans  by  water,  and  is  quite 
flourishing,  though  of  recent  date.  It 
contains  a courthouse,  five  churches, 
three  academies,  and  a theatre,  with 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
surrounding  region  is  very  fertile,  and 
the  town  makes  a very  picturesque  ap- 
pearance, presenting  many  clusters  of 
dwellings,  scattered  along  the  declivity 
of  several  eminences,  just  below  the 
Walnut  hills.  Steamboats  from  New 
Orleans  arrive  and  depart  daily,  as  well 
as  from  St.  Louis  (Missouri). 

Yazoo  City. — This  town  stands  on 
Yazoo  river,  at  the  distance  of  four  hun- 
dred and  ninety-three  miles  from  New 
Orleans,  and  is  connected  with  it  by 


STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI.  433 


steamboats.  Stagecoaches  go  to  Holly 
Springs  three  times  a week.  The  pop- 
ulation is  only  about  eight  hundred,  but 
it  is  a place  of  considerable  business, 
and  contains  several  large  stores. 

Holly  Springs. — The  situation  of 
this  town  is  elevated,  on  the  summit  of 
a range  of  hills  near  the  headsprings  of 
Yazoo  river.  The  surrounding  country 
is  rich  and  pleasant.  The  number  of 
inhabitants  is  about  one  thousand  seven 
hundred,  and  the  town  contains  a court- 
house, an  academy,  and  three  churches. 
Stagecoaches  go  to  Memphis  every  day, 
and  depart  three  times  in  the  week  by 
several  routes  for  La  Grange,  Tuscum- 
bia  (Alabama),  Columbus,  Jackson,  Ya- 
zoo City,  and  Commerce. 

Columbus. — This  town  is  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  miles  distant  from 
the  seat  of  government,  on  a hill  on  the 
left  bank  of  Tombigbee  river,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  above  its  level. 
The  stream  is  crossed  by  a handsome 
bridge.  The  public  buildings  consist 
of  a courthouse,  an  academy,  two  banks, 
five  churches,  a market,  a theatre,  and 
a female  seminary.  The  population  is 
about  ten  thousand. 

Steamboats  run  from  Columbus  to 
Mobile,  and  stagecoaches  depart  every 
day  for  Jackson  and  Vicksburg,  as  well 
as  for  Nashville  (Tenn.),  through  Tus- 
cumbia,  and  three  times  a week  for 
Pontotoc,  Holly  Springs,  and  Memphis. 

The  inundations  of  the  low  grounds 
adjacent  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, are  among  the  most  striking 
phenomena  connected  with  it.  The  bed 
of  the  stream  is,  in  some  places,  much 
higher  than  the  level  of  the  adjacent 
fields,  and  whole  plantations  are  actu- 
ally below  the  surface  of  the  river.  The 
flood  begins  on  the  lower  branches  of 
the  Mississippi,,  some  time  before  the 
warm  season  is  sufficiently  advanced  to 
melt  the  deeper  snows  in  the  more 
distant  northerly  parts,  near  its  upper 
sources.  The  regions  from  which  the 
floods  are  derived  lie  between  latitude 
forty-two  and  fifty  degrees,  and  at  dif- 
ferent elevations  from  twelve  hundred 
to  five  thousand  feet  above  the  ocean. 
The  heat  of  summer  prevails  at  New 
Orleans  some  time  before  any  change 


28 


434  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 


of  elevation  is  made  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  by  the  water  derived  from  its  head 
streams.  About  the  end  of  February 
the  waters  begin  to  arrive  from  the 
lower  tributaries  which  flow  from  re- 
gions of  frost  and  snow.  By  gradual 
but  irregular  increase,  the  surface  con- 
tinues to  rise  from  the  end  of  that  month, 
when  the  Red  river  pours  in  its  early 
flood,  until  late  in  the  summer,  when  the 
last  surplus  waters  arrive  from  the  snows 
melted  long  before  on  the  elevated  sur- 
face near  the  northern  lakes. 

The  loneness  of  the  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, along  a great  part  of  the  west- 
ern border  of  this  state,  with  the  loose 
nature  of  the  alluvial  soil,  renders  it 
almost  impossible  to  erect  even  a single 
building  near  the  water’s  edge,  except  at 
particular  places,  many  of  which  are  at 
considerable  distances  from  each  other. 
Yet  along  this  part  of  the  river  it  is  pe- 
culiarly important  to  have  depositories 
of  wood  for  the  use  of  steamboats,  which 
consume  fuel  in  such  quantities  that  a 
full  supply  can  not  be  taken  in  at  the 
commencement  of  the  voyage.  So  great 
is  the  demand,  that,  in  spite  of  the  nu- 
merous obstacles  interposed  by  nature, 
wooding  stations,  as  they  are  called,  have 
been  established  in  considerable  num- 
bers, some  by  driving  piles  into  the  bank, 
and  laying  platforms  on  the  top,  elevated 
sufficiently  to  be  above  the  floods  ; and 
there  quantities  of  wood,  cut  for  the 
steamers’  furnaces,  are  piled,  and  small 
tenements  erected  barely  sufficient  for 
the  habitation  of  a few  persons,  and 
sometimes  designed  only  for  a single 
man.  These  are  the  only  stopping- 
places  for  steamboats  in  long  distances, 
where  towns  are  rare  ; and  only  here 
has  the  traveller  any  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve the  river’s  banks,  or  any  of  the 
productions  of  nature,  sometimes  so  at- 
tractive to  a naturalist. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  the  vignette 
at  the  head  of  this  description,  for  an 
accurate  representation  of  a Mississippi 
“ wooding  station  as  a view  of  it  will 
naturally  impress  the  mind  with  ideas 
of  the  great  loneliness  of  such  a retreat, 
especially  at  seasons  when  least  visited 
by  passing  boats ; and  with  those  of 
gloom  and  danger  during  the  inunda- 


tions, when  the  inhabitants  are  situated 
in  the  midst  of  a wide  expanse  of  water, 
with  an  irresistible  current  sweeping  |j 
along,  wearing  away  the  unstable  foun- 
dations of  their  fabric,  and  threatening 
to  scatter  its  parts  over  the  face  of  the 
waters,  leaving  them  no  ark  for  safety. 

Antiquities.  — Some  persons  have 
fancied  a resemblance  between  some  of 
the  remains  of  former  inhabitants  found 
in  the  western  mounds,  and  those  discov- 
ered in  the  pyramids,  catacombs,  and 
other  depositories  of  ancient  times  in 
the  old  world.  The  following  remarks 
on  the  subject  we  abbreviate  from  the 
remarks  of  Mr.  Squier,  who  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  examining  many 
of  the  remains  in  the  west : — 

“ There  are  many  coincidences  be- 
tween the  remains  of  antiquity  in  the  old 
and  new  worlds  ; but  coincidences  do 
not  necessarily  imply  community  of  or- 
igin, or  even  regular  or  accidental  inter- 
course. . . . The  wants  of  man,  his  hopes 
and  ambition,  have  always  and  every- 
where been  very  much  the  same,  and 
have,  almost  of  necessity,  resulted  in 

common  methods  of  gratification 

The  comparisons  which  I shall  make 
between  the  ancient  remains  of  our  own 
country  and  those  of  Egypt,  are  insti- 
tuted with  no  view  to  prove  an  identity 
of  origin,  but  as  a new  and  curious  il- 
lustration of  the  philosophical  axiom 
already  laid  down.  Upon  one  hand,  we 
have  the  monuments  of  a people  whose 
hieroglyphical  annals  are  now  resusci- 
tated by  the  Champollionists,  around 
whom  cluster  the  recollections  of  more 
than  five  thousand  years,  the  subject 
alike  of  sacred  and  profane  history; 
upon  the  other,  the  relics  of  a race  re- 
specting whom  the  voice  of  History  is 
mute,  and  whose  very  name  is  lost  to 
tradition  itself.  ....  The  pyramid  is  but 
a developed  mound,  marking  in  its  su- 
perior structure  only  a more  advanced 
stage  of  man’s  progress.  Many  of  the 
large  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  va'iley 
were  places  of  sepulture — not  for  the 
mass  of  the  people,  as  has  been  gener- 
rally  supposed,  but  for  chieftains;  and, 
like  the  pyramids,  had  sepulchral  cham- 
bers— not  lined  with  polished  granite  in 
massive  blocks,  but  built  of  timber  or 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


of  unhewn  stones.  As  in  the  pyramids, 
these  chambers  were  constructed  at  the 
base,  and  the  dead  body,  after  proper  en- 
velopment, deposited  within  them,  with 
its  ornaments  and  badges  of  power  and 
| authority.  The  great  mound  at  Grave 
' creek,  like  the  great  pyramid  of  Ghiza, 
had  two  chambers,  one  placed  thirty 
: feet  above  the  other — occupying,  indeed, 

, the  same  relative  positions  in  respect 
to  each  other  and  the  structure  in  which 
they  were  contained.  The  explanation 
of  the  circumstance  is  undoubtedly  the 
same  in  both  cases — the  upper  part  con- 
taining a subsequent  deposite,  perhaps 
the  son  or  successor  of  the  occupant  of 
the  lower  and  earlier  chamber.  . . . 

“ We  need  not  go  out  of  our  own 
country  to  mark  the  gradual  develop- 
ment of  the  mound  tombs.  As  we  go 
southward,  we  find  them  increasing  both 
in  size  and  regularity.  In  Louisiana, 

[ brick  enters  into  their  construction  ; and 
[ in  Mexico,  they  pass  into  the  regular 
pyramidal  form,  are  built  of  stone,  and 
rival  the  monuments  of  Egypt  in  size. 
The  large  pyramid  of  Teotihuacan  is 
not  less  than  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  feet  in  height,  with  a base  six  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  feet  square.  It  is 
built  of  stones  cemented  together,  and 
the  whole  was  originally  coated  with  a 
layer  of  pure  white  cement.  The  sec- 
ond pyramid,  which  has  been  most  thor- 
oughly investigated,  has  interior  cham- 
bers, communicating  with  the  exterior 
by  narrow  passages,  lined  with  brick. 
Surrounding  these,  as  the  tombs  cluster 
around  the  Memphite  pyramids,  are 
thousands  of  small  monuments,  which 
were  significantly  designated,  by  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  the  Micoatl,  or  Path 
of  the  Dead. 

“ The  mound-builders  used  copper 
axes,  identical  with  those  of  Egypt,  Pe- 
ru, and  Mexico.” 

Mr.  Squier  has  collected  several  cop- 
per axes  from  the  mounds,  in  contrast 
with  those  of  the  several  nations  above 
named,  between  which  it  was  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  distinguish.  He  also 
possesses  some  axes  of  flint  and  green 
stone  from  Denmark,  and  others  from 
the  mounds,  which  display  an  identity 
of  shape  and  workmanship  ; also,  some 


STATE  OF  MISSISSIPPI.  435 


copper  bracelets  from  the  mounds,  per- 
fect counterparts  of  some  in  Mr.  Glid- 
don’s  collection  from  Egypt;  also  some 
beads  of  blue  and  green  enamel  or  glass, 
the  production  of  one  of  the  western 
Indian  tribes  of  the  present  day,  hardly 
distinguishable  from  similar  Egyptian 
ornaments.  He  also  adverted  in  further 
illustration  to  the  subject  of  pottery. 

“ In  their  pottery,”  he  • continues, 
“we  also  observe  marked  resemblances, 
both  in  shape,  material,  and  finish.  In 
all  primitive  earthen  vessels  (found  only 
in  alluvial  countries  in  ancient  times), 
we  recognise  the  gourd  as  the  model  : 
the  vessel,  in  the  first  instance,  being 
formed  over  the  shell,  which  was  after- 
ward removed  by  fire.  Upon  this  natural 
suggestion — a hint  which  nature  every- 
where holds  out — man  has  improved 
in  his  course  of  development,  and  the 
elegant  vase  has  supplanted  the  gourd- 
shaped vessel  of  his  primitive  artisan- 
ship.  In  some  of  the  sculptures  found 
in  the  mounds,  we  have  singular,  but 
undoubtedly  entirely  accidental,  coinci- 
dences in  form  with  those  to  which  pe- 
culiar significance  was  attached  by/the 
Egyptians.  The  hawk  with  a human 
head,  sculptured  from  the  hardest  por- 
phyry, closely  resembles  the  symbolical 
representation  of  the  soul  which  appears 
sculptured  on  Egyptian  tombs.  The 
crane  in  the  attitude  of  striking  a fish, 
also  exquisitely  sculptured  in  porphyry, 
is  the  universal  hieroglyphical  symbol, 
signifying  to  fish,  fishing,  or  fisher.  . . 

“It  has  been  a very  favorite  theory 
to  derive  the  ancient  or  early  Americans, 
in  whole  or  part,  for  Egypt  and  Hin- 
dostan  ; and  an  equally  favorite  one  to 
transport  them  from  Palestine,  from 
Tartary,  and  even  from  the  north  of 
Europe!  Volumes  have  been  written 
in  support  of  these  theories,  and  the 
most  sweeping  conclusions  have  been 
advanced,  based  upon  coincidences  less 
striking  than  those  here  pointed  out.” 

In  relation  to  the  various  quadrupeds 
which  once  existed  in  this  region,  recent 
scientific  observations  have  brought  to 
light  evidences  more  definite  and  certain. 
The  mastodon,  mammoth,  &c.,  have  left 
their  bones  here  ; while  the  origin  of  the 
ancient  race  of  men  is  conjectural. 


436 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


This  state  is,  in  many  respects, 
the  most  peculiar  country  on  the 
globe.  Its  southern  border  rests 
upon  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  a vast  in- 
land sea,  in  latitude  below  twenty- 
nine  degrees  north;  its  northern 
boundary  reaches  to  thirty-three 
degrees ; its  eastern  boundary  is 
the  Pearl  river,  which  separates  it 
from  Alabama,  to  latitude  thirty- 
one  degrees,  when  the  great  Missis- 
sippi becomes  the  dividing  line  from 
the  state  that  receives  its  name; 
while  its  western  extremity  is  lim- 
ited by  the  Sabine. 

The  whole  southern  portion  of  this  state,  over  three  hundred  miles  in  length 
by  an  average  width  of  nearly  seventy-five  miles,  is  exclusively  an  alluvial  de- 
posite.  If  to  this  be  added  similar  deposites  on  the  great  river  and  its  tributaries 
above,  it  presents  a delta  of  comparatively  recent  formation,  far  surpassing  any 
other,  within  the  same  compass,  in  any  quarter  of  the  world.  Even  those  of  the 
Nile,  the  Euphrates,  and  every  other  large  river  except  the  Ganges,  are  incon- 
siderable formations  in  comparison  with  this  magnificent  encroachment  on  the 
ocean  bed.  And  still  the  struggle  is  onward  and  irresistible.  The  vast  body  of 
water  which  debouches  into  the  gulf  from  several  mouths,  has  its  rise  more  than 
five  thousand  miles  above,  by  the  course  of  the  stream  ; and  from  its  remotest 
source,  and  by  every  one  of  its  innumerable  branches,  it  is  bringing  down  the 
ancient  elevations,  and  spreading  them  over  the  tidewaters,  the  future  fruitful 
abode  of  civilized  man. 

Opposite  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  the  trunk  of  the  river  has  a breadth  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet,  with  an  average  depth  of  one  hundred,  through  which 


— — — — — 1 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA.  43? 


the  water  passes  with  a mean  velocity 
of  two  feet  per  second.  During  a flood, 
this  velocity  is  greatly  augmented,  and 
the  water  contains  about  a thousandth 
part  by  weight,  and  a two-thousandth 
part  by  bulk,  of  purely  earthy  matter, 
yielding  a daily  deposite  of  nearly  one 
million,  four  hundred  thousand  tons  ! 
The  effect  of  this  immense  floating  allu- 
vion is  seen  in  the  gradual  deposites 
and  elevation  of  the  lowlands  bordering 
the  principal  stream,  and  its  numerous 
bayous  and  collateral  branches,  the  ac- 
cretions on  the  levee  opposite  the  centre 
of  the  city  (which  have  extended  the 
bank  several  hundred  feet  within  a few 
years),  and  the  constant  and  rapid  ex- 
tension of  the  land  at  the  mouth.  The 
late  Judge  Martin  states  that  “the  old 
Balize,  a post  erected  by  the  French 
in  1724,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  was 
two  miles  above  it  in  1827.” 

Everywhere  on  the  banks  of  the  pass- 
ing stream  the  land  is  highest ; as  the 
water  charged  with  floating  matter  over- 
flows its  brim,  and  becomes  compara- 
tively stagnant,  allowing  a large  portion 
of  the  solid  material  to  subside,  while 
the  partially-purified  water  passes  on- 
ward through  other  channels  to  the  gulf. 
The  result  of  this  is  to  give  a higher 
arable  surface  for  some  distance  from 
the  banks,  while  that  portion  of  the  land 
remote  from  them  subsides  into  irre- 
claimable swamps,  and  frequently  nav- 
igable lakes  and  lagoons.  The  natural 
elevation  of  the  banks  is  not  yet  sufficient 
to  prevent  the  overflow  from  floods  ; and 
this  object  is  secured  by  artificial  levees, 
or  embankments,  on  both  sides,  which 
extend  in  a continuous  line  for  hundreds 
of  miles  on  the  main  stream  and  its  col- 
lateral channels.  The  slow  accumula- 
tion and  consequent  elevation  of  the 
surrounding  country  from  deposites, 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  going 
forward,  is  thus  arrested;  and  the  pres- 
ent low  swampy  surface  must  forever 
continue  unreclaimed,  till  embankments 
on  the  lower  sides,  and  the  artificial  re- 
moval of  the  waters,  bring  portions  of  it 
into  a condition  for  future  cultivation. 
Could  the  hand  of  civilization  and  mod- 
ern improvement  have  been  arrested  for 
a few  centuries  longer,  till  nature  had 


finished  what  she  has  so  auspiciously 
commenced,  large  additions,  and  in  a 
state  far  more  fitted  to  reward  their  ef- 
forts, would  have  been  subjected  to  their 
control. 

The  delta  of  the  Mississippi  is  similar 
in  its  character,  though  on  an  immeas- 
urably larger  scale,  to  that  formed  around 
and  below  the  junction  of  the  Alabama 
and  Tombigbee  rivers,  and  extending 
into  Mobile  bay.  Here  it  is  apparent 
that  the  waters  of  the  bay  once  extend- 
ed high  up  the  stream,  and  embraced 
what  are  now  the  low,  level  banks  on 
either  side.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Pearl,  Pascagoula,  and 
other  smaller  streams,  which  lie  between 
those  larger  rivers  ; and  we  are  thus  in- 
evitably forced  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  inner  channels  which  lie  within  the 
islands  stretching  from  Mobile  to  Lake 
Borgne,  inclusive  of  this,  and  Lakes 
Pontchartrain  and  Maurepas,  and  the 
innumerable  other  smaller  lakes  and 
bayous  which  intersect  the  whole  delta 
of  the  Mississippi,  have  been  rescued 
from  the  tidewaters  within  a recent  pe- 
riod. And  there  is  scarcely  a doubt 
that  this  former  arm  of  the  gulf  once 
extended  up  the  Yazoo,  the  Red  river, 
and  some  other  of  the  smaller  rivers,  all 
of  whose  banks  are  intersected  by  nu- 
merous channels,  through  which  the 
waters  flow  into  the  adjoining  streams, 
as  either  has  the  ascendency  from  recent 
floods  on  its  upper  branches.  These 
interlocking  with  each  other  in  every 
direction,  and  all  at  last  terminating  in 
the  gulf,  separate  the  entire  delta  into 
a perfect  network  of  islands.  The  land 
seldom  rises  beyond  a few  feet  above 
lowwater-mark,  and,  from  the  banks, 
gradually  subsides  into  the  swamps,  la- 
goons, and  lakes  in  the  rear.  The  lat- 
ter are  sometimes  deep,  but  are  usually 
shallow,  with  the  slightest  declination 
from  a level  as  they  recede  from  the 
shore ; while  the  shorter  and  more  di- 
rect channels,  through  which  the  water 
flows  to  the  gulf  with  fearful  rapidity  in 
times  of  floods,  are  generally  narrow 
and  of  immense  depth,  frequently  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  feet.  The  coast 
is  usually  a low  receding  line,  so  ob- 
scurely defined  as  to  leave  it  question- 


438  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 

able,  for  miles,  where  the  water  ends 
and  the  land  begins. 

The  condition  of  the  surface  clearly 
indicates  that  draining  is  the  first  and 
paramount  object  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  alluvial  land  of  Louisiana.  This 
has  accordingly  been  practised  to  an 
extent  far  beyond  anything  elsewhere  in 
the  United  States.  Large  ditches  run- 
ning from  the  banks  of  the  river  and 
bayous  to  the  swamps  in  the  rear,  inter- 
sected by  numerous  cross  excavations 
of  a less  depth,  effectually  drain  off  the 
surface-water. 

Geology. — The  following  is  an  inter- 
esting detail  of  observations,  made  du- 
ring an  experiment  of  boring  for  fresh 
water  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and 
six  feet  below  the  surface,  at  the  mouth 
of  Bayou  St.  John,  New  Orleans,  by 
the  superintendent  of  the  work  : — 

“ From  the  surface  to  18  feet,  vege- 
table mould,  wood,  &c.,  very  impure — 
so  much  so,  that,  although  in  the  month 
of  February,  the  smell  was  almost  in- 
supportable; from  18  to  28  feet,  blue 
clay  or  vegetable  mould,  but  not  so  im- 
pure as  the  first  18  feet ; 28  to  33,  sand, 
shells ; 33  to  40,  dark,  fine  sand,  free 
from  shells  ; 40  to  43,  sand,  clay,  shells, 
and  vegetable  matter,  but  a very  large 
portion  of  shells  ; 43  to  66,  blue  clay, 
sand,  and  shells,  but  mostly  clay — the 
last  10  feet,  clear  clay,  and  very  hard, 
dry,  and  adhesive,  the  strata  growing 
lighter  to  pale  yellow;  66  to  77,  fine, 
beautiful  yellow  sand,  containing  a large 
quantity  of  mica,  also  petrifactions  and 
indurated  clay — this  stratum  was  very 
strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  so 
much  so  as  to  render  the  water  offensive 
to  the  smell ; 77  to  87,  pale  clay,  vege- 
table mould,  and  sand,  very  compact  and 
hard  ; 87  to  118,  blue  clay  or  mould,  in- 
termixed with  some  sand;  118  to  119|, 
sand,  clay,  and  shells;  1 1 £> J to  137,  the 
same  strata  of  blue  clay  or  mould,  inter- 
mixed with  some  fine  sand,  the  color 
growing  a little  paler,  intermixed  toward 
the  bottom  with  many  shells. 

“ In  passing  this  stratum  from  120  to 
137  feet,  we  found  a great  number  of 
pieces  of  limestone ; in  some  parts  of  it 
we  found  it  difficult  to  get  our  tube 
down  to  them,  they  were  so  numerous ; 

in  fact,  the  whole  stratum  is  evidently 
rapidly  becoming  a limestone-rock.  137 
to  140,  sand,  very  fine,  of  a brown  color, 
containing  a large  portion  of  mica;  140 
to  145,  alternate  thin  strata  of  sand  and 
clay — the  clay  extremely  hard,  firm,  and 
beautiful,  when  fresh  not  unlike  choc- 
olate in  appearance;  145  to  171,  clay, 
or  mould,  of  a variety  of  colors,  inter- 
mixed with  some  sand,  likewise  a sub- 
stance much  resembling  fuller’s  earth. 
This  stratum  at  first  was  nearly  white. 
After  penetrating  it  about  two  feet,  it 
became  darker  and  extremely  hard  and 
compact,  also  very  adhesive,  and  capable 
of  being  cut  in  very  thin  pieces  with  a 
knife. 

“ In  this  stratum,  at  168  feet,  passed 
a few  inches  of  sand,  but  below  to  171 
feet,  the  stratum  the  same  again  ; 171 
to  184,  strata  same  as  above;  184  to 
192,  sand,  shells,  and  mould  : in  this 
stratum  we  found  shells  of  almost  every 
variety  found  in  this  vicinity  ; also,  what 
appeared  to  have  been  a whole  crab,  but 
broken  by  the  instrument  in  getting  it 
up  ; the  claws  were  very  perfect,  so  that 
the  joints  might  be  worked  by  the  fin- 
ger; also  a bone  of  about  two  inches  in 
length,  and  evidently  broken,  supposed 
to  be  a bone  of  a deer;  also  pieces  of 
wood,  in  a high  state  of  preservation, 
apparently  cypress.  192  to  194,  sand 
and  mould  intermixed,  two  inches  of 
sand  and  stones,  apparently  in  a rapid 
state  of  formation  ; 194  to  196,  mould 
and  sand,  very  hard,  of  a greenish  color  ; 
196  to  199,  alternate  strata  of  mould 
and  sand,  containing  many  stones,  ap- 
parently forming  rock  ; 199  to  201,  sand 
and  clay,  in  alternate  veins,  containing 
much  water  ; 201  to  202£,  clay  of  a light 
pale  color;  202|  to  203^,  clay  and  mould 
of  a dark  color,  very  hard  and  beauti- 
ful— the  division  in  the  color  was  very 
distinct ; 203^  to  206,  the  same  as  from 
201  to  202^. 

“ The  soil  alluded  to  called  clay,  is  in 
all  probability  a formation  of  vegetable 
and  mud  of  the  Mississippi.  I have 
found  that  when  dry  it  becomes  very 
light,  and  some  of  it  has  much  the  ap- 
pearance of  wood  or  other  vegetable 
substance.” 

New  Orleans  is  the  principal  city  of 
1 

I 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA.  439 

Louisiana,  and  great  commercial  em- 
porium of  the  southwest,  enjoying  ad- 
vantages possessed  by  few  cities  in  the 
world.  Indeed,  there  is  probably  no 
other  which  can  be  considered  equal  to 
it,  in  the  several  leading  points  of  being 
the  grand  mart  of  a river  so  extensive, 
with  so  many  navigable  branches,  flow- 
ing through  regions  of  fertility,  occu- 
pied and  fast  peopling  by  a race  pos- 
sessing all  the  arts  of  civilization,  and 
all  the  advantages  of  our  united,  free, 
and  powerful  government.  Under  the 
direction  of  modern  science  and  art,  the 
rapid  current  of  the  Mississippi  has 
been  rendered  eminently  subservient  to 
the  commerce  of  this  city ; for,  without 
steamboats,  the  immense  productions  of 
the  great  valley  would  still  have  been 
retarded,  in  their  way  to  their  only  nat- 
ural market,  by  the  dangers  of  the  de- 
scending navigation  and  the  difficulties 
and  delays  of  the  return.  It  is  scarcely 
twenty  years  since  the  corn,  hogs,  and 
other  articles,  annually  sent  to  New 
Orleans,  were  taken  down  in  arks  and 
on  rafts,  by  men  who  could  hope  to  ar- 
rive in  safety  only  by  incessant  watch- 
fulness and  frequent  labor,  among  the 
shoals  and  snags  of  the  river,  and  who 
had  no  resource  left  them,  after  reaching 
the  city,  than  to,  break  up  their  vessel 
(if  such  it  might  be  called),  sell  it  for 
lumber,  and  then  travel  home  on  foot. 

Cotton. — The  immense  cotton  trade 
of  the  United  States,  of  which  a large 
portion  is  carried  on  at  New  Orleans, 
has  so  important  relations  with  the 
manufactures,  commerce,  and  condition 
of  Europe,  and  is  liable  to  so  many  fluc- 
tuations, that  much  of  the  attention  of 
merchants  is  annually  turned  to  this  city. 
The  following  facts  will  assist  the  reader 
in  appreciating  the  present  importance 
of  our  great  emporium  of  the  west, 
though  its  prospects  are  so  great  as  to 
fill  the  mind  with  astonishment,  when 
we  look  forward  to  the  increase  of  pop- 
ulation, and  indulge  the  hope  that  divine 
Providence  will  perpetuate  our  Union, 
and  continue  our  national  prosperity. 

Europe  is  almost  entirely  dependent 
on  the  United  States  for  cotton,  although 
England  and  France  have  endeavored 
to  secure  supplies  from  other  sources. 

Formerly  North  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia formed  our  principal  depots  for 
American  cotton;  under  the  influence 
of  receding  prices,  these  states  had  to 
yield  to  the  greater  fertility  of  new  land, 
and  Georgia  became  the  largest  cotton- 
growing state  in  the  Union.  In  its  turn, 
however,  Georgia  has  declined  before 
the  productions  of  Mississippi ; and  the 
right  bank  of  the  Mississippi  liver  may, 
in  its  turn,  supply  that  production,  which 
the  cultivation  of  corn  and  sugar  may 
supersede,  if  proved  to  be  the  more  re- 
munerating crops.  There  is,  however, 
a limit  to  this.  So  far  as  we  know,  cot- 
ton can  only  be  grown,  to  any  extent,  in 
that  portion  of  the  United  States  known 
as  the  southwestern  states.  In  other 
countries,  the  cultivation  has  not  suc- 
ceeded to  the  desired  extent — a weak 
and  useless  fibre  being  the  result  of 
much  enterprise  and  capital.  But  what- 
ever be  the  amount  of  cotton  hereafter 
raised  in  Louisiana,  Alabama,  and  Missis- 
sippi, an  immense  annual  supply  of  prod- 
uce must  be  brought  to  New  Orleans.  . 

Civil  Divisions. — Louisiana  is  di- 
vided into  parishes,  after  the  old  French 
plan,  as  follows  : — 

Eastern  District. — Ascension,  Assump- 
tion, Baton  Rouge  (West  and  East),  Fe- 
liciana (West  and  East),  Iberville,  Jeffer- 
son, La  Fourche,  Livingston,  Orleans, 
Plaquemine,  Point  Coupee,  St.  Bernard, 

St.  Charles,  St.  Helena,  St.  James,  St. 
John  Baptist,  St.  Tammany,  Terra 
Bonne,  Washington. 

Western  District. — Avoyelles,  Bien- 
ville, Bossier,  Caddo,  Calcasieu,  Cald- 
well, Carroll,  Catahoula,  Claiborne, 
Concordia,  De  Soto,  Franklin,  Jack- 
son,  La  Fayette,  Madison,  Morehouse, 
Natchitoches,  Ouchita,  Rapides,  Sabine, 

St.  Landry,  St.  Martin,  St.  Mary,  Ten- 
sas, Union,  Vermillion. 

Population. — In  1785,  while  under 
the  government  of  Spain,  Louisiana  con- 
tained 27,283  inhabitants.  In  1810,  un- 
der the  government  of  the  United  States, 
it  had  75,556.  In  1820,  153,407;  in 
1830,  215,575;  in  1840,  352,411;  and 
by  the  census  of  1850,  500,762. 

Surface  and  State  of  the  Coun- 
try.— Three  quarters  of  the  whole  state 
is  said  to  be  destitute  of  everything  that 

440 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


might  be  called  a hill.  A hilly  range 
commences  at  Opelousas  and  extends 
toward  the  Sabine  river,  running  about 
equally  distant  between  that  stream  and 
Red  river.  Gradually  rising,  it  as- 
sumes at  length  the  aspect  of  mountains. 
Another  ridge  lies  between  Red  river 
and  the  Dudgemony.  The  whole  state, 
however,  with  small  exceptions,  may  be 
regarded  as  a succession  of  pine  woods 
with  a gently  rolling  surface,  prairies, 
alluvions,  swamps,  and  hickory  and  oak 
lands.  The  prairies,  in  many  places, 
present  the  peculiar  characteristics  of 
those  extensive  level  tracts  properly 
known  by  that  name  in  other  parts  of 
the  west  and  southwest,  being  unvaried 
even  by  a single  elevation,  and  in  sum- 
mer overgrown  with  a uniform  coat  of 
grass,  richly  besprinkled  with  flowers 
of  various  hues. 

Large  quantities  of  swampy  land  re- 
main unreclaimed,  which  is  of  a rich  soil, 
capable  of  yielding  abundant  crops  of 
sugarcane ; but  various  obstacles  still 
prevent  its  improvement.  Draining  is 
the  first  step  necessary  : but  the  back- 
wardness of  emigrants  in  choosing  the 
plains  of  Louisiana,  caused  partly  by  I 
the  fear  of  disease  and  partly  by  un- 
settled land-titles,  prevents  that  advance 
in  prosperity  which  could  be  desired. 
The  sickliness  of  the  climate  is  exag- 
gerated ; for,  although  the  yellow-fever 
has  often  been  fatal  in  some  parts  of  the 
country  as  well  as  in  New  Orleans,  the 
general  impression  at  a distance  doubt- 
less exceeds  the  reality  ; and  some  parts 
of  the  state  are  as  healthful  as  any  parts 
of  our  country.  This  is  particularly 
the  fact  with  the  pine  hills  ; and  that 
unwholesome  miasmata  of  the  lower, 
marshy  lands  would  doubtless  be  in  a 
great  degree  destroyed,  if  a good  sys- 
tem of  drainage  were  once  formed. 

Sugar-making. — The  making  of  sugar 
on  a large  scale,  in  this  state,  is  of  but 
recent  date  ; yet  it  already  forms  a most 
important  and  lucrative  branch  of  busi- 
ness, and  is  so  rapidly  increasing,  with 
so  great  improvements  in  the  different 
methods  and  processes,  that  it  threatens 
almost  to  absorb  the  attention,  labor,  and 
capital  of  the  state.  Science  was  early 
called  in,  and  practical  experience  was 


not  overlooked,  when  this  branch  of 
production  and  manufacture  was  first 
zealously  commenced  in  the  United 
States.  When  it  had  been  ascertained 
that  much  of  the  soil  of  Louisiana  was 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  cane,  and 
that  it  could  be  raised  with  great  pecu- 
niary advantage,  the  government  of  the 
United  States  had  the  judgment  to  em- 
ploy the  distinguished  chemist  Professor 
Silliman,  of  Yale  college,  to  examine 
the  subject  in  its  various  aspects  ; and 
his  report  presented  a most  valuable 
collection  of  facts,  for  the  guidance  of 
congress  in  making  regulations  for  the 
encouragement  of  the  business,  as  well 
as  of  the  agriculturists  and  manufac- 
turers entering  into  it. 

The  following  brief  description  of 
the  manufacturing  processes,  is  copied 
from  a series  of  letters  published  in  the 
New  York  Express,  in  June  and  July, 
1847 

“ In  the  northern  states  comparatively 
little  is  known  as  regards  either  the  cul- 
ture or  growth  of  the  cane,  or  the  many 
and  varied  principles  of  manufacturing 
its  rich  juice  into  sugar;  yet  we  may 
I anticipate  that  a more  perfect  knowledge 
of  this  branch  of  industry  will  soon  be 
apparent.  Texas  and  all  parts  south 
of  South  Carolina  are  adapted  to  the 
planting  of  cane,  and  for  several  reasons 
all  those  places  will  become  sugar-grow- 
ing districts.  Cotton-planting,  which 
used  to  be  prosecuted  with  such  vigor,  is 
now  gradually  dying  away  ; the  staple 
article,  sugar,  is  fast  usurping  its  place; 
the  cottonfield  is  changed  to  the  sugar- 
cane, and  the  ginhouse  to  the  sugar- 
house.  The  production  of  sugar  has 
gradually  increased  up  to  the  crop  of 
1845— ’5  ; but  the  crop  of  1846-’7  fell 
short  of  even  1841,  being  only  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  hogs- 
heads of  a thousand  pounds  each,  and 
about  four  and  a half  millions  of  gallons 
of  molasses.  Although  this  was  a very 
small  crop,  it  sold  for  more  money  than 
the  largest  crop  ever  produced  in  Amer- 
ica, probably  on  account  of  England 
now  admitting  slave-grown  sugar.  The 
short  crop  of  last  year  may  be  partly 
attributed  to  the  unpropitious  season. 
This  year,  so  far,  has  the  most  auspicious 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA.  441 


appearances  ; the  planters  have  planted  I 
upon  new  principles;  the  season  has  I 
been  very  dry,  but  the  extraordinary 
height  of  the  Mississippi  has  amply 
made  up  for  it,  the  transpiration  water 
having  found  its  way  through  the  lands. 
According  to  Creole  theory,  this  is  a 
good  omen  : ‘ A high  river,  a great  crop.’ 
There  are  near  two  thousand  plantations 
in  operation  this  year;  and  as  I have 
lately  visited  the  majority  of  them,  from 
what  I can  see  and  learnr,  the  crop  of 
next  gathering  (all  well)  will  amount  to 
three  hundred  thousand  hogsheads  of 
one  thousand  pounds  each,  and  nine 
millions  of  gallons  of  molasses.  To  give 
some  idea  to  those  unacquainted  with 
the  manufacturing  of  this  domestic  ar- 
ticle, I will  give  some  data,  which  I trust 
will  prove  interesting. 

“ One  gallon  of  cane-juice  generally 
makes  one  pound  of  sugar;  therefore, 
three  hundred  millions  of  gallons  of 
cane-juice  must  be  expressed  to  obtain 
this  quantity  of  sugar.  To  give  some 
idea  of  this  quantity  of  liquid,  provided 
it  was  water,  and  supposing  the  city  of 
New  York  in  a state  of  blockade,  it 
would  be  sufficient  to  serve  the  inhab- 
itants for  four  years’  subsistence. 

“A  large  quantity  of  white  and  refined 
sugar  will  be  made  direct  from  the  cane 
next  grinding,  some  planters  having  pro- 
cured very  expensive  machinery  and  ap- 
paratus for  that  purpose.  The  insides 
of  most  of  the  sugarhouses  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi are  quite  familiar  to  me,  some 
of  which  have  cost  over  fifty  thousand 
dollars  in  improvements.  A much  less 
quantity  of  molasses  will  be  made  next 
crop,  according  to  the  quantity  of  sugar 
produced,  than  is  customary. 

“ It  is  of  little  use  to  enter  into  a 
description  of  the  old  mode  of  sugar- 
making. Cane,  like  other  things,  may 
in  time  become  acclimated  ; consequent- 
ly, experience  teaches  us  how  to  humor 
it.  We  now  plant  cane  in  rows  eight 
and  nine  feet  apart  instead  of,  as  origin- 
ally, four  and  five  feet.  It  thrives  bet- 
ter; receives  more  fresh  air,  more  sun, 
more  nourishment;  grows’  larger  and 
stronger ; requires  less  seed  and  labor  ; 
and  gives  more  sugar  to  the  arpent. 

“ After  the  cane  is  cut,  it  is  brought 


to  the  mill,  where  it  is  ground  to  express 
the  juice.  However,  the  best  of  mills 
do  not  take  out  all  the  juice,  some  six- 
teen or  eighteen  per  cent,  remaining  in 
the  baggasse  or  frosh.  A second  two- 
roller  mill  was  introduced  at  consider- 
able expense,  requiring  much  power, 
the  drawbacks  on  which  will  prevent 
its  general  adoption  ; however,  to  ob- 
viate this,  and  obtain  fifteen  per  cent,  of 
the  lost  juice,  a revolving-doctor  is  about 
to  be  adopted,  which,  though  cheap, 
will  answer  every  purpose,  when  ap- 
plied to  old  or  new  mills.  The  cane- 
juice  is  now  carried  into  large  wooden 
boxes  called  clarifiers,  where  it  is  heated 
to  two  hundred  degrees  Fahrenheit,  by 
steampipes,  and  receives  a small  dose 
of  flake-lime  ; this  regulates  acidity,  and 
cleans  the  juice  to  a certain  extent. 
The  juice  is  now  at  about  nine  and  a 
half  or  ten  degrees  saccharometer ; it 
is  now’  run  off’  into  open  boxes  heated 
by  steampipes,  where  it  is  boiled  and 
scummed,  passing  from  one  box,  called 
the  grand,  to  another,  called  the  battery, 
where  it  is  concentrated  until  its  boiling 
point  reaches  two  hundred  and  eighteen 
degrees  Fahrenheit;  it  is  now  let  off 
into  an  elevator,  so  as  to  be  risen  up 
into  a cistern  of  considerable  altitude 
previous  to  its  going  through  the  further 
operation  of  filtering,  &c. 

“ I would  here  state  the  reason  of  its 
having  to  go  into  an  elevator : the  mills 
are  set  too  low  for  the  juice  to  run  from 
one  vessel  to  another,  for  the  purpose  of 
its  going  through  the  various  processes, 
according  to  the  new  plans  of  sugar- 
manufacture.  This  elevator  is  a kind 
of  cylinder-boiler  set  on  end  ; when  this 
is  full,  steam  is  turned  into  it,  which, 
pressing  on  the  surface  of  ihe  syrup, 
forces  it  through  a pipe  attached  to  the 
cotton  leading  up  to  the  receiver  above. 
This  is  far  from  being  an  economical 
mode  of  raising  fluids,  but  it  is  better 
than  pumps,  as  it  does  not  oxydize  the 
syrup.  However,  a more  simple,  cheap, 
and  effective  mode,  upon  the  principle 
of  wTaste  steam  forming  a vacuum  in  the 
upper  cistern,  will  soon  come  into  gen- 
eral use.  The  next  process  through 
j which  this  concentrated  cane-juice  has 
I to  pass  is  the  bag-filters ; these  are  a 


442  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


series  of  large  fine-duck  bags,  neatly 
folded  up,  and  placed  in  a cylindrical 
small  case  of  the  same  material;  they 
are  suspended  by  the  neck  on  metal 
rings,  and  hang  down  in  a square  wood- 
en box,  where  the  juice  drips  through, 
leaving  dirt,  sediment,  &c.,  inside  the 
bags.  This  is  rather  an  old-fashioned 
process.  A new  plan  will  shortly  take 
its  place,  upon  a hydrostatical  princi- 
ple— the  pure  liquid  passing  through 
compressed  sponge. 

“ The  next  process  through  which 
syrups  pass  is  that  of  the  vacuum-pan, 
of  which  there  is  a great  variety.  The 
original  and  perhaps  the  best  one  is 
known  as  the  Howard  vacuum-pan — 

I Mr.  Howard  being  the  inventor  and  pat- 
entee. In  fact,  all  others  are  mere  modi- 
fications. Another,  called  De  Rosne’s, 
is  both  simple  and  good,  and  very  much 
used  ; it  is  this  which  I will  describe, 
although  there  are  several  others  daily 
coming  into  use,  viz. : the  Bevan  pan, 
Morgan  pan,  and  Rillieux  pan.  This 
last  stands  rather  high — sugar  made  by 
it  having  received  awards  and  premiums 
from  the  Louisiana  Agriculturists’  and 
Mechanics’  association  more  than  once. 
Yet  the  pans  of  De  Rosne  and  Howard, 
simple  and  cheap  as  they  are,  have 
produced  the  best  sugar  ever  made  in 
Louisiana. 

“ The  De  Rosne  pan  is  a cylinder  of 
cast-iron,  with  a wrought-iron  steam- 
jacket,  for  the  purpose  of  admitting 
steam  for  boiling  the  charge.  It  has 
also  copper  pipes  passing  up  and  down 
its  inside  for  the  same  purpose — that  is, 
to  accelerate  evaporation.  This  pan 
being  air-tight  and  filled  with  syrup, 
steam  is  turned  on  for  the  purpose  of 
boiling.  At  the  same  time  the  steam- 
engine  is  started  to  work  the  airpumps, 
the  vacuum  being  formed  and  main- 
tained in  the  following  manner  : a pipe 
attached  to  the  dome  of  the  pan,  of  suf- 
ficient capacity  to  carry  off  all  the  vapor 
given  off  by  ebullition,  leads  into  a 
large,  tight  iron  vessel,  constantly  sup- 
plied with  cold  water.  This  is  the  con- 
denser. The  air-pumps  remove  all  the 
vapor  cold-water,  and  draw  in  fresh  to  [ 
renew  and  carry  on  condensation,  and  i 
thus  is  the  vacuum  kept  up  as  indicated  I 


by  the  barometer,  from  thirteen  to  four- 
teen pounds  per  square  inch.  The  sur- 
face of  the  liquid  thus  relieved  from 
pressure  boils  at  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Thus  a large 
grain  and  fair  sugars  are  obtained.” 

New  Orleans. — This  city  is  situated 
on  the  left  bank  of  Mississippi  river, 
which  has  here  a singular  curve,  that 
places  the  city  on  its  northwest  side, 
and  facing  to  the  southeast.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  five  miles  from  its  mouth, 
by  the  course  of  the  river,  but  only 
ninety  in  a direct  line.  It  is  about 
eleven  hundred  miles  from  St.  Louis, 
fourteen  hundred  from  New  York,  and 
twelve  hundred  from  Washington.  New 
Orleans  is  the  fourth  city,  in  point  of 
population,  and  the  third  in  commerce, 
in  the  United  States.  Its  rapid  increase 
in  population  has  not  been  equalled, 
probably,  by  that  of  any  other  city  in 
the  Union.  In  1810,  it  was  17,242  ; in 
1820,  27,176;  in  1S30,  46,310;  in  1840, 
102,193;  in  1850,  119,285. 

The  old  city  proper  is  in  form  a paral- 
lelogram. Above  the  city  are  the  suburbs 
of  St.  Mary  and  Annunciation,  and  below 
are  the  suburbs  of  Marigny,  Franklin, 
and  Washington.  These  are  called 
fuuxbourgs.  Between  the  city  and  the 
bayou  St.  John’s  are  the  villages  of  St. 
Claude  and  St.  Johnsburg.  The  old 
city  proper  was  laid  out  by  the  French, 
and  now  forms  not  more  than  one  eighth 
1 of  the  city  limits,  and  not  more  than  one 
! fourth  of  its  thickly-settled  parts.  The 
coup  d’oeil  of  the  city  when  seen  from 
the  river  is  extremely  beautiful.  Many 
of  the  principal  streets  making  a curve, 
from  the  shape  of  the  city,  New  Orleans 
has  been  called  the  “ Crescent  city.” 

The  public  buildings  are  the  United 
States  branch  mint,  which  is  an  edifice 
of  the  Ionic  order  of  architecture,  mer- 
chants’ exchange,  commercial  exchange, 
city  exchange,  city-hall,  courthouse, 
the  statehouse,  formerly  the  charity 
hospital,  sixteen  churches,  some  of  them 
elegant  buildings,  four  orphan  asylums, 
three  theatres,  and  several  large  and 
splendid  hotels. 

The  situation  of  New  Orleans  for 
commerce  is  very  commanding.  The 
length  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  its 


1 = ■■  - - — 1 

444  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 

connected  waters,  which  are  navigated 
by  steam,  is  not  less  than  20,000  miles, 
and  the  country  which  they  drain  is  not 
surpassed  in  fertility  by  any  on  the  globe. 
Its  advantages  for  communication  with 
the  country  in  its  immediate  vicinity  are 
also  great.  By  a canal  four  and  a half 
miles  long,  it  communicates  with  Lake 
Pontchartrain,  and  its  connected  ports. 
This  canal  cost$l,000,000.  There  is  als'> 
a canal,  one  and  one  fourth  miles  long, 
which  communicates  with  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain through  bayou  St.  John.  A 
railroad,  four  and  a half  miles  long,  con- 
nects it  with  Carrollton.  A railroad, 
four  and  one  fourth  miles  long,  connects 
the  city  with  Lake  Pontchartrain  one 
mile  east  of  bayou  St.John.  The  Mexi- 
can gulf  railroad  extends  twenty-four 
miles,  to  Lake  Borgne,  and  is  to  be 
continued  to  the  gulf,  at  the  South  pass. 
The  Mississippi,  opposite  to  the  city,  is 
half  a mile  wide,  and  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep,  and 
continues  of  this  depth  to  near  its  en- 
trance into  the  ocean,  where  are  bars, 
with  from  thirteen  and  a half  to  sixteen 
feet  of  water. 

An  embankment,  called  the  Levee,  is 
raised  on  the  river’s  border,  to  protect 
the  city.  The  Levee  is  from  twenty  to 
forty  feet  broad,  but  in  front  of  the  sec- 
ond municipality  is  extended  to  five  or 
six  hundred  feet  broad.  This  forms  a 
splendid  promenade,  and  a very  conve- 
nient place  for  depositing  the  cotton  and 
other  produce  from  the  upper  country, 
which  can  be  rolled  directly  from  the 
decks  of  the  steamers  to  the  bank  of 
the  river. 

The  harbor  presents  an  area  of  many 
acres,  covered  with  flat-boats  and  keel- 
boats  in  its  upper  parts.  Sloops,  schoon- 
ers, and  brigs,  are  arranged  along  its 
wharves,  and  present  a forest  of  masts  ; 
and  steamboats  are  continually  arriving 
or  departing.  The  amount  of  domestic 
articles  exported  exceeds  $12,000,000 
annually,  being  greater  than  those  of 
any  other  city  in  the  Union,  excepting 
New  York.  The  houses  of  the  city 
proper  have  a French  and  Spanish  as- 
pect, are  generally  stuccoed,  and  are  of 
a white  or  yellow  color. 

The  city  proper  contains  sixty-six 

complete  squares  : each  square  having 
a front  of  three  hundred  and  nineteen 
feet  in  length.  Few  of  the  streets,  ex- 
cepting Canal  street,  are  more  than  forty 
feet  wide.  Many  of  the  seats  in  the 
suburbs  are  surrounded  with  spacious 
gardens,  splendidly  ornamented  with 
orange,  lemon,  magnolia,  and  other 
trees.  No  city  in  the  United  States  has 
so  great  a variety  of  inhabitants,  with 
such  an  astonishing  contrast  of  manneis, 
language,  and  complexion.  The  French 
population  probably  still  predominates 
over  the  American,  though  the  latter  is 
continually  gaining  ground. 

A mistaken  impression  prevails  in 
some  sections  of  the  Union,  in  relation 
to  the  moral  character,  and  healthfulness 
of  the  climate,  of  the  Crescent  city.  But 
while  not  free  from  those  evils  incident 
to  all  large  and  crowded  populations, 
still,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  New  Or- 
leans is  as  free  from  vice  as  any  other 
city  of  the  Union.  The  yellow  fever  is 
but  little  more  to  be  dreaded  than  those 
pulmonary  complaints  which  yearly 
sweep  away  so  many  thousands  of  vic- 
tims at  the  north.  And  as  to  the  damp- 
ness of  the  land,  that  is  yearly  becom- 
ing of  less  account  as  the  cultivation 
and  second  soil  more  and  more  dwindle 
away  its  evil  effects.  For  personal 
safety,  men,  women,  and  children,  are 
as  secure  from  insult  or  injury  there,  at 
all  times,  and  under  all  circumstances, 
as  in  any  city  in  the  world. 

The  Battle  of  New  Orleans. — This 
city  has  been  rendered  memorable  as 
being  the  scene  of  the  last  battle  in  the 
war  of  1812-’14,  with  Great  Britain, 
a brief  detail  of  which  will  close  our 
notice  of  New  Orleans. — In  the  month 
of  December,  1S14,  fifteen  thousand 
British  troops,  under  Sir  Edward  Pac- 
kenham,  were  landed  for  the  attack  of 
New  Orleans.  The  defence  of  this  place 
was  intrusted  to  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson, 
whose  force  was  about  six  thousand 
men,  chiefly  raw  militia.  Several  slight 
skirmishes  occurred  before  the  enemy 
arrived  before  the  city:  during  this 
time,  Gen.  Jackson  was  employed  in 
making  preparation  for  his  defence.  His 
front  was  a straight  line  of  about  one 
thousand  yards,  defended  by  upward  of 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA.  445 

three  thousand  infantry  and  artillerists. 
The  ditch  contained  five  feet  of  water, 
and  his  front,  from  having  been  flooded 
by  opening  the  levees,  and  by  frequent 
rains,  was  rendered  slippery  and  muddy. 
Eight  distinct  batteries  were  judiciously 
disposed,  mounting  in  all  twelve  guns 
of  different  calibres.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  was  a strong  battery  of 
fifteen  guns. 

At  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the 
8th  of  January,  the  main  body  of  the 
British,  under  their  commander-in-chief, 
General  Packenham,  were  seen  advan- 
cing from  their  encampment  to  storm 
the  American  lines.  On  the  preceding 
evening  they  had  erected  a battery 
within  eight  hundred  yards,  which  now 
opened  a brisk  fire  to  protect  their  ad- 
vance. They  were  suffered  to  approach 
in  silence,  and  unmolested,  until  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  lines,  when 
the  whole  artillery  at  once  opened  upon 
them  a most  deadly  fire.  Forty  pieces 
of  cannon,  deeply  charged  with  grape, 
canister,  and  musket  balls,  mowed  them 
down  by  hundreds,  at  the  same  time  the 
batteries  on  the  west  bank  opened  their 
fire,  while  the  riflemen,  in  perfect  secu- 
rity behind  their  works,  as  the  British 
advanced,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  near- 
ly every  shot  took  effect.  Through  this 
destructive  fire,  the  British  left  column, 
under  the  immediate  orders  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, rushed  on  with  their 
fascines  and  scaling  ladders,  to  the  ad- 
vance bastion  on  the  American  right, 
and  succeeded  in  mounting  the  parapet ; 

- here,  after  a close  conflict  with  the  bayo- 
net, they  succeeded  in  obtaining  posses- 
sion of  the  bastion  ; when  the  battery, 
planted  in  the  rear  for  its  protection, 
opened  its  fire,  and  drove  the  British 
from  the  ground.  On  the  American 
left,  the  British  attempted  to  pass  the 
swamp,  and  gain  the  rear,  but  the  works 
had  been  extended  as  far  into  the  swamp 
as  the  ground  would  permit.  Some  who 
attempted  it,  sunk  in  the  mire  and  dis- 
appeared ; those  behind,  seeing  the  fate 
of  their  companions,  seasonably  retreat- 
ed, and  gained  the  hard  ground.  The 
assault  continued  an  hour  and  a quarter  ; 
during  the  whole  time,  the  British  were 
exposed  to  the  deliberate  and  destructive 

fire  of  the  American  artillery  and  mus- 
ketry, which  lay  in  perfect  security  be- 
hind their  breastworks  of  cotton  bales, 
which  no  balls  could  penetrate.  At 
eight  o’clock,  the  British  columns  drew 
off  in  confusion,  and  retreated  behind 
their  works.  Flushed  with  success,  the 
militia  were  eager  to  pursue  the  British 
troops  to  their  intrenchments,  and  drive 
them  immediately  from  the  island.  A 
less  prudent  and  accomplished  general 
might  have  been  induced  to  yield  to  the 
indiscreet  ardor  of  his  troops;  but  Gen- 
eral Jackson  understood  too  well  the 
nature  of  his  own  and  his  enemy’s  force, 
to  hazard  such  an  attempt.  Defeat  must 
inevitably  have  attended  an  assault  made 
by  raw  militia,  upon  an  intrenched  camp 
of  British  regulars.  The  defence  of 
New  Orleans  was  the  object;  nothing 
was  to  be  hazarded  which  would  jeopard 
the  city.  The  British  were  suffered  to 
retire  behind  their  works  without  moles- 
tation. The  result  was  such  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  the  different 
positions  of  the  two  armies.  Before 
eight  o’clock,  the  three  generals  were 
carried  off  the  field,  two  in  the  agonies 
of  death,  and  the  third  entirely  disabled ; 
leaving  upward  of  two  thousand  of  their 
men  dead,  dying,  and  wounded,  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

On  the  9th,  General  Lambert  and  Ad- 
miral Cochrane,  with  the  surviving  offi- 
cers of  the  army,  held  a council  of  war, 
and  determined  to  abandon  the  expedi- 
tion. To  withdraw  the  troops  in  the 
face  of  a victorious  enemy,  would  have 
been  difficult  and  hazardous.  To  with- 
draw in  safety,  every  appearance  of  a 
renewal  of  the  assault  was  kept  up,  till 
the  night  of  the  18th,  when  the  whole 
army  moved  off  in  one  body,  over  a road 
which  had  been  previously  constructed 
through  a miry  slough,  in  which  a num- 
ber of  the  troops  perished  by  sinking 
into  the  mire.  On  the  27th,  the  whole 
land  and  naval  forces  which  remained  of 
this  disastrous  expedition,  found  them- 
selves on  board  of  their  ships,  with  their 
ranks  thinned,  their  chiefs  and  many  of 
their  companions  slain,  their  bodies  ema- 
ciated by  hunger,  fatigue,  and  sickness. 

Baton  Rouge. — This  town,  the  capi- 
tal of  the  state,  is  one  hundred  and  forty 

446  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


miles  above  New  Orleans,  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  standing  chiefly 
on  a plain  elevated  about  thirty  feet 
above  the  water,  except  the  business 
streets,  which  are  on  the  low  ground 
along  the  shore. 

The  public  buildings  are  the  court- 
house, state-penitentiary,  United  States 
land-office,  a college,  an  academy,  three 
banks,  and  four  churches.  The  popula- 
tion is  about  four  thousand  five  hundred. 

The  college  was  founded  in  1 823,  and 
has  four  professors,  one  thousand  vol- 
umes in  its  library,  and  about  fifty  stu- 
dents. Steamboats  communicate  daily 
with  New  Orleans,  Vicksburg,  &c.,  and 
stagecoaches  run  to  New  Orleans  and 
St.  Francisville. 

Donaldsonville,  ninety  miles  above 
New  Orleans,  stands  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  at  the  point  where  the  La 
Fourche  fork  leaves  the  main  stream. 

Galveztown  stands  on  Bayou  Man- 
chac,  and  is  in  the  village  of  Iberville, 
at  a short  distance  from  the  place  where 
it  enters  Lake  Pontchartrain.  It  is  a 
small  town,  twenty  miles  north-northeast 
from  Donaldsonville,  and  twenty-five 
southeast  of  Baton  Rouge. 

Springfield  is  a post  village  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  parish  of  St.  He- 
lena, eleven  miles  southeast  of  St.  He- 
lena, and  eighty  miles  northwest  of  New 
Orleans. 

Madisonville. — This  village  is  also 
a seaport,  and  belongs  to  the  parish  of 
St.  Tammany,  at  the  mouth  of  Chi- 
functe  river.  It  is  about  twenty-eight 
miles  north  of  New  Orleans,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  Lake  Pontchartrain,  in 
latitude  thirty  degrees  twenty  minutes. 

The  situation  is  so  healthful  that  the 
place  has  been  much  resorted  to  by  cit- 
izens of  New  Orleans  during  the  warm 
and  sickly  seasons,  and  it  contains  sev- 
eral houses  designed  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  visiters.  Some  years  ago  the 
government  attempted  to  establish  a 
navyyard  a few  miles  above,  on  the  riv- 
er’s bank. 

Covington,  seven  miles  above  Mad- 
isonville, is  a considerable  village,  and 
stands  on  a branch  of  the  Chifuncte, 
called  the  Bogue  Falaya.  It  is  the  seat 
of  justice  for  the  parish  of  St.  Tam-  i 


many,  and  at  the  head  of  navigation  in 
schooners.  A considerable  quantity  of 
cotton  is,  therefore,  annually  shipped 
here.  General  Jackson’s  road,  from 
Lake  Pontchartrain  to  Nashville,  passes 
through  Covington.  It  is  one  of  the  fa- 
vorite places  of  resort  from  New  Orleans 
in  the  sickly  months. 

Opelousas,  two  hundred  and  seventy 
miles  from  New  Orleans,  is  the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  parish  to  which  it  belongs, 
had  a rapid  growth  a few  years  since, 
and  is  surrounded  by  a flourishing  re- 
gion. It  stands  on  Bayou  Bourbee,  the 
head  branch  of  Vermilion  river,  and  a 
branch  of  Teche  river  rises  just  in  the 
rear  of  the  village.  Large  heads  of 
horses  and  cattle,  abounding  on  the  ex- 
tensive plain  in  the  neighborhood,  with 
the  abundant  and  varied  productions  of 
the  earth,  give  an  interesting  aspect  to 
this  place.  Before  the  addition  of  Texas 
to  the  United  States,  Opelousas  was  the 
most  southwest  village  in  the  country. 

New  Iberia  and  St.  Martinsville  are 
two  other  villages  on  the  banks  of  the 
Teche,  both  on  the  west  side;  the  lat- 
ter, being  at  the  head  of  schooner  naviga- 
tion, and  surrounded  by  a fertile  coun- 
try, promises  much  increase. 

Alexandria,  on  Red  river,  seventy 
miles  from  the  Mississippi,  is  situated 
half  a mile  below  the  falls,  at  the  mouth 
of  Bayou  Rapide.  It  is  in  the  centre 
of  several  extensive  and  fertile  cotton 
districts,  and  is  a seat  of  justice.  The 
village  is  thickly  shaded  by  groves  of 
China-trees,  in  the  midst  of  a beautiful 
plain.  It  is  the  scene  of  an  active  trade 
in  cotton. 

Country  Life  in  Louisiana. — We 
copy  from  a late  writer  the  following 
description  of  the  house  of  a Louisiana 
planter,  which  applies  to  those  common 
on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  : — 

“ The  house  was  quadrangular,  with 
a high  stoop,  a Dutch  roof,  immensely 
large,  and  two  stories  in  height;  the 
basement  or  lower  story  being  construct- 
ed of  brick,  with  a massive  colonnade 
of  the  same  material  on  all  sides'  of  the 
building.  This  basement  was  raised  to 
a level  with  the  summit  of  the  Levee, 
and  formed  the  groundwork  or  basis  of 
the  edifice,  which  was  built  of  wood, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


447 


View  on  the  Mississippi,  at  Bend  No.  100. 


painted  white,  with  Venetian  blinds, 
and  latticed  verandas  supported  by  slen- 
der and  graceful  pillars,  running  round 
every  side  of  the  dwelling.  Along  the 
whole  western  front,  festooned  in  mas- 
sive folds,  hung  a dark-green  curtain, 
which  was  dropped  along  the  whole 
length  of  the  balcony  in  a summer’s 
afternoon.” 

The  Moth. — The  cotton  crops  are 
liable  to  extensive  injury  by  a noxious 
insect,  called  the  cotton  moth,  of  which 
the  following  description  was  recently 
published : — 

“ The  cotton  moth,  or  noctua  xylina , 
appears  in  the  spring,  when  the  cotton- 
plant  is  in  a fit  state  to  receive  the  eggs. 
She  places  these  on  the  leaves  of  the 
plant  to  the  number  of  from  two  to  six 
hundred  ; these  hatch  in  from  two  to  five 
days,  according  to  the  weather.  The 
young  larvse  are  very  minute,  but  grow 
rapidly,  attaining  their  full  size  of  one 
and  a half  inches  in  from  fourteen  to 
twenty  days,  during  which  time,  like 
their  congeners,  they  moult  every  eight 
days.  The  difference  in  the  color  of 
the  worms  is  owing  to  their  moulting, 


as  a slight  change  takes  place  after  each 
skin  is  cast  off.  Their  duration  in  the 
larva  state  is  six  weeks,  in  which  time 
they  feed  voraciously;  they  then  spin 
their  cocoons,  and  remain  in  the  pupa 
state  a longer  or  shorter  time,  according 
to  the  season  of  the  year.  The  moths 
that  remain  in  the  pupa  until  the  follow- 
ing spring,  will  be  those  whose  larvae 
will  destroy  the  summer’s  crop.  Should 
the  fall  and  winter  be  favorable  to  the 
premature  development  of  the  moth,  the 
planters  may  be  grateful,  as  it  will  be 
their  greatest  safeguard,  unless  they  will 
gather  and  destroy  the  pupa. 

“ Mr.  Affleck  states  that  the  caterpil- 
lars frequently  spin  on  the  old  plants.” 

View  on  the  Mississippi  at  Bend 
No.  100. — So  numerous  are  the  curves 
or  bends  of  this  river,  and  so  difficult  is 
it  to  distinguish  them  from  each  other 
by  any  natural  features,  in  consequence 
of  the  uniformity  of  the  surface,  that 
they  are  marked  on  the  maps  by  the 
numbers  one,  two,  &c.,  and  are  com- 
monly spoken  of,  by  pilots  and  travel- 
lers, by  that  designation.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  numerous  islands, 


448  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 


many  of  which  are  hardly  to  be  known 
apart,  except  by  their  position. 

Tho  scene  represented  in  the  print  is 
at  one  of  the  most  consideiable  bends” 
on  the  lov^er  part  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  land  is  low  and  flat,  wearing  that 
appearance  which  has  before  been  de- 
scribed, rising  but  a few  feet  above  the 
river’s  level  at  low-water-mark,  and  com- 
posed of  such  loose  materials  as  to  be 
in  constant  danger  of  removal  by  some 
of  the  frequent  changes  of  the  currents. 
The  curve  which  the  stream  takes  at 
this  place,  where  it  sweeps  away  to  the 
right,  is  so  great,  that,  if  the  isthmus 
were  cut  through  at  its  narrowest  part, 
the  passage  would  be  reduced  a great 
many  miles.  Preparations  have  been 
made  to  diminish  the  distance  consider- 
ably, by  cutting  down  the  trees  near 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  print,  to  permit 
the  river  to  find  an  unobstructed  pas- 
sage across  at  the  time  of  flood,  by 
which  means  it  may  probably  wear  for 
itself  a new  channel. 

The  tall  tree  which  forms  the  most 
conspicuous  object  in  the  foreground,  is 
a cypress,  of  a species  which,  with  the 
cotton-tree,  forms  the  principal  growth 
in  the  native  forests  on  this  part  of  the 
shores.  It  is  much  used  in  building, 
and  often  covered  with  the  moss,  which 
is  here  represented  as  forming  a thick 
canopy  on  its  upper  branches. 

This  parasitical  plant  does  not  grow 
north  of  latitude  thirty  degrees,  but  is 
well  known  in  the  northern  states  as  a 
very  useful  article,  being  purchased  in 
great  quantities  for  the  stuffing  of  mat- 
tresses, cushions,  &c.,  by  upholsterers 
and  coachmakers. 

Canebrakes  form  a prevailing  fea- 
ture in  many  of  the  marshy  regions  of 
Louisiana,  as  well  as  in  other  of  the 
s’outhern  states.  The  peculiar  nature 
of  the  plant  which  there  occupies  the 
soil,  renders  a canebrake  different  from 
every  other  kind  of  growth.  It  is  well 
known,  in  its  dry  state,  throughout  most 
parts  of  our  country,  being  extensively 
used  for  fishing-poles,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent in  manufactures. 

The  cane  grows  in  one  long,  slender, 
upright  stalk,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in 
height,  giving  out  but  a few  thin  leaves, 


especially  when  close  together.  Though 
hollow,  it  possesses  great  strength  ; for 
it  is  jointed,  and  the  texture  is  compact, 
and  the  external  part  is  formed  of  a 
hard  shelly  substance  containing  silex. 
When  green,  it  is  also  tough  ; and  the 
difficulty  of  penetrating  a canebrake  at 
any  season  of  the  year  is  so  great  as  to 
be  but  seldom  attempted,  except  where 
paths  have  been  formed,  by  either  cut- 
ting away  or  trampling  down  the  canes 
when  young.  Paths  once  opened,  and 
frequently  travelled,  remain  passable, 
except  when  overflown  by  the  water — 
a state  in  which  many  of  them  often  lie 
for  a considerable  part  of  the  time.  But 
when  several  paths  cross  each  other, 
nothing  is  more  easy  than  for  a passen- 
ger to  lose  his  way  ; for  the  tops  of  the 
canes  often  bend  over  and  meet  above 
his  head,  so  as  to  shut  out  a view  even  of 
the  sky.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
peculiar  appearance  of  a canebrake,  by 
the  sketch  given  in  the  vignette  at  the 
head  of  this  description  of  the  state. 

The  value  of  Cotton,  the  staple  pro- 
duction of  this  and  the  adjacent  states,  is 
shown  in  the  following  extract  from  a 
late  English  paper,  giving  a brief  history 
of  the  progress  of  a pound  of  cotton  : — 

“ There  was  sent  off* for  London,  lately, 
from  Glasgow,  a small  piece  of  muslin, 
about  one  pound  in  weight,  the  history 
of  which  is  as  follows  : The  cotton  came 
from  the  United  States  to  London;  it 
was  thence  sent  to  Manchester  and  man- 
ufactured into  yarn ; thence  it  was  sent 
to  Paisley,  where  it  was  woven  ; thence 
to  Ayrshire  and  there  tamboured ; thence 
conveyed  to  Dumbarton  and  handsewed, 
and  returned  to  Paisley ; thence  to  the 
county  of  Renfrew,  bleached,  and  again 
returned  to  Paisley ; thence  sent  to  Glas- 
gow, finished,  and  sent  per  coach  to 
London.  It  is  calculated  that  in  two 
years  from  the  time  the  muslin  was  first 
packed  in  America,  its  cloth  arrived  at 
the  merchant’s  warehouse  in  London, 
having  been  conveyed  3,000  miles  by 
sea,  and  920  by  land,  and  contributed 
to  the  support  of  at  least  150  people, 
employed  in  its  carriage  and  manufac- 
ture, by  which  the  value  has  been  ad- 
vanced 2,000  per  cent.  Such  is  descrip- 
tive of  a considerable  part  of  the  trade.” 


Texas  was  formerly  a part  of  the 
republic  of  Mexico,  but  became  in- 
dependent in  1836,  and  was  an- 
nexed to  the  United  States  by  a joint 
resolution  of  Congress,  passed  in 
March,  1845,  and  confirmed  by  a 
convention  of  the  people  of  Texas, 
in  July,  1845.  It  was  finally  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union  as  a state, 
by  act  of  Congress  passed  in  De- 
cember, 1845. 

The  boundaries  of  Texas,  as  de- 
fined by  an  act  of  the  Texan  con- 
gress, were  as  follows:  “Beginning 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Sabine  river,  and  running  west  along  the  gulf  of  Mexico, 
three  leagues  from  land,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande;  thence  up  the  princi- 
pal stream  of  that  river  to  its  source;  thence  due  north  to  the  forty-second  degree 
of  north  latitude ; thence  along  the  boundary  line,  as  defined  in  the  treaty  between 
the  United  States  and  Spain,  to  the  beginning.”  An  act  of  Congress,  the  terms  of 
which  were  accepted  by  Texas,  in  1850,  established  her  northern  and  western  bound- 
aries as  follows  : “ The  state  of  Texas  will  agree  that  her  boundary  on  the  north  shall 
commence  at  the  point  at  which  the  meridian  of  one  hundred  degrees  west  from 
Greenwich  is  intersected  by  the  parallel  of  thirty-six  degrees  and  thirty  minutes 
north  latitude,  and  shall  run  from  said  point  due  west  to  the  meridian  of  one  hundred 
and  three  degrees  west  from  Greenwich ; thence  her  boundary  shall  run  due  south  to 
the  thirty-second  degree  of  north  latitude;  thence  on  the  said  parallel  of  thirty-two 
degrees  of  north  latitude  to  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte;  and  thence  with  the  channel 
of  said  river  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  . . The  United  States,  in  consideration  of  said 
establishment  of  boundaries,  will  pay  to  the  state  of  Texas  the  sum  of  ten  millions  of 


29 


450  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 

dollars  in  a stock  bearing  five  per  cent, 
interest,  and  redeemable  at  the  end  of 
fourteen  years,  the  interest  payable  half- 
yearly  at  the  treasury  of  the  United 
States.  Immediately  after  the  president 
of  the  United  States  shall  have  been  fur- 
nished with  an  authentic  copy  of  the  act 
of  the  general  assembly  of  Texas,  ac- 
cepting these  propositions,  he  shall  ciause 
the  stock  to  be  issued  in  favor  of  the  state 
of  Texas,  as  provided  for  in  the  fourth 
article  of  this  agreement.” 

The  gulf  of  Mexico  forms  a line  of 
seacoast  of  about  four  hundred  miles  in 
extent,  on  the  southeastern  boundary  of 
Texas. 

The  seacoast  is  very  level,  but  free 
from  marsh  or  swamp  ; the  soil  is  a rich 
alluvion  of  great  depth.  This  region 
extends  into  the  interior  seventy-five 
miles.  Most  southern  staples  can  be 
produced  in  this  section  in  the  greatest 
abundance  and  of  the  finest  quality.  The 
only  peculiar  diseases  are  bilious  dis- 
tempers, and  these  by  no  means  univer- 
sal or  extremely  severe. 

Above  the  level  region  commences 
the  “rolling  country.”  The  soil  is  of 
an  excellent  quality,  a rich  sandy  loam. 
The  water  is  pure  and  healthy,  streams 
clear  and  rapid,  and  the  atmosphere 
purer  than  in  the  low  country.  This 
region  covers  the  greatest  proportion 
of  Texas  above  the  level  district,  and 
northeast  of  the  Brazos  river.  No  local 
causes  for  disease  exist ; the  facilities  for 
farming  are  unrivalled  ; most  kinds  of 
grain  and  fruit  grow  luxuriantly  ; and  it 
is  unnecessary  to  exercise  any  further 
care  over  cattle  and  other  stock  than  the 
herding  and  marking  of  the  increase 
during  the  whole  year. 

The  northwestern  and  western  por- 
tion is  mountainous  and  broken,  to 
within  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  miles  of  the  coast. 
The  valleys  are  rich,  and  the  mountains 
abound  in  a variety  of  mineral  produc- 
tions. Several  valuable  silver  mines, 
once  worked  by  the  Spaniards,  but  aban- 
doned on  account  of  the  hostile  Indians, 
have  been  recently  discovered  ; and 
some  fine  specimens  of  virgin  gold. 
This  region  abounds  with  fine  streams 
of  crystal  water. 

It  is  a remarkable  feature  of  Texas, 
that  the  bulk  of  the  timber  is  imme- 
diately on  the  water-courses.  Nearly 
every  stream  is  lined  with  an  abundance 
of  timber,  while  the  intervals  between 
the  streams  are  mostly  prairie  land,  with 
groves,  having  the  appearance  of  a park. 

The  numerous  rivers  of  Texas,  run- 
ning in  a parallel  course.,  indicate  the 
general  surface  to  be  one  inclined  plane, 
with  a slope  to  the  southeast.  None  of 
the  rivers  are  of  much  importance  for 
navigation,  being  in  the  dry  season  ex- 
tremely low,  and  during  the  floods  im- 
peded with  floating  timber. 

The  Rio  Grande,  or  Rio  del  Norte, 
which  forms  the  western  boundary  of 
Texas,  is  the  largest  river,  having  a 
course  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hun- 
dred miles ; it  is  much  impeded  by  rap- 
ids, and  can  be  forded  in  nearly  all 
parts  of  its  course  except  for  a distance 
of  about  two  hundred  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  Sabine  is  three  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  the  Nueces  three  hun- 
dred, and  the  Trinity  river  four  hun- 
dred miles  in  length  ; all  navigable  a 
part  of  the  year.  The  Rio  Brazos  is 
considered  the  best  navigable  stream  in 
Texas  ; vessels  drawing  six  feet  of  wa- 
ter can  ascend  it  to  Brazoria ; and 
steamboats  of  light  draught  to  San  Fe- 
lipe de  Austin,  ninety  miles  higher. 
The  Rio  Colorado  rises  in  the  high  j 
prairies  east  of  the  Puereo  river;  and  j 
after  a course  of  five  hundred  miles,  falls 
into  Matagorda  bay.  It  is  obstructed 
by  a raft,  of  a mile  in  extent,  about 
twelve  miles  above  its  mouth  ; beyond 
which  light  vessels  may  ascend  two  hun- 
dred miles.  The  city  of  Austin,  the 
seat  of  government,  is  situated  on  its 
left  bank,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains. 
La  Baca  and  Navidad  rivers  are  secon- 
dary streams,  flowing  into  the  La  Baca 
bay.  The  Guadaloupe  is  a large  stream 
of  pellucid  water ; two  of  its  tributaries, 
the  San  Marcos  and  the  Coleto,  have 
their  origin  in  fountains  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains.  The  San  Antonio  en- 
ters the  Guadaloupe  some  distance  above 
Espiritu  Santo  bay,  and  much  resembles 
the  Guadaloupe,  though  the  forest  on  its 
; banks  is  not  so  dense.  It  receives  the 
Cibolo,  the  Medina,  the  Salado,  Medio, 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


451 


r 


and  Leon  creeks,  all  rapid  and  clear 
streams.  The  San  Jacinto  is  a minor 
river,  flowing  through  much  good  land, 
abounding  in  pine  timber;  it  falls  into 
Galveston  bay,  which  receives  also  the 
Trinity  river,  and  Buffalo  bayou  (a  small 
stream  navigable  to  the  city  of  Hous- 
ton). Galveston  bay  is  a large  body  of 
water,  having  twelve  feet  on  the  bar  at 
the  entrance,  and  good  anchorage  inside. 
The  Trinity  river,  its  principal  contribu- 
tor, is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  Texas, 
and  is  navigable  further  up  than  any 
other  of  these  rivers.  Its  banks  are 
lined  with  the  choicest  land  and  the  best 
of  timber.  Numerous  settlements  are 
springing  up  on  its  banks.  Several  beds 
of  coal,  and  some  saline  springs  have 
been  recently  discovered  on  its  margin. 
The  river  Nueces  is  a beautiful  and  rapid 
stream  of  considerable  magnitude,  and 
flows  into  Corpus  Christi  bay,  which  is 
accessible  to  vessels  drawing  six  feet, 
with  deep  water  inside.  Below  Espiritu 
Santo  bay  lies  Aransazua  bay,  with  a 
good  entrance  and  twelve  feet  of  water 
on  the  bar.  It  receives  several  small 
streams  and  one  considerable  river,  the 
Aransas.  The  estuary  of  the  Sabine 
river  is  a large  bay,  with  sufficient  depth 
of  water  for  vessels  of  an  ordinary 
draught,  and  a soft  mud  bar  at  the  en- 
trance. There  are  several  thriving  towns 
on  the  banks  of  the  Sabine,  which  are 
frequently  visited  by  steamboats. 

The  climate  of  Texas  is  mild  and 
agreeable,  and,  as  the  country  is  free 
from  swamps,  is  more  healthful  than  the 
corresponding  sections  of  the  southern 
United  States.  The  dry  season  lasts 
from  April  to  September,  and  the  wet 
season  prevails  during  the  rest  of  the 
year.  The  cold  weather  lasts  a short 
time  in  December  and  January.  The 
surface  of  the  country  is  in  most  parts 
covered  with  luxuriant  native  grasses, 
affording  excellent  pasturage.  As  al- 
ready mentioned,  timber  is  abundant, 
and  among  the  varieties  are  live  oak, 
white,  black,  and  post  oak,  ash,  elm, 
hickory,  musquite,  walnut,  sycamore, 
bois  d’arc,  cypress,  &c.,  and  in  the 
southeast  parts  pine  and  cedar  of  fine 
quality  abound. 

Texas  is  amply  supplied  with  fruits 


and  garden  products.  The  climate  of 
the  low  lands  is  too  warm  for  the  apple, 
but  almost  every  other  fruit  of  temper- 
ate climes  comes  to  perfection.  Peach- 
es, melons,  figs,  oranges,  lemons,  pine- 
apples, dates,  olives,  &c.,  grow  in  differ- 
ent localities.  Grapes  are  abundant ; 
vanilla,  indigo,  sarsaparilla,  and  a vari- 
ety of  dying  and  medicinal  shrubs  and 
plants  are  indigenous,  and  on  all  the 
river  bottoms  is  a thick  growth  of  cane. 

Cotton  is  the  principal  staple  of  the 
state,  and  generally  of  a superior  quali- 
ty, mostly  cultivated  on  the  Brazos,  Col- 
orado, Red,  and  Trinity  rivers,  and 
Caney  creek,  but  advancing  in  other 
quarters.  Cotton-planting  begins  in  Feb- 
ruary and  picking  in  June.  Indian  corn 
and  wheat  are  the  principal  grains  cul- 
tivated. The  sugar-cane  has  attained 
great  perfection  in  Texas,  also  tobacco, 
common  and  sweet  potatoes,  and  the 
mulberry-tree.  The  raising  of  live  stock 
is  the  occupation  of  most  of  the  people, 
and  many  of  the  prairies  are  covered 
with  cattle,  horses,  mules,  and  sheep ; 
hogs  are  plentiful,  and  large  quantities 
of  pork  are  raised  for  market.  Vast 
herds  of  buffaloes  and  wild  horses  are 
seen  on  the  prairies,  and  deer  are  eve- 
rywhere abundant.  Bears,  cougars,  pan- 
thers, peccaries,  wolves,  foxes,  and  rac- 
coons, are  among  the  other  wild  animals. 

To  illustrate  the  manner  of  capturing 
the  wild  hcrses,  called  by  the  Spaniards 
mustangs , on  the  prairies  of  Texas,  we 
insert  the  following  description  by  one 
who  has  often  engaged  in  the  exciting 
chase,  as  well  as  an  engraving  of  the 
scene  : — 

“ The  pursuer  provides  himself  with 
a strong  noosed  cord,  made  of  twisted 
strips  of  green  hide,  which,  thus  pre- 
pared, is  called  a lazo,  the  Spanish  word 
for  a band  or  bond.  He  mounts  a fleet 
horse,  and  fastens  one  end  of  his  lazo  to 
the  animal,  coils  it  in  his  left  hand,  leav- 
ing the  extending  noose  to  flourish  in 
the  air  over  his  head.  Selecting  his 
game,  he  gives  it  chase ; and  as  soon  as 
he  approaches  the  animal  he  intends  to 
seize,  he  takes  the  first  opportunity  to 
whirl  the  lazo  over  his  head,  and  imme- 
diately checks  his  own  charger.  The 
noose  instantly  contracts  around  the  neck 


452 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


of  the  fugitive  mustang,  and  the  creature 
is  thrown  violently  down,  sometimes  un- 
able to  move,  and  generally  for  the  mo- 
ment deprived  of  breath.  This  violent 
method  of  arrest  frequently  injures  the 
poor  animal,  and  sometimes  even  kills 
him.  If  he  escapes,  however,  with  his 
life,  he  becomes  of  great  service  to  his 
master,  always  remembering  with  great 
respect  the  rude  instrument  of  his  cap- 
ture, and  ever  after  yielding  immediate- 
ly whenever  he  feels  the  lazo  upon  his 
neck. 

“ Being  thus  secured,  the  lazoed  horse 
is  blindfolded  ; terrible  lever,  jaw-break- 
ing bits  are  put  into  his  mouth,  and  he 
is  mounted  by  a rider  armed  with  most 
barbarous  spurs.  If  the  animal  runs,  he 
is  spurred  on  to  the  top  of  his  speed,  un- 
til he  tumbles  down  with  exhaustion. 
Then  he  is  turned  about  and  spurred 
back  again  ; and  if  he  is  found  able  to 
run  back  to  the  point  whence  he  started, 
he  is  credited  with  having  bottom  enough 
to  make  a good  horse ; otherwise,  he  is 
turned  off  as  of  little  or  no  value.  This 
process  of  breaking  mustangs  to  the  bri- 
dle is  a brutal  one,  and  the  poor  ani- 
mals often  carry  the  evidence  of  it  as 
long  as  they  live!  After  service  during 
the  day,  they  are  hoppled  by  fastening 
their  fore-legs  together  with  a cord,  and 
turned  out  to  feed.  To  fasten  them  to 
one  spot  in  the  midst  of  a prairie,  where 
neither  tree,  nor  shrub,  nor  rock,  is  to  be 
found,  is  quite  a problem.  But  that  is 
accomplished  by  putting  on  a halter,  ty- 
ing a knot  at  the  end,  digging  a hole 
about  a foot  deep  in  the  earth,  thrusting 
in  the  knot,  and  pressing  the  earth  down 
around  it.  As  the  horse  generally  pulls 
nearly  in  a horizontal  direction,  he  is 
unable  to  draw  it  out. 

“ When  a number  are  caught,  they 
are  generally  driven  to  market,  wheie 
they  are  purchased  for  three  or  four  dol- 
lars, branded,  hoppled,  then  turned  out 
and  abandoned  to  themselves,  until 
needed.  At  some  future  time  they  will 
doubtless  become  a valuable  article  of 
export.” 

The  present  population  of  Texas  is 
estimated  to  amount  to  over  two  hun- 
dred thousand,  nearly  all  of  whom  are 
Americans — emigrants  from  the  other 


United  States.  The  population,  accord- 
ing to  the  census  of  1850,  was  187,403, 
of  whom  about  one  fifth  were  slaves. 
By  the  act  of  Congress  admitting  Texas 
into  the  Union,  that  state  had  two  mem- 
bers of  the  house  of  representatives  and 
has  the  same  under  the  census  of  1850. 
Texas  was  of  course  entiiled  to  two 
members  in  the  senate  of  the  United 
States  at  the  date  of  her  admission. 

Texas,  at  the  period  of  her  admission, 
had  but  thirty-six  organized  counties  ; 
she  now  (1851)  numbers  ninety.  In 
many  of  these  counties  the  increase  of 
population,  principally  by  emigration, 
has,  it  is  estimated,  since  her  admission, 
been  equal  to  fifty  per  cent. 

The  principal  towns  in  Texas  are  Gal- 
veston, the  principal  seaport,  Houston, 
San  Augustin,  San  Felipe  de  Austin, 
Nacogdoches,  Austin,  the  present  seat 
of  government,  Washington,  for  a while 
the  temporary  capital,  San  Antonio  de 
Bexar,  and  a few  others. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  Texas  was 
nearly  unknown,  having  only  been  oc- 
casionally traversed  by  the  Spaniards,  in 
their  way  from  New  Orleans  to  Mexico. 
About  1800,  there  were  only  two  or 
three  small  military  establishments,  near 
which  a few  Spaniards  had  settled.  In 
1807,  Pike  made  it  known  that  this 
country  was  distinguished  by  fertility 
of  soil.  From  that  time  many  citizens 
of  the  United  States  wished  to  form 
settlements  in  Texas,  but  the  policy  of 
the  Spanish  court  was  not  favorable  to 
their  designs.  When  Mexico  obtained 
her  independence,  the  government  of 
the  republic  adopted  a liberal  system  of 
colonization,  inviting  (in  1824)  natives 
and  foreigners  to  settle  within  the  terri- 
tories of  the  republic,  under  very  advan- 
tageous conditions.  The  first  settlement 
was  made  by  Colonel  Austin,  of  Mis- 
souri, in  his  grant  on  the  Rio  Brazos, 
and  called  San  Felipe  de  Austin.  About 
this  time  the  stream  of  emigration  from 
the  United  States  turned  toward  Texas. 
In  1833,  the  people  of  Texas  formed 
for  themselves  a separate  constitution, 
and  insisted  on  a separation  of  their 
country  from  the  state  of  Coahuila,  to 
which  it  was  united  by  a decree  of  the 
Mexican  government.  This  being  re- 


454  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


fused,  and  a central  government  estab-  | 
lished  in  Mexico,  the  Texans  took  up 
arms  in  1835,  in  defence  of  their  rights 
and  liberties,  and  the  l’epublican  princi- 
ples of  the  federal  constitution  of  Mex- 
ico of  1824.  The  few  Mexican  soldiers 
stationed  at  Bexar  were  compelled  to 
leave  the  country  in  December,  1835, 
after  sustaining  considerable  loss  in  a 
battle  with  the  Texans.  The  president 
of  the  Mexican  republic,  Santa  Anna, 
however,  marched  into  Texas  at  the 
head  of  a small  army,  and  succeeded  in 
getting  possession  of  Bexar,  the  garri- 
son of  which  he  put  to  the  sword;  but 
in  1835  he  was  defeated  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  San  Jacinto,  with  great 
slaughter,  by  a small  body  of  Texans 
(Americans  from  the  United  States), 
under  General  Houston.  Santa  Anna 
was  taken  prisoner,  but  released  on  cer- 
tain conditions,  among  others,  that  the 
Mexican  troops  were  to  evacuate  Texas, 
passing  beyond  the  Rio  Grande.  No 
effective  attempt  was  afterward  made 
by  the  Mexicans  to  conquer  Texas,  and 
it  became  an  independent  republic,  be- 
ing soon  acknowledged  as  such  by  the 
United  States,  France,  Great  Britain, 
and  some  other  nations. 

Galveston,  two  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles  from  Austin,  and  three  hundred 
and  fifty  west  by  north  of  the  Southwest 
pass  of  Mississippi  river,  is  situated  on 
rising  ground,  compactly  built,  on  the 
east  part  of  Galveston  island,  with  many 
good  houses  and  several  conspicuous 
churches  and  other  public  buildings. 
Galveston  makes  a favorable  appearance 
from  the  water,  and  is  rapidly  extending 
its  population  and  business.  The  settle- 
ment was  begun  in  1837,  and  has  some 
large  stores,  several  cotton  presses,  a 
university,  two  high  schools,  and  a pop- 
ulation of  about  7,000.  The  streets 
are  wide  and  straight.  The  harbor  is 
fine,  and  the  bar  has  twelve  feet  of  wa- 
ter. A regular  communication  is  kept 
up  with  New  Orleans  by  steam-packets, 
a daily  line  of  boats  runs* to  Houston, 
and  other  boats  go  to  the  Brazos,  Trin- 
ity, and  Sabine  rivers. 

At  Galveston,  in  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber, the  air  has  a temperature  like  mid- 
September.  As  you  enter  the  harbor 


| through  the  crooked  channel  studded  on 
both  sides  with  shoals  and  breakers,  the 
gloomy  pelicans  saluting  you  on  every 
side,  the  approach  is  both  difficult  and 
dangerous.  The  low,  level,  and  sandy, 
but  grass-covered  island  of  Galveston, 
on  which  the  city  is  situated,  is  about 
thirty  miles  long,  and  has  on  it  but  three 
small  groups  of  native  trees — though  of 
fruit-trees  there  are  plenty  in  the  city, 
planted  by  the  inhabitants.  It  is  tolera- 
bly fertile,  and,  owing  principally  to  the 
industiv  of  the  German  emigrants  that 
have  settled  there,  gardens  of  all  kinds 
abound.  It  is  healthy  for  all  but  those 
who  expose  themselves  to  the  hot  mid- 
day summer  sun,  and  bring  on  attacks  of 
the  fever.  It  is  considered  more  healthy 
at  any  season  than  New  Orleans.  Gal- 
veston bay  is  about  sixty  miles  long  and 
thirty-five  wide,  and  in  its  deepest  parts 
there  is  about  twelve  feet  of  water  ; on 
its  greatest,  unavoidable  shoals,  there  is 
about  three  feet.  There  are  various 
islands  in  different  parts  of  it ; the  lar- 
gest is  “ Pelican,”  opposite  the  city  of 
Galveston.  This  is,  from  one  extremity 
to  the  other,  about  four  miles  long.  It 
is  destitute  of  timber,  as  are  all  the  is- 
lands on  the  coast ; nevertheless,  it  is, 
during  the  spring  season  a great  resort. 
Some  visit  it  for  the  purpose  of  making 
pic-nics  or  chowders  (for  the  last  it  is 
famous),  others  go  for  the  sail,  but  most 
go  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  the 
myriads  of  eggs  deposited  by  gulls  and 
other  aquatic  birds. 

In  Galveston  bay  about  eighteen  miles 
from  the  city  is  situated  Red-fish  bar. 
It  is  created  by  the  influx  of  the  Trinity 
and  other  rivers  and  extends  entirely 
across  the  bay.  It  consists  of  a number 
of  small  islands  through  there  are  seve- 
ral navigable  passes.  Of  these,  the  most 
esteemed  at  present  is  called  the  “ East,” 
but  there  is  a better  one,  still  more 
easterly,  not  much  used  at  present,  but 
which  is  superior  to  any  other,  having 
deeper  water,  and  being  more  direct. 
It  is  called  “ Possum  pass,”  partly  be- 
cause it  is  a feasting  ground  for  that  an- 
imal which,  swimming  from  one  island 
to  another  of  the  chain,  repairs  there 
for  the  purpose  of  devouring  the  eggs 
laid  in  the  vicinity,  and  partly  because 


View  of  Galveston. 


456  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


it  is  hidden  from  sight  until  approached 
very  near.  Here  there  are  spots,  of 
acres  in  extent,  covered  with  eggs  of  all 
flavors,  colors,  and  sizes — and  in  every 
state  of  incubation,  small  boats  make  a 
trade  in  collecting  them  for  market,  and 
as  the  robbed  birds,  with  the  great- 
est perseverance,  commence  laying  anew 
after  each  depredation,  the  egg-hunters 
reap  an  unfailing  harvest  while  the  sea- 
son lasts.  When  the  squabs  are  hatched 
they  make  one  of  the  most  delicious 
items  in  the  boatman’s  bill  of  fare.  Sit- 
ting round  their  savory  supper,  these 
care-free  rovers  quaff  their  drams  of 
whiskey,  smoke  their  pipes,  sing  songs, 
and  tell  stories  of  wild  life,  beneath  the 
clear  sky,  until  tired,  when,  with  their 
blankets  around  them,  they  seek  a soft 
spot  upon  the  sand.  At  the  dawn,  the 
shrill  cry  of  the  eagle  in  pursuit  of  his 
prey  awakes  the  egg-hunters  to  business. 
Having  laid  in  their  stock  of  eggs,  they 
commence  the  second  but  no  less  pleas- 
ant part  of  their  trade — this  is  fishing,  for 
which  this  place  is  famous. 

The  red-fish  is  the  desired  animal  to 
the  fishermen ; mullet,  buffalo,  cat-fish 
(a  species  of  salmon),  and  countless 
numbers  of  less  important  classes  of  fish 
abound.  The  fisher,  with  a small  spear, 
commences  searching  in  the  various  wa- 
ter-holes in  the  sand  for  crabs  for  bait ; 
then,  fastening  a crab  to  his  hook,  he 
casts  it  in,  and  in  an  instant  some  red- 
fish  is  hauled  out  flouncing  upon  the 
sand.  Sometimes  it  is  a closely-con- 
tested question  whether  the  fish  shall 
quit  his  element  or  the  fisherman  take  a 
bath.  Red-fish  often  weigh  twenty-five 
pounds.  They  are  a very  vigorous  fish, 
and  of  delicious  flavor,  either  fresh  or 
dried  and  salted,  which  is  a favorite 
way  of  curing  them.  About  eight  miles 
above  Red-fish  bar,  there  is  a group  of 
islands  famous  for  the  great  inducements 
they  hold  out  to  the  sportsman — they 
are  called  the  “ Veintiuno,”  or  Twenty- 
one  isles.  In  the  winter  season  their 
little  harbors  are  filled  with  small  craft 
and  the  ci  aft  with  sportsmen,  who  make 
a little  fortune  during  that  season  by  the 
vast  numbers  of  geese,  brant,  duck,  and 
swan,  they  kill  here — selling  their  car- 
casses at  Galveston,  and  curing  their 


feathers  for  various  markets.  A swan 
skin  will  at  any  time  bring  a dollar.  The 
appearance  of  a flock  of  these  stately 
water-fowls  is  that  of  a floating  island  of 
half  a mile  square  moving  gracefully 
along  over  the  water,  now  swiftly,  now 
almost  stationary,  but  pouring  forth  a 
continual  boisterous  bird-language.  In 
spite  of  their  own  din,  however,  they 
catch  the  slightest  hostile  sound.  Should 
the  sportsman  crack  a twig,  move  a bush, 
or  crush  a shell  beneath  his  foot,  the 
noisy  conclave  stops  instantly,  and,  en 
masse,  both  their  propellers  and  their 
throats.  For  an  instant  all  is  silent  and 
motionless — bang ! then  go  the  fowling- 
pieces,  and  perhaps  one  thousand  of 
these  birds,  so  graceful  in  the  water  but 
so  awkward  in  flight,  will  stretch  their 
wings,  knocking  each  other  down  in  their 
confusion,  and,  amid  loud  cries  and  great 
splashing  of  water,  take  themselves  off 
as  soon  as  possible,  probably  leaving 
thirty  or  forty  of  their  comrades  to  be 
gathered  up  by  the  sportsmen. 

Houston,  on  Buffalo  bayou,  at  the 
head  of  tide-water,  is  eighty-five  miles 
from  Galveston,  and  one  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  from  Austin.  The  situa- 
tion of  this  town  is  not  only  favorable 
and  convenient,  but,  when  seen  from 
certain  points,  quite  picturesque.  The 
summit  of  the  gentle  eminence  on 
which  it  is  built  is  crowned  by  several 
churches,  and  the  slope  is  thickly  cov- 
ered with  houses,  many  of  which  are 
small  and  simple  in  their  construction, 
as  in  most  new,  interior  towns  of  Tex- 
as. The  stream  which  flows  at  the  base 
of  the  hill,  meanders  peacefully  along, 
flowing  under  a handsome  bridge  of  a 
single  arch,  and  beneath  the  shade  of 
some  of  the  trees  of  the  forest  which 
have  been  spared  in  clearing  the  land. 
The  distant  scenes  are  varied  by  ridges 
of  high  ground,  which  extend  far  away, 
with  winding  valleys  between  them.  An 
extensive  prairie  adjoins  it,  and  it  is  a 
place  of  much  trade  in  cotton.  Steam- 
boats run  to  Galveston,  and  stage-coaches 
to  Washington.  It  contains  four  church- 
es, a courthouse,  a number  of  large 
manufactories,  and  6,000  inhabitants. 

Austin,  the  capital  of  Texas,  is  situ- 
ated on  the  east  side  of  Colorado  river, 


View  of  Houston. 


/ 


458 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


two  hundred  miles  from  the  gulf  of  I 
Mexico,  on  a plain  elevated  about  thirty  ! 
feet.  The  capitol,  on  the  summit,  is 
conspicuous  from  its  position,  and  over- 
looks an  extensive  region.  At  a short 
distance  from  it  is  the  governor’s  house. 
The  population  amounts  to  about  4,000. 

The  governor  of  Texas  is  chosen  by 
the  people  for  two  years,  but  is  eligible 
only  two  years  in  six.  He  must  be 
thirty-two  years  old,  and  have  been  a 
resident  of  the  state  three  years  previous. 
The  lieutenant-governor  is  eligible  un- 
der the  same  restrictions.  There  is  a 
supreme  court,  and  such  district  and  in- 
ferior courts  as  the  legislature  shall  ap- 
point. The  legislature  appoints  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  for  six 
years,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  senate.  The  senators  are  chosen 
by  the  people  for  two  years,  half  being 
chosen  each  year.  They  must  be  thirty- 
two  years  old,  and  residents  for  the  last 
three  years.  The  representatives  are 
chosen  for  two  years,  by  the  people,  and 
must  be  twenty-one  years  old,  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  and  residents  of 
the  state  of  Texas  for  one  year,  and  of 
the  county  for  the  last  six  months.  The 
legislature  meets  once  in  two  years. 

Matagorda,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  miles  southeast  from  Austin,  and 
thirty-five  from  the  Caballo  pass,  stands 
on  the  Colorado,  and  has  a customhouse, 
two  churches,  an  academy,  and  700  in- 
habitants. Steamboats  run  to  New  Or- 
leans and  Galveston. 

San  Felipe  de  Austin,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Brazos,  is  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  from  Austin,  and  contains 
2,000  inhabitants.  It  was  burnt  by  the 
Texan  army,  in  the  war,  but  has  been 
rebuilt. 

San  Augustin,  twenty-seven  miles 
from  the  Sabine,  and  three  hundred  and 
sixty  east-northeast  from  Austin,  is  built 
on  the  Ayish  bayou,  and  contains  about 
2,500  inhabitants.  It  is  one  of  the  best- 
built  and  best-situated  towns  in  Texas, 
in  a healthy  region  of  rolling  country. 

The  University  of  San  Augustin  is  in 
this  place.  It  was  incorporated  in  1837, 
and  has  two  professors  in  the  male  de- 
partment, and  three  instructors  in  the 
female. 


The  Wesleyan  college  has  four  in- 
structors and  a president,  with  depart- 
ments for  the  two  sexes. 

Washington. — This  town  is  situated 
at  the  head  of  ordinary  navigation  on 
the  Brazos,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  miles  from  Austin,  and  contains 
aUout  3,000  inhabitants,  with  a court- 
house, four  churches,  and  a number  of 
large  manufactories. 

Nacogdoches,  is  sixty  miles  west  of 
the  Sabine  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
distant  from  Austin,  near  the  head  of 
Angelina  river.  It  was  formerly  a mili- 
tary post,  but  is  now  a town  of  2,000 
inhabitants,  and  contains  a university  of 
the  same  name,  with  two  professors. 

San  Antonio  de  Bexar. — This  place, 
celebrated  for  the  destruction  of  a band 
of  Texan  soldiers  in  the  Alamo  or  cita- 
del, in  the  Mexican  war,  is  ninety  miles 
south  by  west  of  Austin,  on  the  upper 
part  of  San  Antonio  river,  and  formerly 
contained  8,000  inhabitants,  but  has  now 
only  about  2,000. 

Corpus  Christi,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  south  of  Austin,  stands  at  the  head 
of  a bay,  and  contains  a population  of 
about  800,  being  connected  with  other 
towns  on  the  coasts  by  steamboats. 

Bastrop. — This  town  stands  on  the 
east  side  of  Colorado  river,  where  it  is 
crossed  by  the  road  to  San  Antonio,  in 
the  midst  of  a rich  prairie,  and  has 
about  700  inhabitants. 

Brazoria  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Brazos  river,  about  thirty  miles  above 
the  sea.  It  is  a place  of  considerable 
trade,  and  has  about  900  inhabitants. 

From  April  to  September  the  ther- 
mometer, in  different  parts  of  the  state, 
has  been  found  at  a general  average  to 
range  from  sixty-three  to  one  hundred 
degrees.  These  great  heats,  however, 
are  tempered  by  continual  and  strong  { 
breezes,  which  commence  soon  after  j 
sunrise  and  continue  till  three  or  four 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  nights 
are  cool  throughout  the  year. 

Among  the  natural  curiosities  of  Texas 
are  the  “ Cross  Timbers,”  consisting  of  j 
two  lines  of  continuous  forest,  varying  in  [ 
width  irom  five  to  fifty  miles,  extending  in 
almost  a direct  line  from  the  sources  of  i 
the  Trinity  northward  to  the  Arkansas,  j 

J 


DESCRIPTION  OF- THE  STATE  OF  ARKANSAS. 


459 


ARKANSAS. 


This  state  is  bounded  north  by 
Missouri,  east  by  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  south  by  Louisiana. 

It  is  naturally  divided  into  three 
districts.  The  east  part  is  gen- 
erally level ; and,  lying  along  the 
Mississippi,  White,  St.  Francis, 
and  Arkansas  rivers,  is  subject  to 
inundations  in  the  spring.  Some 
portions  of  this  section  are  prairie 
land,  but  most  of  it  is  covered  with 
forests.  When  cleared,  the  soil 
is  generally  good.  The  second  or 
middle  district  is  watered  by  some 
of  the  upper  tributaries  of  the 
White  and  Ouachitta  rivers,  and  the  main  part  of  the  Arkansas  and  Red  rivers. 
The  surface  is  broken,  but  has  large  prairies.  The  third  district,  in  the  north 
and  northwest,  is  mountainous,  but  with  extensive  prairies  intermingled. 

This  state  is  remarkably  well  supplied  with  navigable  streams.  The  St.  Fran- 
cis comes  in  across  the  northern  boundary,  and  after  flowing  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  falls  into  the  Mississippi  about  sixty  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
White  river.  White  river,  which  is  a stream  of  much  superior  size,  has  its  rise 
in  two  branches  north  of  this  state,  and,  after  a course  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  enters  the  Mississippi  fifteen  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas. 

The  Arkansas  is  navigable  far  into  the  interior,  though  considerably  impeded 
by  falls.  The  Ouachitta  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of  numerous  branches,  rising 
in  the  Masserne  mountains,  between  the  Red  river  and  Arkansas.  It  is  naviga- 
ble, when  the  water  is  high,  for  a distance  of  two  hundred  miles,  including  the 
windings  of  the  stream,  in  large  boats.  Red  river  has  but  a small  part  of  its 
course  in  this  state,  crossing  the  northwest  corner. 


460  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Several  very  extensive  salt-prairies  in 
the  interior  affect  the  water  of  many  of 
the  streams,  which  has  a brackish  taste. 
Salt-springs  are  numerous. 

The  scenery  along  the  Mississippi,  in 
this  part  of  its  course,  is  well  described 
in  the  following  extract  from  the  jour- 
nal of  a late  English  traveller:  — 

“ The  American  forests  are  generally 
remarkable  for  the  entire  absence  of  un- 
derwood, so  that  they  are  easily  pene- 
trable by  a foot-traveller,  and  generally 
even  by  a mounted  one.  But  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Mississippi  there 
is,  almost  uniformly,  a thick  under- 
growth of  cane,  varying  in  height  from 
four  or  five  to  about  twenty  feet,  accord- 
ing to  the  richness  of  the  soil.  Through 
this  thicket  of  cane  I should  think  it 
quite  impossible  to  penetrate ; yet,  I 
have  been  assured,  the  Indians  do  so  for 
leagues  together,  though  by  what  means 
they  contrive  to  guide  their  course, 
where  vision  is  manifestly  impossible, 
it  is  not  easy  to  understand. 

“ It  has  been  the  fashion  with  travel- 
lers to  talk  of  the  scenery  of  the  Missis- 
sippi as  wanting  grandeur  and  beauty. 
Most  certainly  it  has  neither.  But  there 
is  no  scenery  on  earth  more  striking. 
The  dreary  and  pestilential  solitudes, 
untrodden  save  by  the  foot  of  the  In- 
dian ; the  absence  of  all  living  objects, 
save  the  huge  alligators  which  float  past, 
apparently  asleep,  on  the  drift-wood; 
and  an  occasional  vulture,  attracted  by 
its  impure  prey  on  the  surface  of  the 
waters  ; the  trees,  with  a long  and  hid- 
eous drapery  of  pendent  moss,  fluttering 
in  the  wind  ; and  the  giant  river,  rolling 
onward  the  vast  volume  of  its  dark  and 
turbid  waters  through  the  wilderness — 
form  the  features  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
mal and  impressive  landscapes  on  which 

the  eye  of  man  ever  rested No 

other  river  in  the  world  drains  so  large 
a portion  of  the  earth’s  surface.  It  is 
the  traveller  of  five  thousand  miles,  more 
than  two  thirds  of  the  diameter  of  the 
globe.  The  imagination  asks,  whence 
come  its  waters,  and  whither  tend  they  ? 
They  come  from  the  distant  regions  of 
a vast  continent,  where  the  foot  of  civil- 
ized man  has  never  yet  been  planted. 
They  flow  into  an  ocean  yet  vaster,  the 


STATE  OF  ARKANSAS. 


whole  body  of  which  acknowledges  their 
influence.  Through  what  varieties  of 
climate  have  they  passed  'l  On  what 
scenes  of  lonely  and  sublime  magnifi- 
cence have  they  gazed  ? In  short,  when 
the  traveller  has  asked  and  answered 
these  questions  and  a thousand  others,  it 
will  be  time  enough  to  consider  how  far 
the  scenery  of  the  Mississippi  would  be 
improved  by  the  presence  of  rocks  and 
mountains.  He  may  then  be  led  to 
doubt  whether  any  great  effect  can  be 
produced  by  a combination  of  objects 
of  discordant  character,  however  grand 
in  themselves.  The  imagination  is,  per- 
haps, susceptible  but  of  a single  power- 
ful impression  at  a time.  Sublimity  is 
uniformly  connected  with  unity  of  ob- 
ject. Beauty  may  be  produced  by  the 
happy  adaptation  of  a multitude  of  har-  { 
monious  details ; but  the  highest  sub- 
limity of  effect  can  proceed  but  from  one 
glorious  and  paramount  object,  which 
impresses  its  own  character  on  every- 
thing around. 

“ The  prevailing  character  of  the 
Mississippi  is  that  of  solemn  gloom.  I 
have  trodden  the  passes  of  Alp  and  Ap- 
ennine,  yet  never  felt  how  awful  a thing 
is  nature,  till  I was  borne  on  its  waters 
through  regions  desolate  and  uninliab- 
itable.  Day  after  day,  and  night  after 
night,  we  continued  driving  right  down- 
ward to  the  south  ; our  vessel,  like  some 
huge  demon  of  the  wilderness,  bearing 
fire  in  her  bosom,  and  canopying  the 
eternal  forest  with  the  smoke  of  her  nos- 
trils. ...  I passed  my  time  in  a sort  of 
dreamy  contemplation.  At  night  I as- 
cended to  the  highest  d<gck,  and  lay  for 
hours  gazing  listlessly  on  the  sky,  the 
forest,  and  the  waters,  amid  silence  only 
broken  by  the  clanging  of  the  engine. 
All  this  was  very  pleasant ; yet,  till  I 
reached  New  Orleans,  I could  scarcely 
have  smiled  at  the  best  joke  in  the 
world  ; and  as  for  raising  a laugh — it 
would  have  been  quite  as  easy  to  square 
the  circle. 

“ The  bends  or  flexures  of  the  Missis- 
sippi are  regular  in  a degree  unknown 
in  any  other  river.  The  action  of  run- 
ning water,  in  a vast  alluvial  plain  like 
that  of  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi,  with- 
out obstruction  from  rock  or  mountain, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ARKANSAS. 


461 


may  be  calculated  with  the  utmost  pre-[ 
cisioTi.  Whenever  the  course  of  a river  j 
diverges  in  any  degree  from  a right  line, 
it  is  evident  that  the  current  can  no  long-  [ 
er  act  with  equal  force  on  both  its  banks.  : 
On  one  side  the  impulse  is  diminished,  1 
on  the  other  increased.  The  tendency 
in  these  sinuosities,  therefore,  is  mani  - 
festly to  increase,  and  the  stream  which 
hollows  out  a portion  of  one  bank,  being 
rejected  to  the  other,  the  process  of 
curvature  is  still  continued,  till  its  chan- 
nel presents  an  almost  unvarying  suc- 
cession of  salient  and  retiring  angles. 

“ In  the  Mississippi  the  flexures  are 
so  extremely  great,  that  it  often  happens 
that  the  isthmus  which  divides  different 
portions  of  the  river  gives  way.  A few 
months  before  my  visit  to  the  south,  a 
remarkable  case  of  this  kind  had  hap- 
pened, by  which  forty  miles  of  naviga- 
tion had  been  saved.  The  opening  thus 
formed  was  called  the  new  cut.  Even 
the  annual  changes  which  take  place  in 
the  bed  of  the  Mississippi  are  very  re- 
markable. Islands  spring  up  and  dis- 
appear; shoals  suddenly  present  them- 
selves where  pilots  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  deep  water;  in  many  places, 
whole  acres  are  swept  away  from  one 
bank  and  added  to  the  other;  and  the 
pilot  assured  me  that  in  every  voyage 
he  could  perceive  fresh  changes.- 

“ Many  circumstances  contribute  to 
render  these  changes  more  rapid  in 
the  Mississippi  than  in  any  other  river. 
Among  these,  perhaps  the  greatest  is 
the  vast  volume  of  its  waters,  acting  on 
alluvial  matter,  peculiarly  penetrable. 
The  river,  when  in  flood,  spreads  over 
the  neighboring  country,  in  which  it 
has  formed  channels  called  bayous.  The 
banks  thus  become  so  saturated  with 
water,  that  they  can  oppose  little  resist- 
ance to  the  action  of  the  current,  which 
frequently  sweeps  off  large  portions  of 
the  forest. 

“ The  immense  quantity  of  drift-wood 
is  another  cause  of  change.  Floating 
logs  encounter  some  obstacle  in  the 
river,  and  become  stationary.  The  mass 
gradually  accumulates;  the  water,  sat- 
urated with  mud,  deposites  a sediment ; 
and  thus  an  island  is  formed,  which  soon 
becomes  covered  with  vegetation.  A 


few  years  ago,  the  Mississippi  was  sur- 
veyed by  order  of  the  government,  and 
its  islands,  from  the  confluence  of  the 
Missouri  to  the  sea,  were  numbered.  I 
remember  asking  the  pilot  the  name  of 
a very  beautiful  island,  and  the  answer 
was,  ‘ Five-hundred-and-seventy-three,’ 
the  number  assigned  to  it  in  the  hydro- 
graphical  survey,  and  the  only  name  by 
which  it  was  known. 

“ A traveller  on  the  Mississippi  has 
little  to  record  in  the  way  of  incident. 
For  a week  we  continued  our  course, 
stopping  only  to  take  in  wood,  and  on 
occasion  to  take  in  cargo. 

“ One  of  the  most  striking  circum- 
stances connected  with  this  river-voyage 
was  the  rapid  change  of  climate.  Barely 
ten  days  had  elapsed  since  I was  trav- 
ersing mountains  almost  impassable  from 
snow.  Even  the  level  country  was  par- 
tially covered  with  it,  and  the  approach 
of  spring  had  not  been  heralded  by  any 
symptom  of  vegetation.  Yet  in  little 
more  than  a week  I found  myself  in  the 
region  of  the  sugarcanes. 

“ The  progress  of  this  transition  was 
remarkable.  During  the  first  two  days 
of  the  voyage,  nothing  like  a blossom 
or  a green  leaf  was  to  be  seen.  On  the 
third,  slight  signs  of  vegetation  were 
visible  on  a few  of  the  hardier  trees. 
These  gradually  became  more  general 
as  we  approached  the  Mississippi ; but 
then,  though  our  course  lay  almost  due 
south,  little  change  was  apparent  for  a 
day  or  two.  But  after  passing  Mem- 
phis, in  latitude  thirty-five  degrees,  all 
nature  became  alive.  The  trees  which 
grew  on  any  little  eminence,  or  which 
did  not  spring  immediately  from  the 
swamp,  were  covered  with  foliage  ; and 
at  our  wooding-times,  when  I rambled 
through  the  woods,  there  were  a thou- 
sand shrubs  already  bursting  into  flower. 
On  reaching  the  lower  regions  of  the 
Mississippi,  all  was  brightness  and  ver- 
dure. Summer  had  already  begun,  and 
the  heat  was  even  disagreeably  intense. 

“ Shortly  after  entering  Louisiana, 
the  whole  wildness  of  the  Mississippi 
disappears.  The  banks  are  all  culti- 
vated, and  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but 
plantations  of  sugar,  cotton,  and  rice, 
with  the  houses  of  their  owners,  and  the 


Rocky  Bluffs  on  the  Mississippi. 


little  adjoining  hamlets  inhabited  by  the 
slaves.  Here  and  there  were  orchards 
of  orange-trees,  but  these  occurred  too 
seldom  to  have  much  influence  on  the 
landscape.’’ 

Rocky  Bluffs. — In  some  parts  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  present  an  as- 
pect widely  different  from  that  of  the 
prevailing  scenery  in  this  state.  At 
that  point  especially  which  is  represent- 
ed in  the  above  engraving,  the  eye  is 
struck  by  bold  outlines  rising  far  above 
the  ordinary  level  of  the  alluvion.  The 
three  rocky  bluffs  here  seen  standing 
side  by  side,  at  equal  distances  and  of 
nearly  equal  size,  are  terminated  in  small 
horizontal  terraces,  which  seem  to  in- 
dicate that  they  are  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  high  plain,  elsewhere  torn  away 
or  sunk  by  some  tremendous  convulsion 
of  nature.  These  eminences  stand  like 
castles,  fabricated  by  gigantic  hands,  or 
cut  out  of  the  living  rock,  with  sides 
lemarkably  perpendicular,  smooth,  and 
uniform ; and  the  crevices  which  here 
and  there  mark  the  surface,  occur  at 
such  points  and  of  such  forms  as  to  bear 
a considerable  resemblance  to  windows, 
loopholes,  and  embrasures. 


The  picturesque  effect  of  these  bluffs 
is  much  increased  by  their  singularity, 
and  the  extreme  rarity  of  eminences  of 
all  kinds  along  the  lower  parts  of  the  riv- 
er’s course.  The  narrow  belt  of  low- 
land which  intervenes  between  the  water 
and  the  bases  of  the  rocks,  with  the  scat- 
tering trees  and  groves  by  which  it  is 
partly  shaded,  and  the  masses  of  forest- 
foliage  which  form  the  background,  com- 
bine to  render  this  wild  scene  one  of  the 
most  striking  and  pleasing  to  the  eye 
of  the  traveller. 

In  the  water  is  seen  one  of  the  flat- 
bottomed  boats  before  mentioned.  They 
are  constructed  with  skill,  and  well  serve 
the  purpose  for  which  they  are  designed, 
although  formed  of  boards  fastened  by 
a few  timbers.  Being  filled  with  large 
quantities  of  various  articles,  they  float 
down  to  New  Orleans  with  the  current, 
and  seldom  suffer  injury  on  the  way. 

There  is  an  Indian  tradition  that  the 
Kansas  tribe  were  utterly  destroyed  at 
this  place  by  their  enemies.  Their  to- 
tem, or  pretended  guardian  spirit,  was 
a white  fawn.  An  animal  of  this  de- 
scription, it  was  said,  afterward  haunted 
the  spot  at  night. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


Description  of  a Prairie,  by  Al- 
bert Pike. — The  world  of  prairie  which 
lies  at  a distance  of  more  than  three 
hundred  miles  west  of  the  inhabited  por- 
tions of  the  United  States,  and  south  of 
the  river  Arkansas  and  its  branches,  has 
been  rarely,  and  parts  of  it  never,  trod- 
den by  the  foot,  or  beheld  by  the  eye, 
of  an  Anglo-American.  Rivers  rise 
there,  in  the  broad  level  waste,  of  which, 
mighty  though  they  become  in  their 
course,  the  source  is  unexplored.  Des- 
erts are  there,  too  barren  of  grass  to 
support  even  the  hardy  buffalo,  and  in 
which  water,  except  in  here  and  there 
a hole,  is  never  found.  Ranged  over 
by  the  Camanches,  the  Pawnees,  and 
Caiwas,  and  other  equally  wandering, 
savage,  and  hostile  tribes,  its  very  name 
is  a mystery  and  a terror.  The  Paw- 
nees have  their  villages  entirely  north 
of  this  part  of  the  country  ; and  the  war 
parties,  always  on  foot,  are  seldom  to 
be  met  with  to  the  south  of  the  Cana- 
dian, except  close  in  upon  the  edges  of 
the  white  and  civilized  Indian  settle- 
ments. Extending  on  the  south  to  the 
Rio  del  Norte,  on  the  north  to  a distance 
unknown,  eastwardly  to  within  three  or 
four  hundred  miles  of  the  edge  of  Ar- 
kansas territory,  and  westwardly  to  the 
Rocky  mountains,  is  the  range  of  the 
Camanches.  Abundantly  supplied  with 
good  horses  from  the  immense  herds  of 
the  prairie,  they  range,  at  different  times 
of  the  year,  over  the  whole  of  this  vast 
country.  Their  war  and  hunting  par- 
ties follow  the  buffalo  continually.  In 
the  winter  they  may  be  found  in  the 
south,  encamped  along  the  Rio  del  Norte, 
and  under  the  mountains  ; and  in  the 
summer  on  the  Canadian,  and  to  the 
north  of  it,  and  on  the  Pecos.  Some- 
times they  haunt  the  Canadian  in  the 
winter,  but  not  so  commonly  as  in  the 
summer.  It  is  into  this  great  Ameri- 
can desert  that  I wish  to  conduct  my 
readers. 

Imagine  yourself  standing  in  a plain 
to  which  your  eye  can  see  no  bounds. 
Not  a tree,  nor  a bush,  not  a shrub,  nor 
a tall  weed,  lifts  its  head  above  the  bar- 
ren grandeur  of  the  desert ; not  a stone 
is  to  be  seen  upon  its  hard-beaten  sur- 
face ; no  undulations,  no  abruptness,  no 


STATE  OF  ARKANSAS.  463 


break,  to  relieve  the  monotony — noth- 
ing, save  here  and  there  a deep  narrow 
track,  worn  into  the  hard  plain  by  the 
constant  hoof  of  the  buffalo.  Imagine, 
then,  countless  herds  of  buffalo,  showing 
their  unwieldly,  dark  shapes,  in  every 
direction  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  and 
approaching  at  times  to  within  forty 
steps  of  you  ; or  a herd  of  wild  horses 
feeding  in  the  distance,  or  hurrying  away 
from  the  hateful  smell  of  man,  with  their 
manes  floating,  and  a trampling  like 
thunder.  Imagine  here  and  there  a sol- 
itary antelope,  or  perhaps  a whole  herd, 
fleeting  off  in  the  distance,  like  the  scat- 
tering of  white  clouds.  Imagine  bands 
of  white,  snow-like  wolves,  prowling 
about,  accompanied  by  the  little  gray 
collotes  or  prairie-wolves,  who  are  as 
rapacious  and  as  noisy  as  their  bigger 
brethren.  Imagine,  also,  here  and  there 
a lonely  tiger-cat,  lying  crouched  in 
some  little  hollow,  or  bounding  off  in 
triumph,  bearing  some  luckless  little 
prairie-dog,  which  it  has  caught  strag- 
gling about  at  a distance  from  his  hole. 
If  to  this  you  add  a band  of  Camanches, 
mounted  on  noble  swift  horses,  with 
their  long  lances,  their  quiver  at  the 
back,  their  bow,  perhaps  their  gun,  and 
their  shield  ornamented  gaudily  with 
feathers  and  red  cloth,  and  round  as  Nor- 
val’s,  or  as  the  full  moon;  and  imagine 
them  hovering  about  in  different  places, 
chasing  the  buffalo  or  attacking  an  en- 
emy— you  have  an  image  of  the  prairie, 
such  as  no  book  ever  described  ade- 
quately to  me. 

I have  seen  the  prairie  under  all  its 
diversities,  and  in  all  its  appearances, 
from  those  which  I have  described,  to 
the  uneven,  bushy  prairies  which  lie 
south  of  Red  river,  and  to  the  illimit- 
able Stake  prairie,  which  lies  from  al- 
most under  the  shadow  of  the  mountains 
to  the  heads  of  the  Brazos  and  of  Red 
river,  and  in  which  neither  buffaloes  nor 
horses  are  to  be  found.  I have  seen 
the  prairie,  and  lived  in  it,  in  summer 
and  in  winter.  I have  seen  it  with  the 
sun  rising  calmly  from  its  breast,  like 
a sudden  fire  kindled  in  the  dim  distance, 
and  with  the  sunset  flushing  in  the  sky 
with  quiet  and  sublime  beauty.  There 
is  less  of  the  gorgeous  and  grand  char- 


464  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


acter,  however,  belonging  to  it,  than 
that  which  accompanies  the  rise  and  set 
of  the  sun  upon  the  ocean,  or  upon  the 
mountains  ; but  there  are  beauty  and 
sublimity  enough  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion and  interest  the  mind. 

I have  also  seen  the  mirage , painting 
lakes,  and  fires,  and  groves,  on  the  grassy 
ridges  near  the  bounds  of  Missouri,  in 
the  still  autumn  afternoon,  and  cheating 
the  traveller  by  its  splendid  deceptions. 
I have  seen  the  prairie,  and  stood  long 
and  weary  guard  in  it,  by  moonlight  and 
starlight,  and  in  storm.  It  strikes  me 
as  the  most  magnificent,  stern,  and  ter- 
ribly  grand  scene  on  earth.  A storm  in 
the  prairie  is  much  like  a storm  at  sea, 
except  in  one  respect — and  in  that  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  superior — the  still- 
ness of  the  desert  and  illimitable  plain, 
while  the  snow  is  raging  over  its  sur- 
face, is  always  more  fearful  to  me  than 
the  wild  roll  of  the  waves  ; and  it  seems 
unnatural — this  dead  quiet,  while  the 
upper  elements  are  so  fiercely  disturbed  ! 
it  seems  as  if  there  ought  to  be  the  roll 
and  roar  of  the  waves.  The  sea,  the 
woods,  the  mountains,  all  suffer  in  com- 
parison with  the  prairie — that  is,  on 
the  whole  ; in  particular  circumstances, 
either  of  them  is  superior.  We  may 
speak  of  the  incessant  motion  and  tu- 
mult of  the  waves  of  the  ocean  ; the  un- 
bounded greenness  and  dimness,  and  the 
lonely  music,  of  the  forests  ; and  the 
high  magnificence,  the  precipitous  gran- 
deur, and  the  summer  snow  of  the  glit- 
tering cones  of  the  mountains  : but  still 
the  prairie  has  a stronger  hold  upon 
the  soul,  and  a more  powerful,  if  not  so 
vivid  an  impression  upon  the  feelings. 
Its  sublimity  arises  from  its  unbounded 
extent — its  barren  monotony  and  desola- 
tion— its  still,  unmoved,  calm,  stern,  and 
most  impressive  grandeur — its  strange 
power  of  deception — its  want  of  echo — 
and,  in  fine,  its  power  of  throwing  a man 
back  upon  himself,  and  giving  him  a 
feeling  of  lone  helplessness,  strangely 
mingled  at  the  same  time  with  a feeling 
of  liberty  and  freedom  from  restraint. 
It  is  particularly  sublime  as  you  draw 
nigh  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  see 
them  shoot  up  in  the  west,  with  their 
lofty  tops  looking  like  white  clouds  rest- 


STATE OF  ARKANSAS. 


ing  upon  their  summits.  Nothing  ever 
equalled  the  intense  feeling  of  delight 
with  which  I at  first  saw  the  eternal 
mountains  marking  the  western  edge  of 
the  desert. 

The  constitution  of  the  state  of  Ar- 
kansas was  adopted  in  1836,  in  which 
year  it  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 
The  governor  is  chosen  for  four  years, 
and  prohibited  to  hold  office  more  than 
eight  years  in  twelve.  Senators  are 
chosen  for  four  years  by  the  people,  and 
representatives  for  two  years.  Elec- 
tions are  made  viva  voce.  The  senate 
can  never  consist  of  fewer  than  seven- 
teen members,  or  more  than  thirty-three  ; 
the  house  of  representatives  from  fifty- 
four  to  one  hundred.  The  legislature 
meets  once  in  two  years.  Judges  of 
the  supreme  court  are  appointed  by  the 
legislature  for  eight  years,  those  of  the 
circuit  court  for  four  years.  The  judges 
of  the  county  courts  are  chosen  by  jus- 
tices of  the  peace. 

Every  white  male  citizen  of  the 
United  States  is  entitled  to  vote  after  a 
residence  of  two  years. 

There  are  ten  academies  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  common  schools  in  the 
state. 

Little  Rock. — This  town  is  the  cap- 
ital of  Arkansas,  and  is  situated  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Arkansas  river,  on  an 
elevated  and  rocky  bluff,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  its  level.  The  dis- 
tance from  New  Orleans  by  the  course 
of  the  stream  is  nine  hundred  and  five 
miles.  This  is  the  first  place,  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  where  rocks  present 
themselves  above  the  surface  of  the  im- 
mense alluvion  which  lies  on  its  west- 
ern border. 

The  town  contains  the  statehouse,  the 
penitentiary,  an  arsenal  of  the  United 
States,  a land-office,  two  banks,  five 
churches,  a theatre,  an  academy,  and 
over  four  thousand  inhabitants. 

Steamboats  go  to  New  Orleans,  and 
up  the  river  to  Fort  Gibson.  Stage- 
coaches leave  the  town  three  times  a 
week  for  Washington  ; and  also  for  Van 
Buren,  St.  Louis  via  Batesville,  and 
Frederickstown  (Missouri);  and  twice 
a week  for  Rock  Koe,  whence  steam- 
boats go  to  New  Orleans. 


Arkansas  Post  is  on  the  left  bank  of 
Arkansas  river,  six  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  miles  above  New  Orleans.  It  stands 
on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground,  and  has 
a courthouse  with  about  two  hundred 
inhabitants.  Steamboats  run  hence  to 
Little  Rock  and  New  Orleans. 

Helena. — This  is  a small  town  on 
the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  contains 
about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  It  has 
a land-office  and  a courthouse.  Steam- 
boats touch  from  New  Orleans  and  the 
principal  cities  of  the  Mississippi  and 
its  branches. 

Hot  Springs  is  six  miles  north  of 
Ouachitta  river,  and  sixty  miles  distant 
from  Little  Rock.  It  contains  about 
one  hundred  inhabitants  with  a court- 
house. It  is  situated  near  a mountain, 
from  the  base  of  which,  on  the  western 
side,  flow  the  springs  which  have  given 
a name  and  celebrity  to  the  place  ; they 
are  about  fifty  in  number,  and  empty 
into  a small  stream,  which  is  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Ouachitta.  The  springs 
are  warm,  differing  in  temperature  from 
one  hundred  and  ten  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  bear  a 
high  character  for  their  restorative  qual- 
ities, especially  in  chronic  rheumatism, 
scrofula,  gout,  and  several  cutaneous 
affections. 

Good  accommodations  are  provided 
for  visiters,  who,  resort  to  the  place  in 
considerable  numbers. 

The  Chalybeate  Springs  are  three 
miles  northeast  of  the  Hot  springs,  and 
are  no  less  esteemed.  The  water  is 
cold,  and  impregnated  with  iron. 

The  Sulphur  Springs , thirty  miles 
from  Hot  springs,  have  been  known  only 
a short  time. 

Statistics. — According  to  the  census 
of  1840,  the  whole  amount  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  state  was  97,574  ; of  whom 
there  were  42,211  whitp  males,  34,963 
white  females,  19,935  slaves,  and  465 
free  colored  persons.  By  the  census  of 
1850,  the  population  of  Arkansas  was, 
162,225  whites,  590  free-colored  persons, 
and  45,075  slaves;  total  207,890. 

Indians. — Some  poor  remains  of 
tribes  once  inhabiting  the  fertile  fields 
of  Arkansas,  are  still  to  be  seen,  but  in  a 
degraded  and  wretched  condition.  The 


following  translations  of  speeches  made 
many  years  ago  by  two  chiefs,  one  of 
them  belonging  to  the  Arkansas  nation, 
too  plainly  indicate  the  destructive  ef- 
fects of  demoralizing  intercourse  on  the 
one  hand,  and  of  the  wars  by  which 
they  were  reduced  to  subjection  on  the 
other. 

The  following  is  a speech  of  an  In- 
dian', from  the  Arkansas  tribe,  directed 
to  Bossu,  a Frenchman.  In  the  year 
1770,  Bossu,  of  whom  we  have  a good 
account  of  his  travels  through  North 
America,  visited  the  Arkansas  tribe, 
among  whom  he  had  formerly  lived  many 
years.  They  received  him  in  the  most 
friendly  manner.  After  dinner,  an  In- 
dian orator  arose,  and  shewing  his  re- 
spect to  the  chief  and  the  nation,  thus 
addressed  Bossu  : “ It  is  a long  time, 
Father,  that  we  have  not  seen  thy  face. 
Our  whole  nation  rejoices  to  see  thee 
walk  again  on  our  earth,  which  is  white, 
and  has  never  been  stained  with  the 
blood  of  thy  nationv  All  thy  children, 
the  Arkansas,  have  wept  for  thee,  not 
knowing  what  fate,  since  fourteen  har- 
vests and  six  moons,  had  met  thee. 
We  hope  now  that  thou  wilt  no  more 
cross  the  great  salty  sea,  in  order  to  re- 
turn to  the  great  village  of  the  French- 
men, where  thou  hast  been,  and  where, 
according  to  reports,  thou  wast  impris- 
oned in  a locked  cottage  (called  Bastile), 
because  bad  reports  were  raised  against 
thee  through  the  speaking  bark,”  mean- 
ing letters.  “If  thou  hadst  remained 
with  us,  this  would  not  have  happened 
to  thee.  Here  the  strong  does  not  op- 
press the  weak.  The  malicious  is  not 
happy,  and  good  men  are  not  punished. 
Here  the  red  men  do  not  kill  their  breth- 
ren, as  the  white  men  do,  for  land  and 
yellow  iron,”  meaning  gold,  “ which  we 
despise.  Here  the  earth  nourishes  us, 
which  we  cultivate,  without  trouble. 
Those  to  whom  it  gives  the  most,  do  not 
treasure  up  their  harvest  of  potatoes, 
maize,  or  Indian  corn,  in  order  to  obtain 
advantage  from  the  misfortunes  of  oth- 
ers, and  to  rob  them  of  their  provisions, 
like  the  Europeans.  On  the  contrary, 
the  Arkansas  rejoice  if  they  can  sup 
port  widows,  orphans,  the  aged,  and  the 
helpless.  Here  we  live  contented,  with- 


30 


466  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ARKANSAS 

out  being  tormented  by  burning  pas- 
sions, like  the  white  men,  and  without 
committing  murders  or  terrific  crimes. 
Every  one  is  here  subject  to  the  will 
of  the  great  Spirit.  Here,  every  man 
serves  him,  in  the  best  manner,  in  a 
plain  temple  without  decorations,  under 
the  shade  of  an  ancient  green  tree,  from 
which  flows  an  odoriferous  gum.  Re- 
main for  ever  with  us,  and  let  our  people 
be  thy  people.” 

In  the  year  1720,  a savage,  from  the 
Chitimachas  nation,  had  murdered  a 
French  missionary.  Bienville,  gover- 
nor of  Louisiana,  declared  and  made 
war  against  the  whole  nation.  Peace 
was  obtained,  on  .presenting  the  head 
of  the  murderer.  In  producing  the  cal- 
umet of  peace,  one  of  the  Indians  ad- 
dressed the  governor  thus  : “ My  heart 
laughs  for  joy  to  see  thy  face.  All  of 
us  have  heard  the  word  of  peace  which 
thou  hast  sent.  The  heart  of  the  whole 
nation  laughs  so  for  joy,  as  to  hear  it 
beat.  Our  women,  in  this  moment,  have 
forgotten  the  past,  and  have  danced,  and 
our  children  have  jumped  like  young 
fawns.  On  thy  command,  we  will  run 
and  jump,  like  deer,  to  please  thee.  0 
how  beautiful  is  the  sun  to-day,  in  com- 
parison with  that  time  when  thou  wast 
angry  at  us  ! How  dangerous  is  a bad 
man  ! Thou  knowest  that  only  one  has 
killed  the  praying  chief,”  the  mission- 
ary, “ whose  death  has  brought  our  best 
warriors  to  the  grave.  We  are  only 
left  with  old  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  stretch  forth  their  hands  to  thee  as 
a good  father.  The  gall  which  for- 
merly filled  thy  heart  has  been  changed 
into  honey.  The  great  Spirit  is  no  more 
angry  against  our  nation. 

“ Thou  hast  requested  the  head  of 
the  bad  man,  to  make  peace,  and  we 
have  sent  it.  Heretofore  the  sun  was 
red,  the  road  was  covered  with  briers 
and  thorns,  the  clouds  were  black,  the 
water  thick  and  colored  with  blood.  Our 
women  wept,  without  cessation,  over 
their  dying  men  and  relations,  and  were 
afraid  even  to  fetch  wood,  to  prepare 
our  food.  Our  children  wept  for  fear; 
our  warriors  were  under  arms,  at  the 
least  screech  of  the  night-owl,  and  they 
slept  in  no  other  manner  than  with  their 

tomahawks  in  their  hands.  Our  wig- 
wams were  forsaken,  and  our  fields  were 
uncultivated.  We  all  appeared  with 
empty  stomachs  and  long  faces.  The 
venison  took  flight  before  us  ; the  ser- 
pents hissed  for  anger,  and  lengthened 
their  stings  ; the  birds,  nestling  near  our 
wigwams,  by  their  mournful  voices  sang  i 
obituary  tunes.  But  to-day,  the  sun  is  1 
brilliant,  the  sky  is  clear,  the  clouds  1 
have  moved,  the  roads  are  covered  with 
roses,  our  gardens  and  fields  will  be 
cultivated,  and  we  will  offer  to  the  great 
Spirit  the  firstlings  of  their  fruits.  The 
water  is  so  clear  that  it  represents  to  us 
our  image ; the  serpents  take  flight,  or 
are  changed  into  eels;  the  birds  rejoice 
as  by  their  sweet  song;  our  women  and 
children  dance  and  jump,  that  they  for- 
get to  eat  and  drink.  The  heart  of  the 
whole  nation  laughs  for  joy,  that,  at 
present,  we  thy  people  can  walk  united 
on  the  same  road.  The  same  sun  will 
give  light  to  us  both.  We  will  have  but 
one  united  word,  and  our  hearts  shall 
be  one.  Whoever  will  kill  the  French- 
men, them  will  we  kill.  Our  warriors 
shall  go  hunting  to  kill  venison  for  il»sm, 
and  then  we  will  eat  all  together.  Is 
this  not  good  ] What  dost  thou  say  to 
thi%,  father  ?” 

When  we  take  into  view  the  extent 
of  the  territory  of  this  state,  with  its 
variety  of  surface  and  soil — the  number, 
directions,  and  navigable  character  of 
its  streams,  and  the  favorable  nature  of 
the  climate — we  can  not  but  anticipate  a 
rapid  increase  in  population  and  wealth. 
Unfavorable  circumstances  indeed  exist, 
but  not  greater  than  in  many  older  states 
in  its  neighborhood,  which  have  made, 
and  are  still  making,  great  advances. 

Early  and  due  attention  to  public 
education  and  moral  improvement,  can 
hardly  be  overlooked  by  the  intelligent, 
virtuous,  and  public-spirited  inhabitants 
of  Arkansas  ; and  here,  as  elsewhere, 
they  will  prove  the  most  solid  founda- 
tions of  permanent  prosperity.  With 
so  many  sad  warnings  as  are  here  pre- 
sented, on  the  one  hand,  of  the  dangers 
of  delay,  and,  on  the  other,  the  noble 
examples  set  by  some  other  states,  the 
Americans  have  enough  to  show  them 
“ in  what  their  great  strength  lieth.” 

This  state  is  bounded  north 
by  Kentucky,  northeast  by  Vir- 
ginia, east  by  North  Carolina, 
southeast  by  Georgia,  southwest 
by  Mississippi,  west  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  which  separates  it 
from  Arkansas,  and  northwest 
by  Missouri.  The  main  Appa- 
lachian ridge  forms  the  boundary 
line  for  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  miles,  from  the  south  bor- 
der of  Virginia  to  Macon  county; 
and  the  entire  outline  is  1,171 
_ _ _ miles.  It  is  between  35°  and 

36°  1'  north  latitude,  and  4°  39' 
and  13°  14'  west  longitude  from  Washington.  The  longest  straight  line  that  can 
be  drawn  in  this  state,  is  from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest  corner — south  sev- 
enty-seven degrees  by  calculation — almost  five  hundred  miles.  The  mean  length 
of  the  state  is  four  hundred  miles  ; the  mean  breadth,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  ; 
and  the  mean  area,  forty-five  thousand  six  hundred,  or  above  twenty-nine  millions 
of  square  acres. 

This  state  is  divided  into  two  natural  sections.  The  first  and  smaller  occupies 
a large  part  of  the  valley  of  Tennessee  river,  and  is  two  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  long  from  southwest  to  northeast,  with  a medium  breadth  of  fifty-seven 
miles,  which  embraces  a little  less  than  one  third  of  the  state.  Its  southern 
limit  is  the  ridge  of  Cumberland  mountains,  and  it  is  elevated,  cool,  and  diversi- 
fied in  surface,  with  a good  soil,  pure  air,  and  an  abundance  of  excellent  water. 
It  deserves  to  be  ranked  am  mg  the  most  attractive  portions  of  the  United  States. 
The  climate  forbids  the  culture  of  the  staples  of  the  lower  and  warmer  parts  of 
the  more  southern  districts,  and  grasses  and  grain  are  more  natural  to  it.  This 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


section  has  a rapid  declivity  toward  the 
southwest,  and  is,  in  fact,  the  reverse 
side  of  the  southern  and  highest  section 
of  Kentucky,  which  occupies  the  north 
slope  of  the  same  ridge. 

The  western  section,  embracing  above 
two  thirds  of  the  state  and  called  West- 
ern Tennessee,  is  subdivided  by  its  riv- 
ers into  two  parts,  the  northern  of  which 
embraces  parts  of  the  Cumberland  and 
Tennessee  valleys,  the  area  lying  in  the 
former  being  eleven  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred square  miles,  and  that  in  the  lat- 
ter ten  thousand  square  miles.  Central 
Tennessee  has  a declivity  toward  the 
west,  though  Tennessee  river  has  there 
a north  course.  Beyond  that  region, 
Western  Tennessee  slopes  toward  the 
Mississippi,  into  which  it  is  drained. 
That  portion  of  the  state  has  a super- 
ficies of  seven  thousand,  seven  hundred 
and  forty  square  miles,  and  contains  the 
following  rivers,  which  empty  into  the 
Mississippi:  the  Obion,  Forked  Deer, 
Big  Hatchee,  and  Wolf.  These  streams 
have  a remarkable  resemblance  in  their 
courses,  all  of  them  flowing  in  parallel 
curves,  first  northwest,  then  west,  and 
finally  southwest.  The  declivity  down 
which  they  flow  rises  at  about  the  dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Ten- 
nessee river,  and  descends  westward  by 
a gentle  slope. 

This  state,  when  first  known  to  white 
men,  was  covered  with  a thick  forest,  in 
which  the  growth  varied  greatly,  ac- 
cording to  the  various  elevation,  soil, 
and  relative  situation  of  different  parts. 
These  are  very  diversified,  from  the 
highest  points  of  Cumberland  mountains 
to  the  rich  valleys  beside  the  principal 
rivers,  and  the  low,  inundated  banks  of 
the  Mississippi. 

History. — The  whole  territory  of 
Tennessee  was  embraced  by  the  second 
charter  of  North  Carolina,  granted  by 
Charles  the  Second  in  1664;  but  the 
first  settlement  was  made  in  1754.  This 
was  not  a permanent  one ; for  the  few 
families  composing  it,  being  much  ex- 
posed to  the  Indians  in  their  remote  po- 
sition on  Cumberland  river,  were  obliged 
to  abandon  it  in  the  French  war.  In 
1757,  Fort  London  was  erected  on  the 
Little  Tennessee  river,  about  a mile 


STATE  OF  TENNESSEE. 


above  the  mouth  of  Tellico  river,  now 
in  Blount  county.  This  was  attacked 
and  taken  by  the  savages  in  1760,  when 
two  hundred  persons,  of  different  ages 
and  both  sexes,  were  killed.  In  the 
following  year,  however,  Grant’s  expe- 
dition reduced  the  Indians,  and  estab- 
lished a permanent  state  of  tranquillity 
by  treaty,  which  encouraged  the  peopling 
of  the  country.  In  1765,  settlements 
were  commenced  on  the  Holston,  which 
increased  rapidly  in  spite  of  the  oppo- 
sition made  by  the  natives. 

When  the  revolution  began,  the  inhab- 
itants, led  by  Colonel  John  Sevier,  made 
a successful  resistance  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  savages  ; and,  assisted  by 
a few  Virginia  troops,  defeated  them  in 
the  month  of  June,  1776.  Difficulties, 
however,  continued  through  the  war. 

Delegates  from  Tennessee  appeared 
in  the  first  assembly  of  the  state  of  North 
Carolina,  and  some  of  her  soldiers  as- 
sisted in  uhe  defeat  of  the  British  and 
tory  army  at  King’s  mountain,  on  the 
7th  of  October,  1780.  So  great,  how- 
ever, were  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
a settlement  of  West  Tennessee,  that 
the  site  and  vicinity  of  Nashville  were  a 
wilderness  in  1779. 

North  Carolina  made  a provisional 
cession  of  the  territory  of  this  state  to 
the  United  States  in  1784.  This  act 
was  soon  repealed,  but  the  people  ad- 
hered to  their  favorite  plan;  and,  as 
North  Carolina  persevered  in  her  oppo- 
sition to  their  independence,  the  country 
suffered  from  the  evils  of  an  uncertain 
and  unsettled  government.  The  people 
adopted  the  name  of  Frankland  for  the 
country;  but  in  1790  the  territory  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  disor- 
ders ceased.  It  received  the  name  of 
the  territory  southwest  of  the  river  Ohio. 

The  first  printing-press  was  introduced 
at  Rogersville  in  November,  1791,  and 
on  the  5th  of  that  mouth  the  Knoxville 
Gazette  appeared — the  first  newspaper 
in  Tennessee. 

Minerals. — Tennessee  abounds  in 
gypsum  and  marble  of  different  colors  ; 
and  burr-millstones  are  quarried  in  some 
parts  of  the  Cumberland  mountains. 
Iron  mines  are  numerous,  and  several 
lead  mines  have  been  worked.  Salt- 


springs  are  known  in  many  places,  but| 
they  are  not  of  sufficient  strength  to  j 
be  very  valuable.  Saltpetre  abounds  in  I 
caves. 

Harpetli  Ridge. — In  a recent  explora- 
tion in  this  region  (which  is  in  Davidson 
county),  in  company  with  the  geological 
class  of  the  college,  new  evidences  were 
discovered  of  the  correctness  of  what 
has  been  said  of  these  formations — in 
the  American  Journal  of  Science,  No.  2,  j 
new  series,  p.  222 — in  relation  to  their 
relative  age,  position,  and  identity  with  j 
the  corresponding  formations  of  Ohio 
and  New  York.  The  rocks  in  this  vi- 
cinity correspond  with  the  blue  shaly 
limestone  of  Cincinnati  and  the  sur- 
rounding region,  above  which,  in  the 
knobs  and  ridges  in  Middle  Tennessee, 
we  find  a stratum,  of  a few  feet  in  thick- 
ness, corresponding  with  the  red  en- 
crinital  limestone  of  the  Niagara  group,  j 
New  York  ; succeeding  which,  in  most 
places,  are  the  water-lime,  Onondaga 
limestone,  and  Marcellus  shale,  of  the 
New  York  geologists,  which  correspond 
with  the  water-lime,  cliff-limestone,  and 
black  shale,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Immediately  upon  the  shale  was  found 
a stratum  composed  almost  entirely  of 
the  columns  of  encrinites,  and  occasion- 
ally a beautiful  head,  which,  from  the 
disintegration  of  the  rock,  may  be  found 
detached  and  upon  the  surface.  In  this 
formation  at  Louisville- have  been  found 
eight  or  ten  undescribed  species  of  en- 
crinites, some  of  which  Dr.  Troost,  state 
geologist  of  Tennessee,  has  figured  and 
described  for  the  memoirs  of  the  Geo- 
logical society  of  France. 

Above  the  lastmentioned  rock  occurs 
a layer  of  dark’-brown  slate,  a few  feet 
in  thickness,  containing  the  strophomena 
setigera,  and  tentaculites  jissurella,  prob- 
ably corresponding  with  the  Genesee 
slate  of  New  York.  This  is  succeeded 
by  olive  shales  and  sandstone,  corre- 
sponding with  the  portage  group  of  New 
York. 

In  the  year  1846  a skeleton  was  dis- 
covered in  Tennessee,  which  was  at 
first  reported  to  be  a fossil  giant.  An 
examination  of  it,  however,  by  scien- 
tific men,  soon  detected  the  error.  We 
copy  the  following  “remarks  on  the 


fossil  bones  recently  brought  to  New 
Orleans  from  Tennessee.” 

“The  ‘Gigantic  Fossil.’ — Consid- 
able  interest  has  been  recently  excited 
by  the  announcement  of  the  discovery 
in  Tennessee  of  the  remains  of  a man 
eighteen  feet  high.  The  papers  teem 
with  accounts  of  the  prodigy,  and  pub- 
lic confidence  was  secured  by  the  as- 
sertion that  the  distinguished  physicians 
of  the  west  had  testified  that  they  were 
human  remains.  About  the  last  of  De- 
cember these  remains  reached  this  city  ; 
and  on  the  first  of  January  I was  re- 
quested by  a distinguished  surgeon  here 
to  go  with  him,  on  the  invitation  of  the 
proprietor,  to  examine  them,  and  give 
an  opinion.  They  had  been  erected  in  a 
high  room  ; the  skeleton  was  sustained 
in  its  erect  position  by  a large  upright 
beam  of  timber.  At  a glance  it  was 
apparent  that  it  was  nothing  more  than 
the  skeleton  of  a young  mastodon  (one 
of  Godman’s  letracaulodons,  with  sock- 
ets for  four  tusks).  The  bones  of  the 
leg  and  ankle  were  complete,  the  met- 
atarsal bones  wanting.  The  bones  of 
the  anterior  extremities  were  complete  to 
the  metacarpal  bones,  which  were  pres- 
ent in  one  leg,  the  phalanges  waiting. 
Most  of  the  vertebras  were  present ; the 
ribs  mostly  of  wood.  The  pelvic  ar- 
rangement was  entirely  of  wood ; the 
scapulae  were  present,  but  somewhat 
broken,  and  were  rigged  on  with  a most 
human-like  elevation,  pieces  of  ribs  sup- 
plying the  want  of  clavicles.  The  os- 
seous parts  of  the  head  were  portions, 
nearly  complete,  of  the  upper  and  lower 
jaws.  Some  of  the  molars  were  quite 
complete ; of  the  tusks,  only  one  little 
stump  remained,  but  the  four  alveoli  of 
the  upper  jaw  had  large  incisive-look- 
ing wooden  teeth  fitted  into  them,  and 
the  lower  jaw  supplied  to  correspond. 
The  cranium  was  entirely  wanting  from 
the  lower  margin  of  the  orbits,  back  ; 
but  a raw-hide  cranium  was  fitted  on, 
which  was  much  more  becoming  to  the 
animal  in  his  new  capacity  than  the  old 
one  would  have  been. 

The  artificial  construction  was  prin- 
cipally in  the  pelvis  and  head ; and, 
taking  it  as  thus  built  up — in  its  half- 
human, half-beastlike  look,  with  its  great 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


hooked,  incisive-  teeth — it  certainly  must 
have  conveyed  to  the  ignorant  spectator 
a most  horrible  idea  of  a hideous,  dia- 
bolical giant,  of  which  he  dreamed,  no 
doubt,  for  months.  To  one  informed  in 
such  matters,  it  really  presented  a most 

I ludicrous  figure. 

| “ The  person  who  had  it  for  exhi- 

bition was  honest,  I believe,  in  his  con- 

| victions  as  to  its  being  the  remains  of  a 
man,  having  been  confirmed  in  them  by 
numerous  physicians,  whose  certificates' 
he  had  in  his  possession  ; and,  having 
asked  and  received  my  opinion,  he  de- 
termined to  box  it  up,  never  again  to 
be  exhibited  as  the  remains  of  a human 
being.” 

Dr.  Troost  endeavors  to  show  that 
the  bodies  which  have  been  found  in  the 
caves  of  Tennessee  are  not  probably 
mummies,  but  merely  dried  cadavers, 
exhibiting  no  marks  of  embalmingor  art- 
ificial preparation.  He  doubts  whether 
one  of  these,  which  he  examined,  was 
even  of  remote  antiquity.  The  other 
question  is  respecting  the  numerous 
graves  found  in  the  western  states  some 
years  ago,  and  which  were  said  to  con- 
tain the  remains  of  an  extinct  pigmy 
race  of  human  beings.  Dr.  Troost  sup- 
poses these  graves  to  contain  the  col- 
lected bones  of  the  slain  in  battle.  The 
Indian  custom  was  to  carry  their  slain 
to  their  own  towns,  and  hang  them  up 
in  mats' on  trees.  At  their  general  burn- 
ing festivals,  the  bones  thus  preserved 
were  collected  and  buried,  “ and  thence 
in  my  opinion,”  says  the  doctor,  “ those 
numerous  small  graves  which  are  attrib- 
uted, but  I believe  erroneously,  to  pig- 
mies. I have  opened  numbers  of  these 
small  graves,  and  have  found  them  filled 
with  a parcel  of  mouldered  bones,  which, 
judging  from  some  fragments  I have 
seen,  belonged  to  common-sized  men. 
In  one  of  them  I found,  among  these 
mouldered  bones,  two  occipital  bones  ; 
of  course,  it  was  a mere  mixture  of 
bones  belonging  to  more  than  one  body. 
These  bones  lay  without  any  order.” 
The  doctor  then  considers  the  circum- 
stances attending:  the  ancient  and  exten- 
6ive  buiying-grounds  found  in  Tennes- 
see. He  mentions  one  near  Nashville, 
about  a mile  in  length  and  of  unknown 


STATE  OF  TENNESSEE. 


breadth,  in  which  is  found  stone  coffins 
so  close  to  one  another,  that  each  corpse 
is  separated  from  its  neighbor  by  only 
a single  stone,  the  side  of  one  coffin 
forming  one  of  the  sides  of  the  next. 
In  a circle  of  about  ten  miles  in  diam- 
eter, there  are  six  extensive  buryirig- 
grounds.  These  graves  are  supposed  to 
contain  the  remains  of  an  extinct  race. 
The  extinct  race  is  supposed  to  have 
been  less  civilized  than  the  Indians  who 
were  found  here  at  the  time  of  Colum- 
bus. This  is  inferred  from  the  trinkets 
and  utensils  found  in  the  graves  being 
of  a very  rude  construction,  and  all 
formed  of  some  natural  product — none 
of  metal.  Dr.  Troost  says  that  the 
examination  of  these  trinkets,  &c.,  has 
created  in  him  an  opinion  that  the  peo- 
ple to  whom  they  belonged,  and  in  whose 
graves  they  are  found,  came  from  some 
tropical  country,  and  adduces  many  co- 
gent reasons  for  thinking  so.  That  they 
were  idolaters,  and,  from  their  idols — 
several  of  which  are  in  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Troost — acquainted  with  some 
of  the  idolatrous  mysteries  of  the  Egyp- 
tian and  other  eastern  nations,  is  very 
evident.  This  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  this  con- 
tinent had  an  eastern  origin,  and  is  cor- 
roborative of  a common  opinion. 

Caverns. — The  caves  may  well  be 
ranked  among  the  natural  curiosities  of 
the  country.  One  is  four  hundred  feet 
deep,  with  a stream  of  pure  water  at  the 
bottom  ; and  one  cave,  on  one  of  the 
peaks  of  Cumberland  mountains,  is  of 
greater  extent  than  is  yet  known.  Some 
of  them  are  several  miles  in  extent,  and 
present  sides  and  roofs  of  remarkable 
uniformity,  with  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  cut  by  art,  or  worn  by  the 
washing  of  streams.  One  has  been  ex- 
plored for  a distance  of  ten  miles. 

Statistics. — According  to  the  census 
of  1840,  the  population  of  the  state  was 
829,210  ; of  whom  there  were  325,434 
white  males;  315,193  white  females; 
183,059  slaves;  2,796  free  colored  per- 
sons. According  to  the  census  of  1850, 
the  populaiion  was  767,319  whites,  6,280 
free  colored  persons,  and  249,519  slaves  ; 
total  1,023,118. 

Furnaces. — An  official  report  to  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TENNESSEE.  471 

legislature  of  Tennessee  sets  down  the 
capital  employed  in  the  iron  business 
at  $4,100,000,  and  the  annual  products 
at  the  same  amount.  Three  fourths  of 
this  capital  is  employed  in  Middle  Ten- 
nessee. On  the  Cumberland  river,  near 
Nashville,  there  are  “ twenty-one  blast- 
furnaces,-eleven  forges,  and  three  splen- 
did rolling-mills,  which  yield  annually 
about  $800,000.”  On  the-  Tennessee 
river  “ there  are  twelve  furnaces,  and 
eight  forges  and  bloomeries,  which  pro- 
duce about  180,000  tons  annually.” 

The  agricultural  products  of  Tennes- 
see are  in  value  $57,551,820;  while 
those  of  Ohio  are  only  $57,899,390,  and 
of  New  York  57,685,400  : showing  Ten- 
nessee to  be  the  third  state  in  the  Union 
in  productive  wealth. 

The  ordinary  revenue  of  the  state  in 
1850  was  $200,000. 

“ The  original  settlers,”  says  a late  in- 
telligent letter-writer,  “came  of  a good 
stock.  A strong  religious,  puritan-like 
character  was  that  of  the  leading  men 
among  them  ; and  although  multiplied 
sects  have  since  sprung  up,  there  is  a 
leaven  of  it  still  remaining. 

“ East  Tennesseans  are  sometimes 
called  the  yankees  of  the  south.  They 
have  strong  sense,  shrewdness,  and  pa- 
tience in  labor,  like  your  New-Eng- 
lander.  There  is  probably  some  degen- 
eracy, however,  from  the  heroic  age  of 
this  people. 

“ The  early  days  of  Indian  fighting, 
and  of  manifold  struggles  and  privations, 
were  the  days  of  peculiar  energy  and 
fortitude — the  like  of  which  are  not  ex- 
hibited now  in  the  various  departments 
of  peaceful  life.  * There  is  an  aspect  of 
newness  visible  here  and  there ; there 
are  indications  of  progress,  but  there 
are  also  signs  of  decay.  Some  things 
are  waxing  old  and  ready  to  vanish  away 
in  this  state,  which  has  lived  as  a state 
but  fifty  years. 

“ Near  the  Holston  is  a hill,  at  the 
foot  of  which  the  first-appointed  gover- 
nor of  the  southwestern  territory  landed 
and  selected  his  residence.  President 
Washington  had  sent  him  out.  Peace 
established  with  Great  Britain — the  con- 
stitution formed,  and  states  settling  down 
quietly  under  it — had  not  given  peace 

or  protection  to  the  vast  region  west  of 
the  mountains.  Conflicts  with  Indians, 
collisions  with  Spaniards — then  our  pow- 
erful neighbors  south  and  southwest — 
went  on  for  years,  with  bloody  forages 
and  wild  adventures  on  both  sides.  The 
federal  governor  came — a man  prudent 
in  policy  and  conduct.  At  that  time 
the  town  where  I am  writing  was  com- 
menced ; it  took  the  honored  name  of 
Knox,  after  the  then  secretary  of  war. 
Andrew  Jackson,  then  a young  lawyer 
recently  from  North  Carolina,  was  made 
United  States  district  attorney.  On  this 
spot  the  state  government  was  first  set  , 
up,  and  here  was  its  seat  for  many  years. 
The  eastern  part,  for  some  purposes,  is 
really  a state  within  itself.  One  day  it 
made  the  attempt  to  set  up  for  itself. 
With  a little  corner  of  Virginia,  and 
another  fragment  of  North  Carolina, 
East  Tennessee  constituted  itself  the 
state  of  Frankland,  but  the  effort  was 
premature.  It  is  the  Switzerland  of 
the  south.  The  Cumberland  mountains, 
which  divide  the  state  on  a part  of  its 
northern  boundary  from  Kentucky,  turn 
sheer  out  of  their  straight  course,  and, 
sweeping  across  the  state,  terminate 
abruptly  in  Georgia.  The  Unakas,  com- 
ing down  from  North  Carolina  on  the 
east,  meet  them  there,  and  both  ranges 
together  hem  in  this  mountainous  dis- 
trict. 

“ But,  with  the  tokens  of  retrogres- 
sion and  decay  above  adverted  to,  what 
shall  be  done  to  secure,  permanence  to- 
gether with  true  progress  % Perhaps  a 
fresh  infusion  of  vital  force  is  needed. 
No  portion  of  the  Union,  I think,  would 
better  please  the  industrious  farmer  of 
New  England  ; and  such  men,  as  a class, 
would  be  acceptable  to  this  population. 
Both  would  be  benefited  by  the  acces- 
sion. Elements  of  agricultural  and  man- 
ufacturing skill  found  among  them  are 
needed  here  ; they  would  do  substantial 
service,  and  would  find  their  reward. 

“ This  soil  yields  a fine  increase  witb 
no  great  labor  bestowed  upon  it — with- 
out scientific,  not  to  say  careful  culti- 
vation. In  corn,  no  state  equals  Ten- 
nessee. On  these  hills  sheep  could  be 
raised  in  great  numbers,  if  only  the 

1 dogs  were  reduced  in  number  at  the 

same  time  The  climate  is  very  agree- 
able— most  grateful  to  invalids.  People 
were  crossing  the  ice  at  Albany  and  on 
Lake  Champlain,  when  the  peach-trees 
had  long  since  bloomed  with  us;  gar- 
dens were  beginning  to  look  well;  in 
some  places,  it  was  already  late  to 
make  them  here,  when  snow  was  lying 
ten  feet  deep  in  Vermont  the  last  sea- 
son. Fruits,  flowers,  and  crops,  come 
some  five  or  six  weeks  earlier  than  in 
your  vicinity,  and  there  is  abundance 
for  all.  Without  the  oppressive  heat  of 
more  southern  climes,  this  region  has  a 
bland  atmosphere,  and  the  freshness  and 
vigorous  life  of  more  northern  countries. 
Its  position,  southern  and  elevated,  gives 
it  that  combination. 

“ These  mountains  have  sent  out  no 
small  part  of  the  active  men  of  the  en- 
tire southwest.  Many  of  their  fore- 
most men  were  trained  among  these 
hills.” 

Among  the  curiosities  of  Tennessee  | 
are  the  celebrated  foot-prints  on  some 
parts  of  the  Cumberland  mountains. 
The  rocks  on  which  they  have  been  ob- 
served are  of  limestone,  and  some  of 
them  have  been  supposed  to  be  the 
tracks  of  men,  others  of  horses  and  oxen, 
and  all  of  recent  date.  Some  observers, 
on  the  other  hand,  have  regarded  them 
as  the  tracks  of  bears  and  other  wild 
beasts,  and  probably  very  ancient. 

Petrifactions  of  various  kinds  abound 
in  some  parts  of  the  state.  Near  the 
southern  line  are  three  petrified  trees, 
nearly  entire.  One  of  them  is  a cypress, 
another  a sycamore,  and  the  third  a wal- 
nut. They  were  discovered  in  conse- 
quence of  the  falling  of  a bank  on  the 
south  shore  of  the  Tennessee  river. 
Claws,  teeth,  and  bones,  of  different  large 
animals,  have  been  found  in  numerous 
places.  Logs,  too,  in  various  stages  of 
change,  have  been  dug  up  at  various 
depths  ; and  both  mineral  coal  and  char- 
coal have  been  found  at  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground. 

Cascades. — These  are  numerous,  and 
many  of  them  very  picturesque.  One 
of  the  most  beautiful  is  the  “ Falling 
Water,”  on  a branch  of  Caney  creek, 
eight  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  sixty 


| miles  from  Carthage.  The  stream  has 
| a rapid  course  for  some  distance  before 
I it  reaches  the  cascade,  having  a descent 
! of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  within  a 
I short  distance,  when  it  makes  a precip- 
j itous  leap  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  or 
! two  hundred  feet,  in  a single  sheet, 
eighty  feet  broad. 

I The  fall  on  Taylor’s  creek  is  still 
I more  remarkable,  as  the  scenery  is  more 
| wild,  and  the  approach  attended  with 
! Touch  danger,  while  the  perpendicular 
j descent  is  greater,  being,  as  some  say, 
from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  What  adds  to  the  impressive, 
gloomy,  and  terrific  effect  of  the  scene, 
is  a large  overhanging  rock,  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  high,  which  almost  ex- 
cludes the  sight  of  the  sky,  and  throws 
its  shade  over  the  wild  and  foaming 
sheets  of  falling  water,  which  are  half 
converted  into  foam  and  spray  by  the 
height  of  the  fall  and  strong  currents  of 
air,  which  rush  and  whirl  through  the 
deep  and  frightful  gulf. 

Another  fall,  only  twenty  yards  distant 
from  this  spot,  toward  the  south,  offers 
to  the  spectator  a scene  of  a very  differ- 
ent nature.  A precipice,  about  three 
hundred  feet  high,  crosses  the  channel  of 
another  and  smaller  stream,  which,  in  de- 
scending it,  is  divided  into  innumerable 
little  rills,  each  of  which  forms  separate 
cascades,  and  all  together,  in  the  con- 
trast of  the  dark  rock  down  which  they 
pour,  present  a scene  remarkable  for  its 
richness  and  beauty. 

Along  some  of  the  streams  of  Tennes- 
see, where  they  flow  through  rocks  of 
limestone,  wonderful  effects  have  been 
produced  by  the  cutting  out  of  deep  chan- 
nels between  high  and  ragged  banks. 
Some  of  the  larger  and  navigable  rivers 
present  scenes  of  this  description  to  the 
admiration  of  the  traveller,  who  is  borne 
with  rapidity  along  the  bases  of  lofty  nat- 
ural walls,  inaccessible  to  human  foot, 
and  sometimes  apparently  overhanging 
the  stream,  and  threatening  destruction 
to  everything  below.  When  contem- 
plated from  above,  the  rivers  in  some 
places  appear  to  flow  through  deep  chan- 
nels cut  by  the  labor  and  skill  of  man, 
so  uniform  is  the  original  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  so  smooth  and  perpendicu- 


DESCRIPTION'  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TENNESSEE.  473 


lar  the  rocky  precipices  which  descend 
from  the  level. 

Knoxville. — This  town  is  the  prin- 
cipal one  in  East  Tennessee,  and  stands 
on  Holston  river,  four  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  French  Broad  creek.  It  has 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants,  some 
of  whom  are  engaged  in  manufactures. 
The  situation  and  appearance  of  the 
town  are  pleasant ; and  it  is  the  site  of 
a very  respectable  literary  institution, 
East  Tennessee  university.  Here  is 
the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  and 
stagecoaches  run  three  times  a week  for 
Washington  (D.  C.),  via  Abingdon  (Vir- 
ginia) and  Staunton;  for  Raleigh  (N. 
C.);  for  Charleston  (S.  C.)  via  Warm 
Springs ; for  Savannah  (Georgia)  via 
Atlanta;  for  Nashville;  and  for  Lex- 
ington (Kentucky)  via  Cumberland  gap. 

East  Tennessee  University.  — The 
buildings  of  this  institution  are  situated 
on  the  summit  of  a considerable  emi- 
nence, half  a mile  west  of  Knoxville, 
and  near  the  bank  of  the  Holston.  The 
principal  edifice,  which  occupies  the 
centre,  has  on  each  side  a fine  building, 
three  stories  high,  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  students.  There  are  also  three 
residences  of  the  professors. 

The  institution  possesses  a philosoph- 
ical apparatus,  a chemical  laboratory,  a 
mineralogical  cabinet,  and  a library  of 
about  four  thousand  volumes.  Com- 
mencement is  held  on  the  first  Wednes- 
day of  August. 

Jonesborough  is  a small  town,  with 
about  one  thousand  inhabitants,  and  the 
site  of  Washington  college.  It  is  on 
the  bank  of  a branch  of  Holston  river, 
ten  miles  south  of  the  latter,  and  has  a 
courthouse,  three  churches,  and  two 
academies. 

Washington  College  was  founded  in 
1794,  and  has  a president,  three  profes- 
sors, about  one  thousand  volumes  in  its 
library,  and  about  fifty  students. 

Maysville. — This  is  also  on  the 
bank  of  the  Holston,  eighteen  miles 
from  Knoxville,  and  has  a courthouse,  a 
church,  and  about  five  hundred  inhab- 
itants. 

The  Southivest  Theological  Seminary, 
which  is  situated  here,  was  founded  in 
1821.  It  is  under  the  presbyterians, 


and  has  in  its  library  about  six  thousand 
volumes. 

Nashville. — This  town,  the  capital 
of  the  state,  stands  at  the  head  of  steam 
navigation,  on  the  left  bank  of  Cumber- 
land river,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  Ohio.  Near 
it  are  three  lofty  bluffs.  The  situation 
is  fine,  the  climate  healthful  and  inviting, 
and  the  town  has  been  rapid  in  its 
growth. 

One  of  the  most  striking  of  the  pub- 
lic buildings  is  the  markethouse,  which 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  western  coun- 
try. There  are  13  churches,  a lunatic 
asylum,  the  state  penitentiary,  three 
banks,  a lyceum,  and  many  handsome 
houses.  The  population  in  1850  was 
eighteen  thousand.  The  distance  from 
Washington  is  seven  hundred  and  four- 
teen miles  southwest ; it  is  five  hundred 
and  ninety-four  northeast  of  New  Or- 
leans, two  hundred  and  ninety-four  south- 
west of  Cincinnati,  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  south  of  Indianapolis,  and 
nine  hundred  and  thirty-seven  southwest 
of  New  York. 

The  Capitol  is  constructed  of  pure 
white  limestone,  and  upon  a plan  of  the 
most  liberal  magnificence,  challenging 
the  admiration  of  the  Union.  Chaste, 
yet  grand,  it  will  stand  through  all  time, 
as  a noble  monument  of  the  taste  and 
patriotism  of  this  age : and  to  the  youths 
of  the  state  who  gaze  upon  its  complete 
and  faultless  proportions,  it  will  irresisti- 
bly convey  a lesson  in  architectural  sym- 
metry and  beauty,  that  books  may  never 
teach  them. 

Nashville  University. — This  institu- 
tion was  founded  in  1806,  and  has  four 
professors,  two  tutors,  about  three  hun- 
dred alumni,  one  hundred  students,  and 
ten  thousand  volumes  in  its  libraries. 
The  principal  building  is  two  hundred 
feet  long,  fifty  wide,  and  three  stories 
high.  Commencement  is  held  on  the 
first  Wednesday  in  October. 

Memphis,  one  of  the  most  busy  and 
flourishing  towns  in  the  state,  is  situated 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  in  front 
of  an  extensive  and  productive  region, 
which  is  naturally  tributary  to  it ; it  has 
lately  been  selected  as  the  site  of  the 
United  States  navyyard  on  the  river. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  TENNESSEE.  475 


Columbia,  forty-two  miles  from  Nash- 
ville, stands  on  Duck  river,  and  has  a 
courthouse,  three  churches,  an  academy, 
a bank,  and  about  two  thousand  inhab- 
itants. There  is  a daily  communication 
bv  stagecoaches  with  Nashville. 

Jackson  College,  situated  in  this  town, 
was  founded  in  1830,  and  has  four  pro- 
fessors, and  about  one  hundred  students, 
with  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty 
volumes  in  its  libraries. 

Franklin. — This  town,  eighteen  miles 
from  Nashville,  on  the  left  side  of  Har- 
peth  river,  contains  a courthouse,  five 
academies,  four  churches,  and  about  fif- 
teen hundred  inhabitants.  Stagecoaches 
start  three  times  a week  for  Nashville. 

Clarksville  is  sixty-five  miles  from 
Nashville  by  the  Cumberland  road,  on 
the  right  bank  of  which  it  stands,  and 
contains  about  two  thousand  inhabitants. 
There  are  a courthouse,  three  churches, 
two  banks,  and  an  academy.  It  is  a 
place  of  much  business,  an  active  trade 
being  carried  on  in  cotton  and  tobacco. 
Steamboats  run  to  Nashville  and  New 
Orleans,  and  stagecoaches  start  three 
times  a week  for  Nashville  and  Smith- 
land. 

Murfreesboro’. — This  town  was  for- 
merly the  state  capital.  It  stands  on  a 
small  branch  of  Cumberland  river,  and 
has  a courthouse,  three  churches,  an 
academy,  and  fifteen  hundred  inhab- 
itants. 

Kingston,  on  the  right  bank  of  Ten- 
nessee river,  and  at  the  mouth  of  Clinch 
river,  has  a courthouse,  two  churches, 
and  about  seven  hundred  inhabitants. 

Climate  and  Productions. — The 
seasons  are  generally  much  milder  than 
in  Kentucky.  On  the  higher  regions 
the  summer  heats  are  moderate,  and 
apples,  pears,  peaches,  and  other  north- 
ern fruits,  are  successfully  cultivated. 
In  West  Tennessee,  cotton  forms  the 
staple  production.  Indian  corn  is  plant- 
ed, in  the  middle  portions  of  the  state, 
early  in  April.  Where  stagnant  waters 
abound  in  some  of  the  valleys,  disease 
is  generated,  and  the  alluvial  regions  on 
the  larger  streams  are  unhealthy. 

Among  the  forest-trees,  juniper,  red- 
cedar,  and  savine,  prevail  in  the  more 
elevated  regions ; and  in  the  various  soils 


and  exposures  in  this  extensive  terri- 
tory may  be  found  all  the  forest-trees 
known  in  the  southern  states.  The  lau- 
rel tribe,  however,  is  rare.  The  prod- 
ucts of  agriculture  are  very  numerous 
and  abundant — chiefly  cotton,  tobacco, 
flour,  indigo,  &c. 

Tennessee  presents  us  with  a very 
peculiar  form,  and  a surface,  climate, 
and  variety  of  soils,  varying  on  almost 
every  side.  Under  a judicious  system 
of  moral  and  intellectual  as  well  as  phys- 
ical improvement,  how  general — how 
rapid — how  permanent  might  its  pros- 
perity become,  in  every  department 
necessary  and  desirable  ! The  most  in- 
telligent and  truly  patriotic  of  her  citi- 
zens have  long  shown  their  high  regard 
for  learning,  refinement,  and  religion, 
by  the  establishment  and  support  of  in- 
stitutions which  have  already  reflected 
honor  on  the  stat^,  while  they  have 
contributed  to  the  benefit  of  the  people. 
That  enterprise  is  not  wanting  with 
many  of  the  inhabitants,  is  farther  proved 
by  the  abundant  products  annually  ob- 
tained by  agriculture,  floated  down  her 
rivers  and  launched  upon  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  appearance  of  the  principal 
towns,  also,  bears  witness  to  the  good 
taste  and  refinement  of  many  of  the  cit- 
izens, no  less  than  do  the  iron -works  and 
other  manufactories  to  the  industry,  skill, 
and  success  of  the  mechanics. 

Much,  however,  remains  to  be  done, 
as  well  in  Tennessee  as  in  other  states, 
and  especially  our  southwestern  states, 
to  counteract  the  unfavorable  tenden- 
cies of  regions  in  their  peculiar  circum- 
stances. The  debilitating  effects  of  a 
warm  climate  in  some  parts,  with  the  lux- 
ury spontaneously  introduced  by  wealth  ; 
and,  in  others,  the  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  improvement  among  a thin  popula- 
tion scattered  over  a rough  and  wilder 
country,  demand  great  and  combined 
j exertions  on  the  part  of  the  friends  of 
! education,  public  intelligence,  pure  hab- 
j its,  and  real  national  advancement,  to 
i counteract  and  overcome  them.  That 
! such  men  may  arise,  duly  impressed  with 
I the  importance  of  the  duty  before  them, 

! and  with  a spirit  fitted  to  cope  with  all 
! the  obstacles  they  encounter,  is  the  ear- 
nest desire  of  every  friend  of  the  state. 


476 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 


KENTUCKY. 

This  state  is  bounded  north  by  • 
Ohio,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  the  Ohio  river;  east  by  Vir- 
ginia, from  which  it  is  separated  I 
by  Cumberland  mountains  and 
Sandy  river;  south  by  Tennes-j 
see;  southwest  by  Mississippi! 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  I 
Mississippi  river;  w'est  by  Illi-  j 
nois,  from  which  it  is  separated  ! 
by  Ohio  river  ; and  northwest  by  . 
Indiana,  from  which  it  is  sep- 
arated by  the  same  river.  It  lies 
between  the  parallels  of  36°  30' 
and  39°  6'  north  latitude,  and  , 
the  meridians  of  5°  3'  and  12° 
38'  west  of  Washington.  The  superficies  is  about  forty  thousand  five  hundred 
square  miles. 

The  longest  line  that  can  be  drawn  in  this  state  is  from  the  southwest  corner 
to  the  place  where  Sandy  river  crosses  Cumberland  mountains,  and  is  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  miles  in  length.  The  greatest  breadth  is  from  the  northwest 
corner  along  latitude  seven  degrees  forty-five  minutes,  and  is  one  hundred  and 
seventy-one  and  a half  miles. 

This  state  forms  but  a part  of  the  great  declivity  of  Cumberland  mountains, 
sloping  northwest  toward  Ohio  river.  A minor  slope,  however,  toward  Tennes- 
see river,  first  turns  Green,  Cumberland,  Salt,  Kentucky,  and  Licking  rivers,  west 
or  southwest ; but  those  waters  afterward  obey  the  grand  slope,  and,  running 
northward,  pour  into  the  Ohio.  The  tillable  surface  in  different  parts  of  the  state 
has  a great  diversity  of  elevation,  from  three  hundred  and  fifty  to  twelve  hundred 
feet  above  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 


477 


There  is,  therefore,  a considerable 
diversity  of  temperature  and  produc- 
tions ; and  these  are  farther  increased 
by  certain  peculiarities  of  the  surface. 

The  channels  of  the  rivers  are  gen- 
erally cut  remarkably  deep  into  the 
earth,  and  have  formed,  in  some  places, 
broad  valleys,  partly  shut  out  from  the 
full  influence  of  the  sun.  One  third 
part  of  the  descent,  beginning  with  the 
first  part  of  the  descent  from  the  foot  of 
the  Cumberland  mountains,  is  very  hilly 
and  broken  for  about  one  hundred  miles, 
comprising  one  third  part  of  the  state, 
from  the  Tennessee  line  to  the  Ohio. 
Beyond  this  another  section  extends 
north,  about  ninety  miles  in  width  and 
two  in  length,  which  may  be  called  the 
hilly  part  of  the  state.  It  contains  about 
eighteen  thousand  square  miles,  and  is 
in  the  form  of  a rhomb.  The  middle 
part  of  it,  however,  is  much  less  uneven 
than  the  two  extremes..  But  all  parts 
of  it  are  alike  in  two  important  respects  : 
they  belong  to  one  extent  of  uneven  ta- 
ble-land, with  a similar  substratum  of 
limestone,  and  with  a soil  generally  good, 
but  a frequent  scarcity  of  good  water. 

The  southwestern  section,  which  is 
the  smallest  of  the  three  divisions,  is 
almost  level. 

“ The  Barrens”  is  a tract  of  consid- 
erable extent  in  the  southern  and  moun- 
tainous section,  with  isolated  rounded 
elevations,  bearing  stunted  oak,  chest- 
nut, and  elm-timber.  The  soil,  how- 
ever, even  there,  is  much  better  than 
appearances  indicate.  The  more  level 
and  unchannelled  portions  of  the  cen- 
tral section  were  covered  by  nature  with 
full-grown  forest-trees,  and  abundance 
of  the  reed-cane,  the  limestone  soil  being 
there  remarkable  for  its  strength  and 
fertility. 

History. — The  first  settlement  of 
this  state  by  white  men  was  effected  by 
men  of  great  hardihood,  and  attended 
with  severe  privations  and  extreme  dan- 
gers. A map  of  the  middle  British  col- 
onies was  published  in  1755,  by  Lewis 
Evans  ; and  in  1775,  J.  Almon,  of  Lon- 
don, published  an  edition  of  it  with  a 
statistical  account  of  the  country.  At 
that  time,  as  appears  from  these,  settle- 
ments had  been  extended  as  far  as  the 


heads  of  the  great  Kenhawa,  Roanoke, 
Clinch,  and  Holston  rivers ; but  that 
part,  including  Kentucky,  was  left  en- 
tirely blank,  as  a region  of  terra  incog- 
nita. 

In  1767,  John  Finley  visited  it  from 
North  Carolina,  and  he  was  followed  by 
Daniel  Boone  and  several  other  men  in 
1769.  Boone  remained  there  until  1771, 
and  returned  in  1775  with  a small  band 
of  resolute  settlers. 

Kentucky  River , as  well  as  the  state, 
derives  its  name  from  the  language  of 
the  Indians,  who  called  it  Cutawa.  It 
is  formed  by  numerous  branches,  which 
have  their  sources  in  the  west  slope 
of  Cumberland  mountains,  interlocking 
with  the  head-streams  of  Sandy,  Pow- 
ell’s, and  Cumberland  rivers.  The  up- 
per streams  of  the  Kentucky  flow  north- 
west from  the  counties  of  Pike  and 
Perry,  and  uniting  in  Estill  county,  then 
turn  west  from  the  boundary  between 
the  counties  of  Clarke  and  Madison. 
The  stream,  next  turning  southwest, 
runs  between  Madison  and  Lafayette 
counties,  and  Jessamine  and  Garrard, 
when  it  receives  Dick’s  river  from  the 
southeast.  Finally,  turning  north-north- 
west, it  keeps  that  course  until  it  falls 
into  the  Ohio  at  Port  William.  Its  gen- 
eral course  is  nearly  northwest. 

The  valley  of  the  Kentucky  lies  be- 
tween latitude  37°  and  38°  40',  and  lon- 
gitude 5°  40'  and  8°  10' ; it  measures 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  in 
length,  and  has  a medium  breadth  of 
forty  miles,  with  an  area  of  seven  thou- 
sand square  miles,  being  about  one  sixth 
part  of  the  whole  state.  It  contains  the 
following  counties,  in  whole  or  in  part: 
Anderson,  Clark,  Clay,  Estill,  Franklin, 
Gallatin,  Garrard,  Henry,  Jessamine, 
Lafayette,  Lincoln,  Madison,  Mercer, 
Montgomery,  Owen,  Perry,  Pike,  Scott, 
Woodford. 

This  great  stream  flows  in  a channel 
remarkable  for  its  depth,  it  being  a great 
chasm,  cut  far  down  below  the  level  of 
the  country  which  it  waters.  Steam- 
boats navigate  it  from  Estill  county 
downward,  though  the  current  is  rapid, 
and  has  a considerable  descent,  although 
not  broken  by  falls. 

Cumberland  River  rises  in  this  state, 


478  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 


but,  after  a course  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  leaves  it,  and  crosses  the 
boundary  of  Tennessee,  on  its  way  to 
the  Mississippi. 

Government. — The  legislative  power 
is  vested  in  a senate  and  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, which  together  are  styled  the 
general  assembly. 

The  senators  are  thirty-eight  in  num- 
ber, chosen,  one  half  of  them  biennially, 
by  the  people  from  single  districts  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  Representatives,  one 
hundred  in  number,  are  chosen  by  the 
people,  for  a term  of  two  years. 

A governor  and  lieutenant-governor 
are  elected  by  the  people  for  a term  of 
four  years.  The  governor  is  ineligible 
for  the  four  years  succeeding  the  expi- 
ration of  his  term.  The  lieutenant- 
governor  is  president  of  the  senate,  and 
on  him  the  duties  of  governor  devolve 
in  case  the  office  of  the  latter  becomes 
vacant. 

The  governor  may  return  a bill  passed 
by  the  legislature,  but  a majority  of  the 
members  elected  to  each  house  may 
pass  the  bill  afterward,  and  it  then  be- 
comes a law  notwithstanding  his  objec- 
tions. 

The  state  officers,  viz.,  the  treasurer, 
auditor  of  public  accounts,  register  of 
the  land-office,  and  attorney-general,  are 
elected  by  the  people,  for  a term  of  four 
years. 

The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  a court 
of  appeals,  circuit  courts,  and  county 
courts;  the  judges  of  each  election  by 
the  people. 

The  general  election  takes  place  on 
the  first  Monday  of  August  biennially, 
and  the  legislature  meets  on  the  first  of 
November  biennially,  at  Frankfort. 

Every  white  male  citizen  21  years 
of  age,  or  over,  resident  in  the  state  two 
years,  or  in  the  county  where  he  offers 
to  vote,  one  year  next  preceding  the 
election,  may  vote  at  such,  election. 
Elections  by  the  people  are  viva  voce , 
and  not  by  ballot. 

Productions. — Grain  is  the  staple 
production,  but  hemp  and  flax  are  pro- 
duced of  excellent  quality.  Flour,  spir- 
its, salted  meat,  and  live  stock,  are  sent 
to  New  Orleans  every  year,  by  the 
Mississippi,  in  great  quantities. 


Population. — According  to  the  cen- 
ses of  1850,  the  population  consisted  of 
770,061  whites,  9,667  free  colored  per- 
sons, and  221,768  slaves;  total  1,001,- 
496. 

The  Mammoth  Cave. — The  follow- 
ing brief  description  we  copy  from  a 
letter  in  the  New  York  Recorder.  This 
wonderful  cavern  is  the  largest  in  the 
world  : — 

“ During  the  summer  of  1845  I was 
called  into  the  vicinity  of  the  Mammoth  |! 
cave,  and  I determined  to  devote  a few 
Lours  to  a visit  to  this  renowned  cu- 
rio.dty. 

“ Leaving  the  main  road  at  Mumfords- 
ville,  we  are  conducted  to  the  right  by  j 
a path  lately  opened  for  the  accommo-  ( 
dation  of  visiters.  As  we  approach  the  I j 
cave,  the  country  assumes  a wild  and 
picturesque  appearance,  rising  abruptly 
in  prefcipices,  covered  with  verdure  and  I 
wild  flowers,  or  stretching  away  into  the  I 
distance  its  fruitful  valleys,  diversified 
with  the  neat  farmhouse  of  the  planter  ! 
reposing  among  flowers,  and  the  cabins  i 
of  the  poor  peeping  humbly  forth  from  \ 
the  luxuriant  fields  of  corn.  Sometimes 
the  road  leads  up  the  steep  mountain’s 
side;  then,  winding  around  its  summit, 
suddenly  conducts  us  again  to  the  vale 
below.  After  a succession  of  these  ups 
and  downs,  the  traveller  ascends  the 
mountain  in  which  the  cave  is  situated. 
The  first  object  of  interest  to  the  visit- 
er is  the  entrance  to  this  underground 
world  ; but  for  this  he  looks  in  vain. 

He  sees  only  a large  white  building,  sur- 
rounded by  a variety  of  outhouses,  oc- 
cupying the  centre  of  a clearing  of  small 
extent. 

“ Having  procured  a guide  at  the  ho- 
tel (without  whom  no  one  is  permitted 
to  enter  the  cave),  I was  conducted  down 
a steep  declivity  to  the  right  of  the 
house,  until  we  entered  a deep  gully, 
through  which  courses  a small  stream 
of  water,  among  broken  fragments  of 
rocks,  scattered  about  in  wild  confusion. 
Following  this  ravine  for  a number  of 
rods,  we  turn  suddenly  to  the  right,  and 
the  mouth  of  the  cave  is  before  you. 
But  little  effort  seems  to  have  been  made 
to  change  its  natural  appearance,  and 
that  little  has  greatly  marred  its  beauty 


480  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


and  interest.  The  sublime  in  nature, 
like  great  men  and  noble  deeds,  should 
be  left  to  appear  in  its  own  native  orna- 
ments. The  descent  is  somewhat  abrupt 
and  unpromising — a confused  mass  of 
unsightly  rocks  is  all  that  meets  the  eye. 
We  advance  until  the  appearance  is  like 
the  gray  mists  of  the  early  dawn,  when 
the  lamps  are  lighted,  and  preparations 
made  for  the  subsequent  exploration. 
Soon  after  the  descent,  the  passage  is 
through  a door  built  of  rough  stones, 
through  which  rushes  a strong  current 
of  air,  that  at  first  produces  an  unpleas- 
ant chilliness  this,  however,  gradually 
wears  off,  as  we  advance  into  the  more 
extended  galleries  of  the  cave.  The 
bottom  over  which  we  pass  was  once, 
evidently,  the  bed  of  a river.  It  is  now 
deeply  marked  by  the  feet  of  oxen,  and 
ihe  wheels  of  carts,  once  employed  here 
in  the  manufacture  of  saltpetre.  The 
avenue  gradually  increases,  until  the 
eye,  unaccustomed  to  the  surrounding 
gloom,  tries  in  vain  to  trace  the  outline 
of  the  lofty  ceiling.  The  first  object  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest  is  the  ‘ Gi- 
ant’s Coffin’ — a large  rock,  sixty  feet  in 
length,  that,  from  the  point  where  the 
beholder  stands,  presents  the  perfect 
outline  of  a coffin.  Next  we  pass  the 
dilapidated  saltpetre  works,  which  great- 
ly detract  from  this  sublisae  work  of  na- 
ture. Progressing  onward  three  quar- 
ters of  a mile,  we  enter  the  ‘Church,’ 
a vast  dome  where  a pulpit  and  seats 
have  been  erected  ; and  as  invalid  cler- 
gymen often  come  here  to  seek  a res- 
toration of  health,  the  opportunity  is 
improved,  and  religious  services  are 
conducted  in  this  subterranean  chapel. 
I ascended  the  rude  pulpit  while  the 
guide  was  igniting  a quantity  of  salt- 
petre ; and  as  it  threw  its  livid  glare 
over  the  place,  revealing  the  dark  open- 
ings of  the  various  avenues  branching 
out  on  every  side — the  vaulted  dome 
sparkling  with  crystals  of  various  forms 
and  hues — the  effect  was  almost  over- 
powering. I have  stood  on  the  verge 
of  Niagara,  and  beheld  its  whirl  of 
waters,  and  listened  to  the  wild,  deep 
music  of  its  voice — I have  seen  the  ocean, 
in  its  fury,  beating  the  sounding  shore ; 
the  storm  of  fire,  as,  with  the  wings  of 


STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 


the  wind,  it  swept  over  the  wild  prairies 
of  the  west ; and  the  father  of  waters 
when  he  spurned  the  narrow  bounds  of 
his  native  channel : but  never  did  I com- 
prehend the  nature  of  true  sublimity  un- 
til this  moment.  It. was  not  the  fire,  the 
earthquake,  nor  the  wind  ; but  it  was 
the  still  sinall  voice  of  God , speaking  in 
this  temple  made  with  his  own  hands, 
as  he  spoke  to  Elijah.  It  was  one  of 
those  moments,  few  and  far  between, 
when  the  soul  appears  to  catch  one 
glimpse  of  its  future  and  tranquillized 
existence. 

“ Having  mentioned  the  name  of  Mar- 
shall, the  guide  informed  me  that  he  was 
employed  then  as  now  when  Marshall 
came  to  the  cave.  At  my  request  he  con- 
ducted me  to  the  spot  where  the  shanty 
was  erected. for  his  accommodation.  It 
is  situated  a little  more  than  a mile  from 
the  entrance.  Here  the  poor  invalid, 
with  his  devoted  wife,  took  up  his  abode,  , 
with  a hope  that  the  peculiar  atmosphere  j 
of  the  place  would  restore  him  to  health. 
Vain  hope!  His  Master  said:  ‘Come 
up  higher’  — and  he  passed  from  the  j 
darkness  of  this  living  tomb,  to  the  glo-  j 
ries  of  the  upper  paradise.  Here  the  j 
affectionate  wife  watched  by  the  couch  j 
of  her  afflicted  husband,  leaving  him  only  i 
once  a day  (as  the  guide  informed  me),  ; 
and  then  only  for  a short  time,  to  enjoy  . 
the  light  and  sunshine  of  the  outer  world 
above.  Portions  of  this  little  cabin  still  ’ 
remain.  I lingered  around  the  spot 
with  a melancholy  pleasure. 

“ We  will  pass  hastily  through  ‘ Pur- 
gatory ;’  take  a peep  into  ‘Limbo;’ 
tarry  a few  moments  in  the  ‘ Hall  of 
Independence;’  cross  the  ‘Dead  Sea;’ 
make  a speech  in  the  * Whispering  Gal- 
lery’—all  of  which'have  their  peculiar 
and  indescribable  beauties — and  we  are 
come  to  the  river  ‘ Styx,’  beyond  which, 
as  I was  informed,  are  situated  the  more 
interesting  portions  of  this  immense 
grotto.  But  as  I could  not  devote  the 
time  necessary  for  further  examination,  I 
declined  employing  the  modern  Charon 
who  here  plies  the  oar — who,  I must 
say,  demands  an  exorbitant  price  for  his 
services. 

“To  appreciate  fully  the  beauty  and 
sublimity  of  this  wonder  of  nature,  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY.  481 


visiter  must  devote  several  days  to  the 
work  of  exploration. 

“ The  body  of  Marshall  lies  near  the 
hotel,  in  its  unassuming  grave,  unnoticed 
by  the  pleasure-seeking  throng,  who 
here  congregate  to  squander  away  their 
precious  time  in  idleness  and  dissipa- 
tion.” 

Indian  Curiosities. — We  have  al- 
ways— says  a western  paper — regarded 
any  event  or  circumstance,  calculated  to 
throw  light  upon  the  history  of  the  ab- 
origines of  this  country,  as  peculiarly  in- 
teresting and  worthy  of  record.  As  a 
nation,  we  are  fast  losing  sight  of  the  old 
original  landmarks  which  distinguished 
the  two  different  races  who  inhabited  and 
occupied  this  beautiful  country  ; and  as 
one  of  those  races  is  as  rapidly  disap- 
pearing as  the  other  is  increasing  in 
numbers  and  power,  it  becomes  a sacred 
duty  with  us  to  preserve  as  much  as  we 
can,  for  future  generations,  of  their  sin- 
gular character — a character  distinctive 
in  itself  from  all  otWfer  races  of  the 
earth — and  whatever  evidences  may, 
from  time  to  time,  be  discovered  as  we 
progress  in  civilization.  Some  discov- 
eries hnve  recently  been  made  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  were  reported  in  the  Louis- 
ville Journal. 

“ Last  fall,  when  it  was  first  resolved 
to  remove  the  mound,  it  had  not  been 
dug  into  more  than  nine  or  ten  feet  be- 
fore several  fine  specimens  of  isinglass 
were  discovered.  This  excited  much 
curiosity,  and  strict  attention  was  paid 
to  all  subsequent  removals.  The  cold 
weather,  however,  setting  in,  stopped 
the  project  until  the  opening  of  spring, 
when  the  work  was  again  commenced, 
and  has  been  going  on  ever  since.  Sev- 
eral skeletons  have  been  dug  up  at  dif- 
ferent times  in  a good  state  of  preserva- 
tion ; the  teeth,  particularly,  had  the 
enamel  on  them  apparently  as  perfect 
as  ever.  They  were  buried  without 
any  uniformity,  some  with  their  heads 
toward  the  south,  and  some  sitting  up. 
There  were  thought  to  be  considerable 
discoveries ; and  indeed  they  are,  for  they 
prove  incontestably  that  the  mound  is 
of  artificial  origin  ; but,  in  speaking  of 
them,  the  half  is  not  told. 

“ Some  six  weeks  ago,  near  the  cen- 


tre of  the  mound,  on  the  original  sur- 
face, the  appearance  of  two  skeletons 
was  discovered.  The  dirt  was  then 
carefully  taken  away  from  one,  and  there 
was  found  about  its  neck  a great  num- 
ber of  small  sea  or  lake-shells  about  the 
size  of  periwinkles,  and  the  small  end 
ground  oft"  so  as  to  string  them  for  the 
neck.  The  most  superficial  examination 
of  them  will  convince  any  intelligent  man 
that  they  have  had  their  origin  in  the 
sea  or  lakes.  After  the  removal  of  this 
one,  the  other  was  carefully  exhumed, 
and  a like  quantity  of  beads  was  found 
upon  its  neck  and  breast,  but  of  an  en- 
tirely different  kind.  They  are  round, 
with  a hole  through  them,  and  are  made 
of  a solid  ivory-like  bone,  with  a very 
fine  polish.  There  has  been  great  in- 
genuity, too,  in  their  make  : they  begin 
with  a very  large  hole  in  the  middle  of 
the  strand,  which  has  one  edge  much 
narrower  than  the  opposite  one,  the  rest 
being  strung  on  at  each  end  of  the  strand, 
and  made  pretty  much  of  the  same  fash- 
ion, but,  gradually  diminishing  in  size, 
formed  a round  ring  precisely  fitted  to 
the  neck.  The  number  found  shows 
that  the  same  neck  wore  several  strands. 
But  upon  the  breast  of  the  same  skeleton 
was  found  a breastplate  of  copper,  hav- 
ing a beautiful  piece  apparently  of  mar- 
ble, worked  to  fit  upon  it  very  neatly  and 
mechanically.  It  is  an  oblong  square, 
scolloped  on  the  sides  and  ends,  and 
rounded  on  the  corners,  weighing  seven 
ounces  and  a half  precisely.  It  is  six 
inches  and  a half  long,  and  four  inches 
and  three  eighths  in  width  at  each  end. 
There  are  two  holes  in  the  middle  of  it 
about  an  inch  and  a half  apart.  The 
piece  of  stone  weighs  seven  ounces  and 
a quarter.  It  is  five  inches  and  a half 
in  length,  and  one  and  an  eighth  in 
width  at  each  end,  and  two  in  the  mid- 
dle. It  has  two  holes  through  it  cor- 
responding to  those  upon  the  breast- 
plate, and  fits  down  upon  it  with  a flat 
side,  the  upper  part  being  oval.  The 
holes  are  an  eighth  in  diameter  on  the 
flat  side,  but,  coming  through  to  the 
upper  oval  surface,  a pin-head  would 
fill  either  of  them ; they  are  drilled  so 
smooth  and  neatly,  it  would  beggar  hu- 
man ingenuity  to  excel  them  at  the 


31 


482  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


present  time.  Immediately  under  the 
back  of  the  skeleton  a whetstone  was 
found,  three  and  a half  inches  long,  and 
two  and  a half  broad.  It  is  an  excel- 
lent piece  of  sandstone,  and  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  greatly  used.” 

Lexington. — This  is  the  most  popu- 
lous town  in  the  state,  and  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  appearance  and  situ- 
ation, as  well  as  most  distinguished  for 
its  flourishing  condition,  and  intelligent 
and  refined  society.  It  stands  near  the 
sources  of  Town  creek,  which  is  one 
of  the  branches  of  Elkhorn  river,  twen- 
ty-four miles  southeast  by  east  from 
Frankfort,  eighty  south  of  Cincinnati, 
and  five  hundred  and  seventeen  a little 
south  of  west  from  Washington,  in  lat- 
itude 38°  3',  longitude  7°  28'  west. 

This  place,  notwithstanding  its  sub- 
stantial appearance,  was  hardly  a village 
in  1785,  and  in  1795  contained  only 
about  fifty  dwellings  and  three  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants.  The  population 
in  1820,  was  5,279;  in  1830,  6,404;  in 
1840,  6,997;  and  in  1850,  about  9,500. 
It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  state  and 
f was  once  its  capital. 

It  is  a place  of  considerable  manufac- 
tures, especially  in  cotton,  woollen,  linen, 
copper,  tin,  and  ironware ; and  grist- 
mills, papermills,  tanneries,  ropewalks, 
&c.,  are  numerous. 

Transylvania  University , situated  at 
Lexington,  was  founded  before  the  sep- 
aration of  Kentucky  from  Virginia,  re- 
organized in  1798,  and  brought  under 
the  present  system  in  1818.  In  1820  it 
contained  one  hundred  and  forty-three 
academical,  two  hundred  medical,  and 
nineteen  law  students.  The  college 
buildings  were  partly  destroyed  by  fire 
some  years  since,  but  they  are  now  much 
enlarged. 

The  Canal. — A short  but  noble  canal 
surmounts,  by  a cut-off,  the  rapids  of 
the  Ohio,  two  miles  from  Louisville. 
The  locks  and  bridges  of  this  work  are 
on  a grand  and  massive  scale.  The 
noble  three-arched  bridge,  under  which 
a large  two-decked  steamer  can  pass, 
is  the  first  attraction.  From  this  point 
Louisville  and  its  environs  present  a 
charming  panorama.  The  country  is 
slightly  rolling,  and  richly  diversified  by 


STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 


forest,  field,  and  habitation.  The  canal 
cuts  through  it  in  a straight  line,  with  its 
gliding  show  of  steamboats,  apparent- 
ly self-impelled  through  the  meadows. 
The  Ohio,  with  its  sparkling  rapids  and 
distant  waving  outline,  and  the  city,  im- 
bowered  in  trees,  fill  up  the  picture. 
Out  of  the  scores  of  fine  buildings,  some 
imposing  public  edifices  and  three  or 
four  stately  churches  rise  and  detach 
themselves ; presenting,  altogether,  a 
scene  truly  beautiful  and  inviting. 

Louisville. — This  city  stands  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Ohio,  just  above  the 
fapids,  and  below  the  mouth  of  Bear- 
grass  creek,  in  latitude  38°  18'  north, 
and  5°  42'  west  longitude  from  Wash- 
ington. It  is  the  most  important  com- 
mercial town  in  the  state.  The  naviga- 
tion of  the  Ohio,  interrupted  by  nature, 
except  only  during  high  water,  about 
ten  months  in  the  year,  has  been  im- 
proved by  a canal  constructed  round  the 
falls. 

The  distance  from  Frankfort  is  fifty- 
two  miles,  a little  east  of  north ; one 
hundred  and  twelve  from  Cincinnati; 
six  hundred  and  thirty-two  from  Pitts- 
burg; and  one  thousand  four  hundred 
and  eleven  from  New  Orleans.  The 
ground  is  seventy-five  feet  above  low- 
water  mark,  and  the  streets  cross  at 
right  angles,  giving  a favorable  appear- 
ance to  the  city  from  without,  and  a fine 
display  to  the  public  buildings.  The 
principal  of  these  are  the  cityhall,  the 
courthouse,  marine-hospital,  medical  in- 
stitute, city-hospital,  two  savings-banks, 
four  insurance-offices,  two  orphan  asy- 
lums, four  markets,  a school  for  the 
blind,  eighteen  public  schools,  thirty  se- 
lect schools,  a Magdalen  asylum,  three 
banks,  and  twenty-six  churches.  The 
city  is  lighted  with  gas,  and  expensive 
works  are  in  construction  to  supply  it 
with  good  water.  This  being  the  prin- 
cipal place  of  business  in  the  state,  and, 
to  a great  extent,  of  the  neighboring 
country,  a very  extensive  trade  centres 
here ; and  where  an  unknown  number 
of  flatbottomed  and  keel-boats  are  con- 
stantly employed  in  the  transportation  of 
goods,  about  three  hundred  steamboats 
are  also  in  constant  activity,  running  in 
different  directions,  to  and  from  the  city. 


!i ■ ; - 

484  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY. 

The  growth  of  Loufsville  has  been 
very  rapid.  In  1800  the  inhabitants 
amounted  to  only  1,357  ; in  1830  they 
were  10,196,  and  in  1850  about  44,000. 
Many  kinds  of  manufactures  are  carried 
on  here.  The  canal,  leading  round  the 
falls,  is  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  im- 
portant works  of  improvement  under- 
taken in  this  part  of  the  country.  The 
i charier  was  granted  in  1825,  and  the 
canal  was  opened  for  use  in  1829.  The 
stock  was  $600,000,  of  which  congress 
took  $100,000.  The  canal  is  nearly 
three  miles  in  length,  and  in  that  dis- 
tance overcomes  a descent  of  twenty- 
two  and  a half  feet,  by  five  locks. 

“The  Medical  Institute  at  Louisville  is 
a very  important  institution,  founded  in 
1837,  with  six  professors,  and  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  students.  The  lec- 
tures commence  on  the  first  Monday  in 
November. 

The  Kentucky  Historical  society  has 
a considerable  library  with  numerous 
manuscripts.  The  Merchants’  library 
contains  8,500  volumes.  The  Agricul- 
tural  and  Horticultural  society  has  been 
founded  within  a few  years. 

Communication  is  daily  had  by  steam- 
boats with  Cincinnati,  Maysville,  Guy- 
andotte  (Virginia),  Wheeling,  and  Pitts- 
burg, up  the  Ohio  ; and  with  St.  Louis, 
Nevy  Orleans,  and  the  intermediate  places  j 
below.  Stagecoaches  go  daily  for  Mays- 
ville via  Frankfort  and  Lexington,  for 
Cincinnati,  for  St.  Louis  through  New 
Albany  (Indiana),  for  Vincennes,  for 
Nashville,  &c. 

Frankfort,  the  capital  of  the  state, 
is  twenty-two  miles  west-northwest  from 
Lexington,  fifty-one  east  from  Louisville, 
one  hundred  and  two  south-southwest 
from  Cincinnati.  It  stands  on  the  right 
bank  of  Kentucky  river,  sixty  miles  from 
the  Ohio,  on  a level,  elevated  piece  of 
ground,  nearly  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  neighboring  surface.  The  river  is  | 
subject  to  great  and  sudden  floods  ; be- 
ing comprised  in  a narrow  channel,  it 
sometimes  swells  in  a short  time  to  a ! 
height  of  sixty  feet  above  its  ordinary  ^ 
level.  The  river  divides  the  town  into 
two  parts,  one  called  Frankfort,  and  the 
other  South  Frankfort. 

The  Statehousc  has  a fine  portico,  in  1 

the  Ionic  style,  and  makes  a conspicu- 
ous appearance.  It  is  built  entirely  of 
marble,  and  contains  halls  for  the  cham- 
bers of  the  legislature,  the  court  of  ap- 
peals, and  the  federal  court.  The  stair- 
case has  a fine  effect,  being  placed  under 
the  dome. 

A chain-bridge  crosses  the  river  near 
the  middle  of  the  town,  where  the  banks 
are  four  or  five  hundred  feet  high. 

Among  the  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  state-penitentiary,  market- 
house,  bank,  academy,  theatre,  and  five 
churches.  There  are  several  manufac- 
tories of  different  kinds,  and  the  popu- 
lation amounts  to  about  two  thousand. 

The  Stateprison. — The  following  ex- 
tracts from  a late  report  of  the  officers 
will  afford  the  reader  correct  ideas  of 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  this  im- 
i port  ant  institution  : — 

“We  have  availed  ourselves  of  every 
possible  means  in  our  power  to  cai’ry 
out  the  wishes  of  the  legislature,  and  of 
every  true  philanthropist,  in  regard  to 
the  moral  and  religious  instruction  of 
this  unfortunate  portion  of  our  race ; 
and  we  most  heartily  acknowledge  that 
it  is  a source  of  much  gratification  to 
us,  to  see  the  manifest  disposition  on 
the  part  of  nearly  all  the  prisoners  to 
conform  to  law  and  good  morals,  sub- 
mitting to  the  laws  of  the  prison  with 
that  character  of  submissiveness  which 
ought  to  be  gratifying  to  every  true  lover 
of  man. 

“We  look  forward  with  pleasure  to 
a day  early  in  next  season,  when  we 
will  be  prepared  with  a suitable  school- 
room and  chapel,  where  we  can  carry 
on  the  work  of  moral  and  religious  in- 
struction more  perfectly,  and  where 
those  ministers  of  the  different  denomi- 
nations who  have  labored  with  us  can 
be  rendered  more  comfortable  than  we 
have  been  able  to  make  them  hereto- 
fore, while  they  further  aid  us  in  the 
most  pleasant  part  of  our  duties ; and 
although  a fair  proportion  of  our  best 
energies  have  been  constantly  engaged 
in  endeavoring  to  promote  the  moral 
and  religious  interests  of  the  prisoners, 
yet,  for  want  of  suitable  buildings  and 
other  means,  we  have  not  been  able  to 
do  what  we  would  wish  ; but  sufficient  | 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  KENTUCKY.  485 

provision  having  been  made,  we  most 
confidently  promise  to  present  to  your 
honorable  body,  at  the  meeting  of  your 
next  session,  their  condition  in  a much 
more  favorable  light.  Ministers  of  the 
different  denominations  of  our  town  and 
its  vicinity,  generally,  have  contributed 
to  aid  us  in  advising  the  prisoner  for 
his  good,  to  whom  we  feel  thankful. 

“ The  disbursements  for  the  year  past 
were  as  follows  : for  hemp,  iron,  lum- 
ber, leather,  &c.,  $29,375  02;  victualing 
prisoners,  5,719  57;  clothes  and  bed- 
ding for  prisoners,  1,281  63  ; wood  and 
coal  for  engine,  blacksmith  shop,  &c., 
2,473  74;  wagons,  hauling  hemp,  stone, 
lumber,  wood,  &c.,  1,800  56  ; pay  of  of- 
ficers, physicians,  and  guards,  4,387  35  ; 
cash  paid  to  prisoners  ($5  each),  as  di- 
rected by  law,  285  00  ; tools  and  imple- 
ments of  trade  for  workshops,  966  41 ; 
brick  and  lumber  for  new  buildings,  388 
24;  cash  paid  town  of  Frankfort,  water 
privilege  for  use  of  engine,  and  repairs 
of  pipe,  68  70  ; travelling  expenses  to 
various  points,  including  trip  east,  on 
business  of  the  institution,  227  55  ; cash 
paid  ferriage  and  turnpike  for  wagons, 
hauling  stone,  hemp,  &c.,176  02;  medi- 
cines and  medical  instruments  for  use 
of  prison-hospital,  60  69  ; rewards  and 
expenses  incident  to  arrest  and  return 
of  escaped  convicts,  83  45 ; lot  pur- 
chased for  extension  of  prison-wall,  as 
authorized  by  act  of  assembly,  2,400  ; 
cash  paid  stonemasons  engaged  in  the 
erection  of  prison-wall,  836  63 ; moral 
and  religious  instruction,  237  38 ; sta- 
tionery for  use  of  office,  52  20  ; print- 
ing office-blanks,  advertisements,  &c.,  44 
37  ; postage,  letters  sent  and  received 
on  business  of  institution,  9 05  ; tobac- 
co for  use  of  prisoners,  as  directed  by 
law,  166  25;  two  yoke  of  oxen  pur- 
chased for  use  of  prison,  75  00  : total, 
$51,114  81. 

“ The  receipts  were  as  follows : By 
Craig  and  Henry,  advanced  for  institu- 
tion, $2,311  20;  cash  received  for  the 
sale  of  bagging  and  baled  hemp,  and  for 
the  manufacture  of  bagging,  30,299  11; 
cash  received  for  the  sale  of  articles  at 
prison,  6,287  47 ; cash  loaned  by  the 
state,  per  act  approved  February  23, 
1846,  6,000 ; cash  received  for  lock-up 

• 

fees,  for  safe-keeping  of  slaves,  195  00  ; 
by  baiter  (manufactured  articles  given  in 
exchange),  6,022  03:  total,  $51,114  81. 

“ The  number  of  prisoners  in  confine- 
ment on  the  first  day  of  December,  1845, 
was  176;  received  into  the  prison  from 
1st  December,  1845,  to  1st  December, 
1846,  71  : total,  247. 

“ The  number  discharged  during  the 
same  time  were  : by  expiration  of  sen- 
tence, 32  ; by  pardon  of  Governor  Ows- 
ley, 22  ; restoration  to  rights  of  citizen- 
ship by  pardon’  of  the  governor,  one  day- 
previous  to  expiration  of  sentence,  3 ; 
by  death,  2 ; escaping,  1 : total,  60. 

“ Leaving  in  confinement,  on  1st  De- 
cember, 1846,  187.  Of  this  number, 
there  were  166  white  male,  and  21  col- 
ored males. 

“ The  crimes  for  which  they  were  con- 
victed were  as  follows  : for  manslaugh- 
ter, 13  ; burglary,  9 ; larceny,  72  ; horse- 
stealing, 32  ; intent  to  kill  4 ; assisting 
slaves  to  run  away,  8 ; felony,  12 ; pas- 
sing counterfeit  money,  13  ; forgery,  3 ; 
highway  robbery,  4 ; arson,  3 ; counter- 
feiting, 3 ; perjury,  3 ; bigamy,  2 ; rape, 

2 ; mailrobbery,  1 ; poisoning,  1 ; slave- 
stealing, 1 ; mayhem,  1. 

“ The  terms  of  their  sentences  were  : 
for  40  years,  3;  22  years,!;  15  years, 

1 ; 12  years,  1 ; 10  years,  15  ; 9 years, 

2 ; 8 years,  7 ; 7 years,  10  ; 6|  years,  1 ; 

6 years,  10;  5£  years,  1 ; 5 years,  11  ; 

4£  years,  2 ; 4 years,  38  ; 3|  years,  1 ; 

3 years  4 months,  1 ; 3 years,  33  ; 2£ 
years,  2 ; 2 years,  25  ; 1 year  10  months, 

1 ; 1 year  6 months,  1 ; 1 year  1 day, 

I ; 1 year,  19. 

“ Education. — Superior,  or  those  who 
have  a classical  or  scientific  education, 

3 ; good,  or  those  who  have  received  a 
general  English  education,  20 ; common, 
or  those  who  can  read,  write,  and  cipher, 

49  ; poor,  or  those  who  can  only  spell 
and  read,  53  ; none,  or  those  who  are 
entirely  destitute  of  education,  62. 

“ Ages. — From  15  to  20  years,  20  ; 20 
to  30,  87  ; 30  to  40,  44  ; 40  to  50,  19  ; 

1 50  to  60,  14  ; 60  to  70,  2 ; 70  to  80,  1. 

“ Previous  Habits. — Habitually  in- 
temperate, 62  ; occasionally  intemper- 
ate, 95  ; temperate,  30. 

“ Married,  75  ; single,  96  ; widowers, 

II  ; separated,  5.  Total,  187. 

This*  state  is  bounded  north  by 
Lake  Erie,  northeast,  by  Pennsylva- 
nia, east  and  southeast  by  Ohio  riv- 
er, which  separates  it  from  Virginia, 
south  and  southwest  by  the  same 
stream,  which  there  separates  it  from 
Kentucky,  west  bylndiana  and  north- 
west by  Michigan.  The  noble  river 
from  which  the  state  has  derived  its 
name,  extends  along  its  boundary 
for  440  miles,  viz.,  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Beaver  to  that  of  the  Great 
Miami,  and  its  coast  on  the  lake  is 
150.  The  entire  outline  is  933  miles, 
and  area  nearly  44,000  square  miles,  or  above  26,000,000  of  statut^  acres. 

This  state  lies  between  37°  25'  and  41°  58'  north  latitude,  and  between  3°  30' 
and  7°  48'  west  longitude  from  Washington.  A line  drawn  nearly  straight  from 
the  west  boundary  of  Pennsylvania,  at  a point  between  the  sources  of  the  Ashta- 
bula and  the  Shenango  branch  of  Big  Beaver,  southwest  by  west,  would  cross  the 
summit  level  of  the  Ohio  canal  and  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  flowing  into 
Lake  Erie  from  those  flowing  north  into  the  Ohio.  The  northern  division  of  the 
state  thus  made,  is  an  inclined  plane,  widening  from  twenty-five  miles,  in  the 
northeast,  to  eighty  miles  in  the  northwest,  and  contains  about  one  fourth  of  the 
whole  area.  The  southern  declivity  is  much  more  gentle  ; while  the  north  has  a 
descent  of  405  feet,  that  of  the  south  is  only  509  in  a mean  breadth  of  247  miles, 
being  only  two  feet  per  mile  instead  of  thirteen. 

The  southern  division  might  rather  be  regarded  as  originally  a plain,  as  high 
grounds  near  the  Ohio  river  which  appear  like  a range  of  hills  when  viewed  from  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO.  487 

south,  are  only  the  declivity  of  the  broad 
table-land  there  broken  down.  The 
south  slope  before  spoken  of,  properly 
belongs  only  to  the  valleys  of  the 
streams  flowing  in  that  direction  into 
the  Ohio.  These  streams  are  generally 
free  from  falls,  except  the  Muskingum 
and  a few  others  ; but  those  which  flow  j 
into  Lake  Erie,  passing  down  a ridge 
about  eight  hundred  feet  high,  are  too 
much  broken  for  navigation.  Some  of 
them  make  that  descent  within  five 
miles.  This  ridge  is  visible  to  a person 
sailing  up  the  coast,  and  is  seen  gradu- 
ally receding  inland  until  it  disappears 
in  the  distance  near  Sandusky. 

The  course  of  the  Ohio  forms  nearly 
a perfect  semicircle  along  the  outline  of 
the  state.  If  one  point  of  the  dividers 
be  placed  on  the  map  at  Worthington, 
nine  miles  north  of  Columbus,  and  the 
other  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Sandy  river, 
it  will  sweep  round  on  or  very  near 
the  course  of  the  great  river.  Like  its 
tributaries,  it  flows  through  a deep  chan- 
nel, cut  down  below  the  original  plain. 
The  breadth  of  this  valley  varies,  above 
Louisville,  from  one  to  two  miles,  and 
its  temperature  is  so  much  warmer  than 
that  of  the  neighboring  high  land,  that 
vegetation  is  about  six  weeks  earlier  in 
the  spring  ; but  the  cold  is  greater  in 
winter. 

On  account  of  its  rapid  increase  in 
population,  and  the  general  extension 
of  the  improvements  of  civilization,  as 
well  as  the  intelligence,  industry,  and 
thrift,  of  its  inhabitants,  the  state  of 
Ohio  is  inferior  to.no  other  country  of 
equal  extent.  Indeed,  it  may  be  safely 
asserted,  that  none  has  been  equally 
distinguished  in  all  the  points  we  have 
enumerated. 

In  consequence  of  a singular  and  pe- 
culiarly favorable  concurrence  of  events 
and  circumstances,  the  energy  of  our 
nation  here  found  an  opportunity  to  dis- 
play itself,  while  in  its  early  youth  ; and 
the  results  show  something  of  the  ten- 
dencies and  power  of  the  principles  and 
habits  implanted  by  our  ancestors,  when 
left  at  liberty  to  develop  themselves. 

The  surface,  soil,  and  climate  of  Ohio 
are  all  highly  favorable  to  agriculture ; 
and  her  situation,  with  the  natural  facili- 

ties  offered  to  navigation,  afford  oppor- 
tunities to  many  parts  of  it  to  communi- 
cate with  markets. 

The  soil  of  Ohio  is  ill  general  very 
fertile  ; and  the  productions  are  afforded 
in  immense  quantities.  These  are  wheat, 
rye,  oats,  Indian  corn,  live  stock,  and 
salted  meat.  Indian  corn  ripens  in  all 
parts,  and  apples  and  peaches  flourish 
wTell,  as  do  nectarines,  cherries,  plums, 
grapes,  and  berries  of  all  kinds.  Flint 
says  Ohio  “ is  the  appropriate  empire 
of  Pomona.” 

The  principal  tributaries  of  the  Ohio 
flowing  in  this  state  are  Muskingum, 
Hockhocking,  Scioto,  and  Great  and 
Little  Miami.  Their  head  streams  in- 
terlock with  those  running  into  Lake 
Erie  : the  Ashtabula,  Grand,  Cuyahoga, 
Huron,  Sandusky,  and  Maumee.  Nu- 
merous smaller  streams  are  omitted  in 
this  enumeration. 

The  Ohio  canal  extends  from  Cleve- 
land, on  Lake  Erie,  up  the  valley  of  the 
Cuyahoga  south,  about  thirty  miles,  cros- 
ses Portage  summit  to  the  Muskingum 
or  Tuscarawas  river,  whose  valley  it 
follows  to  Dresden,  within  fourteen 
miles  of  Zanesville,  and  then,  in  a south- 
western direction,  crosses  the  ridge  to 
the  Scioto,  twelve  miles  south  of  Colum- 
bus, then  south  down  the  valley  to  Cir- 
cleville,  Chillicothe,  Piketon,  and  Ports- 
mouth, where  it  enters  the  Ohio,  being 
three  hundred  and  six  miles  long. 

The  Miami  canal  extends  from  Cin- 
cinnati north  through  the  Great  Miami 
valley,  through  Hamilton,  Middletown, 
Franklin,  and  Miamisburg,  to  Dayton, 
a distance  of  sixty-seven  miles. 

The  population,  in  1800,  was  45,365; 
in  1810,  230,760  ; in  1820,  581,434  ; 
in  1830,  935,  884;  in  1840,  1,519,467; 
and  in  1850,  1,977,031. 

The  original  constitution  of  Ohio  was 
formed  at  Chillicothe,  in  1802,  and  con- 
tinued in  operation  until  1851,  when  a 
new  constitution  was  framed  at  Colum- 
bus, by  a convention,  March  10th,  and 
adopted  by  the  people,  June  17th,  1851. 

By  this  constitution,  the  senaters  and 
representatives  are  elected  biennially, 
and  meet  at  Columbus  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  January  following. 

The  senate  consists  of  thirty-five  mem- 

f~"  ""  " - — 1 - == 

488  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 

bens  chosen  by  single  districts,  except 
the  first,  the  county  of  Hamilton,  which 
is  entitled  to  three  senators.  The  whole 
numbers  of  representatives  is  one  hun- 
dred, who  are  apportioned  among  the 
several  counties  by  a plan  laid  down  in 
the  constitution,  on  the  basis  of  popula- 
tion, according  to  the  federal  census,  or 
such  other  mode  as  the  general  assembly 
may  direct,  once  in  every  ten  years, 
which  is  to  continue  for  the  ten  years 
next  succeeding  such  apportionment. 

The  executive  department  consists  of 
a governor,  lieutenant-governor  (who  is 
president  of  the  senate),  secretary  of 
state,  auditor,  treasurer,  and  an  attorney- 
general,  who  are  chosen  by  the  people 
at  the  biennial  election,  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  October.  These  officers 
hold  their  offices  for  two  years,  except 
the  auditor  whose  term  is  four  years. 
The  respective  terms  commence  on  the 
second  Monday  in  January.  The  board 
of  public  works,  consisting  of  three  mem- 
bers, is  elected  by  the  people,  one  .an- 
nually for  the  term  of  three  years. 

The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  a su- 
preme court,  in  district  courts,  courts  of 
common  pleas,  courts  of  probate,  justices 
of  the  peace,  and  in  such  other  courts, 
inferior  to  the  supreme  court,  as  the 
general  assembly  may  establish  ; the  five 
3upreme  court  judges  hold  their  office 
five  years,  the  term  of  one  of  the  judges 
expiring  annually.  There  are  nine 
judges  of  the  common  pleas,  elected  by 
districts  for  five  years.  Ajudge  of  pro- 
bate court  is  elected  in  each  county  for 
three  years;  a competent  number  of 
justices  of  the  peace  in  each  township 
are  elected  for  the  same  term.  All  these 
elections  are  by  the  people. 

The  elective  franchise  is  enjoyed  by 
every  white  male  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  of  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
who  shall  have  been  a resident  of  the 
state  one  year  next  preceding  the  elec- 
tion, and  of  the  county,  township,  or 
ward,  in  which  he  resides,  such  time  as 
may  be  provided  by  law.  All  elections 
are  by  ballot.  No  person  in  the  military, 
marine,  or  naval  service  of  the  United 
States,  shall  by  being  stationed  within 
the  state,  be  considered  a resident. 

No  new  debts  may  be  contracted  by 

1. 

the  state,  exceeding  in  the  aggregate 
$7750,000.  The  credit  of  the  state  sdiall 
neither  be  given  nor  loaned  to  any  in- 
dividual association  or  corporation  what- 
ever, nor  shall  the  state  hereafter,  become 
a joint  owner  or  stockholder  in  any  com- 
pany or  association.  The  general  as- 
sembly shall  never  authorize  any  county, 
city,  town,  or  township,  by  vote  of  its 
citizens,  or  otherwise,  to  become  a stock- 
holder in  any  joint-stock  company,  cor- 
poration, or  association  whatever  : or  to 
raise  money  for,  or  loan  its  credit  to,  or 
in  aid  of,  any  such  company,  corporation, 
or  association.  The  state  shall  never 
contract  any  debt  for  purposes  of  inter- 
nal improvement.  The  general  assem- 
bly shall  pass  no  special  act  conferring 
corporate  powers;  corporations  may  be 
formed  under  general  laws,  subject  to 
alteration  or  repeal.  Stockholders  in 
corporations  are  individually  liable  for 
all  dues  therefrom  over  and  above  their 
stock  to  a further  sum  equal  in  amount 
to  such  stock.  No  act  authorizing  asso- 
ciations with  banking  powers  shall  take 
effect  until  it  shall  be  submitted  to,  and 
approved  by,  the  people  at  a general 
election.  Lotteries  and  the  sale  of  lot- 
tery tickets  are  for  ever  prohibited.  No 
license  to  traffic  in  intoxicating  liquors 
shall  hereafter  bo  granted  in  the  state. 

History. — The  time  when  the  settle- 
ment of  the  state  of  Ohio  commenced,  Was 
that  when  the  close  of  the  revolutionary 
war  promised  permanent  peace  and  se- 
curity, even  to  that  then  distant  and  wild 
portion  of  our  territory.  A considerable 
part  of  the  territory  had  been  granted  to 
the  soldiers  newly  disbanded  ; and  tracts 
of  considerable  extent  to  persons  who  had 
been  sufferers  from  the  destructive  ma- 
rauding incursions  of  the  enemy,  in  the 
course  of  the  war,  when  several  Con- 
necticut towns  were  reduced  to  ashes. 

The  Connecticut  claim  was  founded 
on  the  royal  charter  of  the  colony,  which, 
after  fixing  the  northern  and  southern 
boundaries  of  Connecticut,  carried  them 
through  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Under 
this  authority,  Connecticut  had  settled 
the  Wyoming  valley  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  long  exercised  jurisdiction  over  it, 
but  finally  abandoned  it,  togpther  with 
all  other  parts  of  the  tract  thus  conceded 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO.  489 


to  her,  in  consideration  of  a valuable 
portion  of  Ohio,  afterward  called  New 
Connecticut,  or  the  Connecticut  Re- 
serve. It  was  from  that  part  of  the 
present  state  of  Ohio  that  the  legislature 
of  Connecticut  gave  the  “fire  lands,”  as 
they  were  termed,  to  the  sufferers  above 
referred  to. 

Under  the  several  inducements  above 
enumerated,  the  settlement  of  Ohio  be- 
gan in  the  year  1788,  since  which,  its 
increase  in  population  and  wealth  has 
been  s-uch  as  may  well  astonish  the 
world,  while  it  affords  reason  for  grati- 
tude, as  well  as  for  self-congratulation, 
not  only  to  its  inhabitants,  but  to  all 
those  who  feel  a becoming  interest  in  the 
solid  growth  of  our  common  country. 

Early  Surveys. — The  Great  Miami 
river  was  surveyed  for  one  hundred 
miles,  in  1751,  by  Christopher  Gist, 
agent  of  the  old  ^English  Ohio  company ; 
and  the  English  had  a fort,  or  trading- 
post,  on  Loramie’s  creek,  forty-seven 
miles  north  of  Drayton,  which  was 
taken  by  the  French.  In  1778,  the 
Miami  valleys  were  examined  by  Daniel 
Boone,  during  his  captivity,  and  by 
Bowman  and  Clark,  on  their  military 
excursions.  In  1784,  ’5,  and  ’6,  the  In- 
dians ceded  the  regions  of  the  Muskin- 
gum, Scioto,  and  Mi  amis,  and  the  set- 
tlement was  immediately  commenced. 

Benjamin  Stiles,  of  Redstone  (now 
Brownville),  Pa.,  first  proposed  to  John 
Cleves  Symmes,  of  New  Jersey,  the 
joint  purchase  of  a large  tract  of  land 
in  Ohio,  which  was  afterward  made  by 
the  latter  for  himself,  and  embraced 
nearly  600,000  acres.  Portions  having 
been  sold,  parties  of  emigrants  left  New 
York  and  New  Jersey  in  1788.  . 

Harmer' s Expedition. — In  1790,  near- 
ly twenty  persons  were  killed  by  the 
Indians  near  Cincinnati;  and  in  the  au- 
tumn General  Harmer  proceeded  against 
the  savage  enemy,  with  320  regulars, 
833  Kentucky  and  Pennsylvania  militia, 
and  600  volunteers.  After  a severe  loss 
in  an  ambush,  he  returned  without  ac- 
complishing anything  important.  In 
1791,  General  St.  Clair,  with  a force  of 
2,300  men,  was  attacked  in  his  camp, 
fifty  miles  from  the  Miami  villages,  and 
after  a severe  battle,  driven  from  his 


position,  and  pursued  four  miles,  with 
the  loss  of  about  900  men  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.  The  following 
year,  the  Indians  murdered  several  of 
the  commissioners  sent  by  the  United 
States  government  to  treat  for  peace. 

Fort  Harmer  was  first  occupied  in 
1785  by  a part  of  the  first  regiment  of 
United  States  troops,  under  Major  John 
Doughty,  and  named  after  their  military 
commander.  In  the  same  year,  Gen. 
Benjamin  Tupper,  of  Chesterfield,  Mass., 
was  appointed  surveyor,  under  the  sur- 
veyor-general of  that  state,  to  begin  the 
survey  of  the  country  northwest  of  the 
Ohio,  and  went  that  year  as  far  as  Pitts- 
burgh. The  survey  was  postponed  by 
the  hostile  movements  of  the  Indians. 
In  the  following  year,  he  and  Geneial 
Israel  Putnam  (the  celebrated  revolu- 
tionary officer)  published  an  invitation 
to  disbanded  soldiers,  who  had  received 
deeds  of  land  in  Ohio  in  payment  of 
their  services,  to  proceed  with  them  to 
the  Ohio  region.  “ The  Ohio  Company” 
was  formed,  at  their  proposition ; and, 
on  the  7th  of  April,  17S8,  Gen.  Putnam 
landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum, 
with  a party  of  laborers  and  artificers, 
and  began  to  make  preparations  for  the 
first  settlement  designed  by  that  associ- 
ation, at  Marietta. 

At  that  period,  the  Shawnees  were 
inhabitants  of  a large  part  of  the  best 
land  in  the  bounds  of  the  present  state, 
especially  the  valleys  of  Scioto,  Miami, 
and  Wabash.  Their  principal  chief  was 
Cornstalk,  who  had  distinguished  himself 
by  his  faithfulness  to  our  countrymen,  by 
his  successful  opposition  to  the  league 
formed  against  them  by  the  nations  be- 
yond to  assist  the  British  in  the  war. 

In  1794,  General  Wayne,  after  many 
delays,  and  the  erection  of  several  forts,  i 
routed  a large  force  of  Indians  and  Cana-  | 
dians  near  Fort  Deposite,  and  after  de- 
stroying the  various  villages  and  posi- 
tions of  the  enemy  along  the  Miami, 
brought  them  to  consent  to  a treaty  of 
peace,  which  was  concluded  August  3d,  i 
1795. 

The  next  settlement  after  that  at  Ma- 
rietta, was  made  at  Columbia,  six  miles 
above  Cincinnati,  Nov.  16,  1789,  by  Ma- 
jor Stiles  and  twenty-five  others,  chiefly 


490  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


from  Redstone,  as  before  mentioned, 
and  partly  from  New  York  and  New 
Jersey,  under  Judge  Symmes.  This 
colony  was  formed  under  circumstances 
of  peculiar  danger,  the  Indians  being 
numerous  and  hostile  around  them,  so 
that  the  settlers  were  compelled  to  take 
turns  as  laborers  and  sentinels,  while 
erecting  a block  house. 

The  third  settlement  was  made  by 
Frenchmen,  at  Gallipolis,  in  1791.  They 
had  been  induced  to  come  from  France 
by  the  “Scioto  Land  Company,”  so 
called,  an  association  of  men  who  hoped 
to  obtain  from  Congress  a large  grant 
of  land,  but  were  unsuccessful.  Many 
of  the  settlers  afterward  dispersed,  but 
the  remainder  at  length  obtained  a grant 
of  24,000  acres,  in  the  southeast  part 
of  Scioto  county,  on  the  Ohio.  The 
tract  is  now  called  the  French  grant. 

The  fourth  settlement  was  at  Cleve- 
land, on  Lake  Erie,  in  1796.  Another 
was  made  at  Conneaut,  the  same  year. 
Both  these  were  made  by  emigrants  from 
the  eastern  states. 

Settlers  afterward  came  in,  in  great 
numbers,  from  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  from  several  parts  of  Eu- 
rope. 

The  first  territorial  legislature  met  at 
Cincinnati,  Sept.  24,  1799,  whose  ju- 
risdiction extended  to  all  the  territory 
northwest  of  the  Ohio.  Gen.  Wm,  Henry 
Harrison  was  the  first  delegate  to  Con- 
gress. In  1802,  Nov.  1,  the  conven- 
tion to  form  a state  constitution  assem- 
bled at  Chilicothe,  which  was  formed 
and  adopted  in  three  weeks,  and  remain- 
ed till  1851,  though  never  formally  rati- 
fied by  the  people.  One  of  the  provis- 
ions of  the  constitution,  in  compliance 
with  a suggestion  made  by  Congress, 
was,  that  section  sixteen  of  every  town- 
ship (or  a substitute  where  that  was  not 
disposable)  should  be  reserved  for  the 
support  of  public  schools.  The  first 
general  assembly  of  the  state  met  at 
Chilicothe,  March  1,  1803.  The  sec- 
ond, the  same  year,  passed  a law  allow- 
ing aliens  to  hold  land. 

The  victory  of  Tippecanoe,  by  Gen. 
Harrison,  was  gained  in  1811.  The 
first  steamboat  voyage  was  made  that 
year  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans.  I 


The  first  resolution  in  favor  of  a ca- 
nal, was  introduced  into  the  legislature 
in  1817  ; and  in  1825  an  act  was  passed 
“ to  provide  for  the  internal  improve- 
ment of  the  state  by  navigable  canals.” 
In  that  year,  also,  a general  system  for 
common  schools  was  adopted,  which  was 
followed  by  another  in  1829,  laying  a 
tax,  for  their  support,  of  three  fourths 
of  a mill  on  the  dollar,  and  authorizing 
householders  to  lay  taxes  for  certain 
school  purposes,  in  their  districts.  None 
but  negroes  and  mulattoes  are  excluded 
from  the  schools. 

Ohio  presents  all  varieties  of  surface, 
in  different  parts,  except  the  mountain- 
ous. The  most  hilly  part  is  in  the 
southeast,  on  the  Ohio.  Along  that 
stream  and  its  tributaries  are  many 
tracts  of  level  meadows,  of  the  finest 
soil.  Some  of  the  largest  and  richest 
of  these  are  watered  by  the  Mi  amis. 
Prairies,  or  meadows  of  a particular 
kind,  are  found  in  several  parts  of  the 
state,  especially  near  the  sources  of  the 
Muskingum,  Scioto,  and  the  Miamis. 
They  are  almost  destitute  of  timber,  and 
some  are  marshy,  others  high  and  poor, 
while  most  of  them  are  covered  with 
high,  coarse  grass. 

Bituminous  coal  abounds  in  some*  cf 
the  eastern  parts  of  the  state,  and  salt 
springs  and  iron  mines  are  also  found 
in  several  counties.  There  is  usually 
good  sleighing  for  several  weeks,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  state,  along  Lake 
Erie.  The  winds  are  generally  from 
the  west  and  southwest. 

There  were  found  no  signs  of  Indian 
settlements  in  the  limits  of  the  state, 
though  an  ancient  trail,  or  Indian  road, 
came  down  and  crossed  the  Ohio  river, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  and  led  on 
through  the  Cumberland  gap,  being  the 
grand  route  of  travel  through  the  vast 
western  forest,  between  the  north  and 
the  south.  The  preceding  race,  how- 
ever, of  whom  so  little  is  known, ‘had 
left  very  interesting  traces  on  the  very 
site  now  occupied  by  Cincinnati,  which 
have  been  obliterated.  A number  of 
considerable  works,  of  different  forms, 
extended  between  Ludlow  and  Mound 
streets,  and  between  Third  and  Nor- 
thern row.  These  were,  first,  an  oval 


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492  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


embankment,  830  feet  by  730,  and  from 
3 to  7 feet  high,  with  an  eastern  open- 
ing of  90  feet.  It  was  from  30  to  40 
feet  wide  at  the  base,  and  had  evidently 
been  much  higher.  A raised  path  led 
from  near  the  opening  to  the  top  of  a 
flat  mound,  at  some  distance  beyond 
Main  street.  A similar  work,  and  a 
small  circular  one,  may  also  be  enumer- 
ated ; but  these  were  inferior  to  another 
oval,  760  feet  by  40,  lying  nearly  north 
and  south,  with  a southern  opening,  be- 
yond which  was  a pit  50  feet  wide  and 
12  feet  in  depth.  At  the  corner, of 
Fifth  and  Mound  streets  was  a mound, 
35  feet  high,  and  several  smaller  else- 
where, in  some  of  which  were  found 
pottery,  various  shells,  &c. 

The  mounds  in  Ohio  form'  part  of  the 
long  chain  which  extends  from  the  mid- 
dle of  New  York,  southwesterly  to  the 
Mississippi,  and  down  its  course,  as  is 
said  by  some,  to  Mexico.  They  are  sup- 
posed by  some  writers  to  mark  the  prog- 
ress of  a numerous  and  partially  civi- 
lized people,  on  their  gradual  retreat 
before  powerful  enemies.  Amid  abund- 
ant materials  for  general  conjectures, 
and  with  few  hints  of  anything  positive, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  a variety  of 
theories  should  have  been  proposed,  to 
account  for  their  existence. 

One  cause  of  this  variety  of  opinions 
has  been  the  mistakes  made  by  persons 
who  have  investigated  the  subject  too 
hastily.  The  Grave  Creek  mound,  four- 
teen miles  below  Wheeling,  about  70 
feet  high,  and  33  rods  in  circumference 
at  the  base,  is  one  of  the  largest  known 
to  be  wholly  of  artificial  origin.  A shaft 
was  sunk  from  the  top  to  the  bottom, 
which  exposed  to  view  two  rude  tombs, 
one. a few  feet  above  the  other,  and  each 
containing  the  remains  of  a human  skel- 
eton, several  flat  stones,  and  parts  of 
decayed  logs,  with  a number  of  imple- 
ments, or  weapons,  and  ornaments,  like 
those  often  discovered  in. other  mounds. 
A small  stone,  with  an  inscription  re- 
sembling'Runic  and  some  other  ancient 
alphabets,  said  to  have  been  taken  from 
the  place,  has  recently  excited  the  curi- 
osity of  the  learned  in  Europe,  as  well 
as  in  America. 

At  Circleville  existed  one  of  the  most 


curious  and  wonderful  collections  of 
ancient  works  in  the  state.  The  streets 
of  the  town  are  laid  out  in  curves,  cor- 
responding with  the  two  concentric  cir- 
cles of  a fine,  large,  ancient  work  in 
which  it  is  situated.  The  interior  cir- 
cle is  47  rods  in  diameter,  and  distant 
from  the  outer  3 rods,  with  a ditch  be- 
tween them.  The  outer  wall  was  of 
clay,  which  must  have  been  brought 
from  a distance,  and  was  used  to  make 
‘bricks  in  building  the  town.  There  was 
but  one  entrance  through  the  walls,  and 
that  led  into  a large  square,  which  had 
seven  other  openings.  The  walls  were 
20  feet  high.  Several  smaller  circles, 
&c.,  existed  in  the  vicinity. 

“Fifty-five  years  ago,”  said  General 
Harrison,  in  his  discourse  before  the 
historical  society  of  Ohio,  “there  was 
not  a Christian  inhabitant  within  the 
bounds  which  now  comprise  the  state  of 
Ohio;  and  if,  a few  years  anterior  to  that 
period,  a traveller  had  been  passing 
down  the  magnificent  river  which  forms 
our  southern  boundary,  he  might  not 
have  seen,  in  its  whole  course  of  eleven 
hundred  miles,  a single  human  being, 
certainly  not  a habitation,  nor  the  ves- 
tige of  one,  calculated  for  the  residence 
of  man.  He  might,  indeed,  have  seen 
indications  that  it  was  not  always  thus. 
His  eye  might  have  rested  on  some  stu- 
pendous mound,  or  lengthened  lines  of 
ramparts,  and  traverses  of  earth,  still  of 
considerable  elevation,  which  proved 
that  the  country  had  once  been  possessed 
by  a numerous  and  laborious  people. 
But  he  would  have  seen,  also,  indubitable 
evidences  that  centuries  had  passed  away 
since  these  remains  had  been  occupied 
by  those  for  whose  use  they  had  been 
reared.” 

He  concluded  that  their  departure 
must  have  been  a matter  of  necessity; 
for  no  people  would  willingly  have 
abandoned  such  a country , after  a long 
residence,  and  the  labor  they  had  be- 
stowed upon  it,  unless,  like  the  He- 
brews, they  fled  from  a tyrant,  or  un- 
feeling taskmasters. 

“If  they  had  been  made  to  yield  to  a 
more  numerous,  or  more  gallant  people, 
what  country  had  received  the  fugitives  \ 
and  what  has  become  of  the  conquer- 


494  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 

ors?  Had  they,  too,  been  forced  to  fly 
before  a new  swarm  from  some  northern 
or  southern  hive'?”  What  was  their 
fate  1 and  why  has  so  large  a portion  of 
country,  so  beautiful,  inviting,  abound- 
ing in  all  that  is  desirable,  been  left  to 
the  wild  beasts,  or  for  distant  tribes  of 
savages  to  mingle  in  mortal  conflicts  1 

We  learn  from  the  extensive  country, 
covered  by  their  remains,  that  they  were 
a numerous  agricultural  people,  congre- 
gated in  considerable  cities,  but  in  pos- 
session of  no  domestic  animals.  It 
seems  probable,  if  not  certain,  that  they 
possessed  a national  religion,  “in  the 
celebration  of  which,  all  that  was  pom- 
pous, gorgeous,  and  imposing,  that  a 
semi-barbarous  nation  could  devise,  was 
brought  into  occasional  display;  that 
there  were  a numerous  priesthood,  and 
altars,  often  smoking  with  hecatombs  of 
victims.”  They  had  made  much  prog- 
ress in  the  art  of  building;  their  habita- 
tions were  probably  small,  inconvenient, 
and  composed  of  slight  and  perishable 
materials,  as  few  remains  of  them  are  to 
be  discovered. 

General  Harrison  concluded  that  they 
were  assailed  both  from  the  north  and 
the  south,  receded  from  both  directions, 
and  made  their  last  effort  at  resistance, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

The  engineers  who  directed  the  exe- 
cution of  the  Miami  works,  he  says, 
must  have  known  the  importance  of  flank 
defences;  and,  “if  their  bastions  are 
not  as  perfect,  as  to  form,  as  those  which 
are  in  use  in  modern  engineering-,  their 
position,  as  well  as  that  of  the  long  line 
of  curtains,  are  precisely  as  they  should 
be.” 

He  denies  the  occupation  of  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio  for  centuries  before  its  dis- 
covery by  Europeans,  but  thinks  there 
are  indubitable  marks  of  its  having  been 
thickly  inhabited  by  a race  of  men  in- 
ferior and  subsequent  to  the  authors  of 
the  great  works.  Pottery,  pipes,  stone 
hatchets,  and  other  articles,  are  found 
in  great  abundance,  inferior  in  work- 
manship to  those  of  the  former  people. 

The  tribes  within  the  bounds  of  this 
state,  when  the  white  settlements  com- 
menced, as  General  Harrison  informs 
us,  were  the  Wyandots,  Miamis,  Shaw- 

anees,  Delawares,  a remnant  of  the  Mo- 
hegans  (who  had  united  themselves  to 
the  Delawares),  and  a band  of  the  Otto- 
was.  “ There  may  also  have  been  some 
bands  from  the  Senecas  and  Tuscaroras 
remaining  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state.  But,  whether  resident  or  not,  the 
country,  for  some  distance  beyond  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  certainly  belonged  to 
them.”  As  has  been  before  remarked, 
however,  the  red  men  appear  to  have  had 
no  permanent  settlements  in  any  part  of 
this  extensive  region,  at  least  in  a long 
course  of  time,  as  none  of  the  usual  or 
supposable  marks  of  their  fixed  resi- 
dence were  perceptible.  • 

How  different  is  now  the  aspect  of  j 
the  country!  Flourishing  villages  and  | 
scattered  farmhouses  on  every  side,  | 
amid  fields  of  corn,  sometimes  extend-  , 
ing  farther  than  the  compass  of  vision;  . 
large  towns  and  cities  at  the  principal 
exits  of  trade,  extending  their  crowded 
streets  along  the  shores  of  the  rivers, 
and  crowning  the  neighboring  eminences 
with  villas;  houses  for  the  education  of 
the  young,  andTor  the  worship  of  God, 
sprinkled  over  every  part  of  the  terri- 
tory; and  steam  laboring  with  all  its 
power  to  bear  rich  freights  over  the  land 
and  the  water ! 

There  are  87  counties,  784  town- 
plats,  1010  postoffices,  5 incorporated  j 
cities,  45  chartered  railroad  companies,  1 
about  30  canal  companies,  30  banking  j 
companies,  20  colleges  and  principal 
seminaries,  an  asylum  for  lunatics,  one 
for  the  deaf  and  dumb  and  another  for 
the  blind,  and  a complete  system  of  com- 
mon schools.  What  is,  perhaps,  of 
equal  importance,  Sunday-schools  are  '' 
universally  established,  as  in  most  other 
parts  of  our  country,  every  week,  and  j 
often  every  day,  bringing  the  minds  of 
the  old  and  the  young  to  the  mutual 
study  of  the  word  of  God,  and  practi-  j 
cally  training  the  people  to  the  obser-  i 
vance  of  the  Sabbath,  its  occupation  in 
work  appropriate  to  its  institution,  and 
training  the  people  to  the  important 
duty  of  teaching,  under  circumstances 
most  favorable  to  its  success. 

The  population  in  1790  was  about 
3,000;  in  1S50, 1,977,031,  above  65,000 
per  cent. 

View  of  Cincinnati,  from  the  River. 


— -1 

496  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 

The  Connecticut  Reserve  is  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  parts  of  the  state.  It 
contains  the  seven  northeastern  counties, 
120  miles  east  and  west,  and  52  north 
and  south,  with  four  millions  of  acres, 
and  was  settled  chiefly  from  Connecticut 
and  Massachusetts. 

A striking  view  of  the  rapid  and  solid 
growth  of  Ohio  is  presented  by  the  fol- 
lowing statistics : — 

The  first  permanent  settlement  was 
made  in  1788,  and  the  following  are 
among  the  returns  made  to  the  legisla- 
ture forty  years  afterward,  in  1836  : 
Land  for  taxation,  16,460,029  acres; 
value  of  the  above,  exclusive  of  town 
property,  $55,242,254  ; value  of  the  town 
property,  excepted,  $16,906,854 ; houses, 
2S0,562;  cattle,  402,376;  merchants’ 
capital,  $8,899,994;  pleasure-carriages, 
2,986.  The  taxes  on  the  above,  for 
state,1  county,  town,  and  road  pi  ./poses, 
were  $995,376.  The  revenue  of  the 
state  that  year,  $301,057.  As  early  as 
1837,  there  were  450  miles  of  navigable 
canals,  with  expectation  of  1,000  by 
1839. 

CINCINNATI. 

Cincinnati  is  the  largest  city  in  the 
western  states,  and  enjoys  a situation 
distinguished  by  several  advantages,  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio  river,  which 
there  rises,  with  a bold,  but  not  too  ab- 
rupt ascent,  to  the  height  of  108  feet 
above  low- water  mark,  affording  a con- 
venient and  commanding  elevation  to 
the  upper  streets.  The  latitude  of  the 
city  is  39°  6'  30"  north,  and  the  longi- 
tude, 7°  24'  45"  west.  It  stands  half 
way  between  the  head  of  the  Ohio,  at 
Pittsburgh,  and  its  confluence  with  the 
Mississippi,  at  Cairo,  being  465  miles 
distant  from  each,  measuring  the  course 
of  the  stream.  From  the  following 
cities  the  distances  by  the  roads  are  as 
follows:  Indianapolis.  120,  Columbus 
115,  Lexington  90,  Nashville  270,  Pitts- 
burgh 29 S.  By  the  steamboat  routes  it 
is  19S  miles  from  Louisville,  655  from 
St.  Louis,  1335  from  Natchez,  1631  from 
New  Orleans.  By  the  stage  routes, 
Washington  is  502  miles,  Baltimore  518, 
and  Philadelphia  617.  By  the  lakes, 
the  distance  to  New  York  is  650  miles. 

Cincinnati  stands  near  the  head  of 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  fertile  of  the 
valleys  watered  by  the  Ohio.  It  is 
twelve  miles  in  circumference,  and  en- 
closed by  hills  of  moderate  elevation, 
which  afford  a succession  of  varied  and 
pleasing  scenes,  though  the  approach  to 
the  city  by  water  affords  no  striking 
view. 

The  climate  is  very  variable,  and  the 
cold  in  winter  severe,  but  Cincinnati  is  ! 
a healthy  city.  The  want  of  pavements 
is  a serious  inconvenience  in  wet  weath- 
er, although  the  sloping  ground  on  which 
the  city  is  built  is  favorable  to  draining. 

Ccology.-—  The  rocks  at  Cincinnati 
are  mountain  limestone,  below  which,  as 
elsewhere,  are  found  beds  of  coal.  They 
are,  however,  at  a considerable  distance 
beneath.  The  vicinity  appears  to  have 
been  once  a plain,  600  feet  above  the 
river  at  low  water,  and  1200  above  the 
Atlantic,  but  cut  down  by  streams,  in 
the  course  of  ages,  which  expose  alter- 
nate strata  of  blue  clay,  marl,  and  fossil-  J 
iferous  limestone,  nearly  pure,  and  of  a 
bluish  color.  At  different  elevations, 
in  alluvial  deposites  left  by  the  streams,  \ 
at  different  ages,  in  their  former  beds, 
are  found  old  trees,  and  the  remains  of 
elephants.  On  the  larger  streams  are 
fine  bottom  lands,  or  meadows,  of  a very 
rich  soil,  of  an  amber  color,  which,  in 
floods,  tinges  the  river.  Wells  are 
sometimes  filled  with  carbonic  acid  gas,  | 
or  choke-damp,  which  proceeds  from  the 
limestone.  Numerous  marine  fossils  : 
abound  in  the  rocks. 

Railroads  and  canals,  as  well  as  steam- 
boats, greatly  subserve  the  business  of 
Cincinnati.  In  1841,  there  were  esti-  0 
mated  to  be  1,125  miles  of  these  three 
kinds  of  routes  concentrating  at  this 
city,  to  cost,  when  completed,  twelve 
millions  of  dollars. 

Cincinnati,  notwithstanding  its  pres- 
ent importance,  and  the  great  advantages  * 
of  its  position,  was  not  occupied  until 
most  of  the  other  principal  points  on  the 
western  rivers  had  been  planted  with 
towns. 

The  first  surveys  were  begun  by  Mr. 
Filson  in  17SS;  but  he  soon  disappeared 
in  the  woods,  and  was  never  seen  again. 
Israel  Ludlow,  Robert  Patterson,  and 



498  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


Mathias  Denman,  occupied  a part  of  the 
land  at  the  close  of  that  year  and  the 
next,  and  they  gave  the  place  the  name 
of  Losantiville,  which  was  fortunately 
soon  changed  to  that  which  it  still  bears. 
Jan.  7,  1789,  thirty  men  drew  lots  for 
portions  of  the  land,  but  about  a year 
afterward,  Joel  Williams  purchased  two 
thirds  of  the  town.  The  original  price 
of  the  whole  was  -$500,  in  continental 
certificates,  then  worth  only  five  shil- 
lings on  the  pound.  In  June,  1789, 
Fort  Washington  was  erected  by  Major 
Doughty,  with  forty  men,  and  consisted 
of  four  blockhouses,  with  a stockade  and 
barracks.  In  1790,  General  Arthur  St. 
Clair  arrived,  as  governor  of  the  “terri- 
tory northwest  of  the  Ohio.” 

“ When  I first  saw  the  upper  plain  on 
which  Cincinnati  stands,”  says  General 
Harrison,  “it  was  literally  covered  with 
low  lines  of  embankments.  I had  the 
honor  to  attend  General  Wayne  two 
years  afterward,  in  an  excursion*  to  ex- 
amine them.  The  number  and  variety 
of  figures  in  which  the  lines  were  drawn 
were  almost  endless.  The  cause  I taka 
to  have  been  continued  cultivation;  and 
the  probability  is,  that  the  people  were 
the  conquerors  of  the  original  posses- 
sors.” 

Judge  Burnet  says,  that  when  he  went 
to  Ohio,  in  1796,  the  country  was  liter- 
ally a wilderness.  The  entire  popula- 
tion between  Pennsylvania  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi, from  the  Ohio  to  the  lakes,  was 
fifteen  thousand.  Cincinnati  was  a small 
Village  of  log-cabins,  including,  perhaps, 
a dozen  of  frame  houses,  with  stone 
chimneys,  most  of  them  unfinished.  Not 
a brick  had  been  seen  in  the  place. 

Cincinnati  in  1800. — This  view  of  our 
western  inland  emporium,  while  in  its 
infancy,  possesses  a great  degree  of  in- 
terest. See  page  493.  How  much  more 
cheerful  to  the  eye  than  the  sight  of 
many  an  ancient  European  city,  in  which 
no  trace  of  improvement  is  visible,  and 
where  no  thought  of  enterprise  is  found ! 
In  our  western  towns,  industry,  directed 
by  intelligence,  and  stimulated  by  hope, 
displays  itself  in  .prodigies,  and  strides 
on  like  a giant.  In  this  city,  however, 
if  anywhere,  our  countrymen  have  sur- 
passed themselves;  and  even  those  of 


us  best  acquainted  with  their  energy  and 
success  may  compare  this  print  and  the 
frontispiece,  with  astonishment.  The 
particulars  of  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place  between  1800  and  the  pres- 
ent time,  we  need  not  repeat;  but  we 
will  refer  the  reader  to  the  preceding 
pages,  where  they  are  recorded. 

Cincinnati  in  1848. — The  transition 
from  the  view  on  page  493,  to  the  one 
depicted  on  p.  495,  seems  like  an  illusion. 
Such  a growth,  in  less  than  half  a cen- 
tury, appears  impossible.  Cities  have 
indeed  been  suddenly  erected  by  mon- 
archs  who  had  absolute  power  over  their 
subjects;  but  these  changes  have  been 
produced  by  the  spontaneous  labors  of 
individuals.  The  growth  of  the  place 
has  been  natural,  and  the  impulse  willk 
be  continued.  The  noble  display  of 
steamboats,  drawn  up  in  line,  is  still  in- 
ferior to  what  might  actually  be  made ; 
and  the  long  ranges  of  stores  in  fi-ont, 
as  well  as  the  crowded  buildings  beyond, 
give  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  their  real 
numbers. 

The  streets  of  Cincinnati  are  gener- 
ally wide,  straight,  and  well-built.  They 
cross  at  right  angles,  and  seven  of  them 
are  sixty-six  feet  in  breadth.  The  spaces 
enclosed  between  them  are  396  feet 
square  ; and  one  of  these  is  appropriated 
fo  public  buildings  and  public  purposes. 
A portion  of  another  is  also  devoted  to 
the  same  use.  Main  street,  Broadway, 
and  Fourth  streets,  are  the  finest  streets ; 
but  Pearl  street,  between  Market  and 
Walnut,  has  a fine  block  of  buildings, 
in  a uniform  style,  terminated  by  a large 
hotel. 

The  Landing-Place.  See  page  497. — 
This  nearer  view  of  the  river’s  side  will 
give  a more  just  idea  of  the  spacious 
street  which  borders  the  shore,  and  of 
the  size  of  the  buildings,  though  it  shows  I 
but  a small  part  oi  the  front  line  of  the 
city.  The  reader  will  readily  perceive, 
that  the  landing-place  is  convenient,  as 
it#  extends  far  along  the  bank,  up  and 
down  the  river.  It  is  indeed  a landing- 
place  well  adapted  to  the  extensive  and 
increasing  trade  of  this  commercial  me- 
tropolis  of  the  west. 

The  principal  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  jail,  four  markets  (one  of 


500  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


which  is  400  feet  in  length),  the  Bazaar, 
Cincinnati  college,  the  Catholic  Athe- 
naeum, the  Medical  college,  the  Mechan- 
ics’ institute,  two  theatres,  two  museums, 
the  hospital  and  lunatic  asylum,  the 
Woodward  high  school,  and  nearly 
thirty  churches.  The  town  is  chiefly 
built  of  brick. 

Manufactures. — Within  a few  years, 
the  amount  and  variety  of  manufactures 
have  greatly  increased.  The  principal 
business  is  done  in  heavy  iron  castings, 
for  steam-engines  and  machinery.  A 
great  deal  of  cabinet-work  is  also  pro- 
duced, and  numerous  steamboats  and 
canal-boats  are  built  every  year.  The 
Cincinnati  Manufacturing  Company  have 
a collection  of  large  buildings  on  Deer 
Creek. 

Great  quantities  of  pork  are  prepared 
j and  shipped  at  Cincinnati.  In  1848, 
not  less  than  500,000  hogs  were  killed 
in  the  city.  The  price  was  then  only 
about  two  and  a half  cents  a pound. 
One  of  the  consequences  of  this  busi- 
ness is  the  manufacture  of  great  quan- 
tities of  lard  and  oil. 

Numerous  steamboats  have  annually 
been  built  at  Cincinnati.  In  1843  the 
number  was  43,  whose  tonnage  was 
8,571,  and  cost  $618,000;  in  1844,  89. 

Canal-boats  proceed  from  Cincinnati 
through  the  canal,  over  Lake  Erie,  to 
Buffalo.  Toils  on  the  Ohio  canals  in 
1850,  about  $800,000. 

Orphan  Asylums. — There  are  three: — 

1.  St.  Peter’s  orphan  asylum,  man- 
aged by  the  sisters  of  charity. 

2.  St.  Aloysius’s  orphan  asylum,  an- 
other Roman  catholic  institution,  for 
boys. 

3.  The  Cincinnati  orphan  asylum, 
/erected  by  contributions  of  the  citi- 
zens. It  is  64  feet  by  54,  four  stories 
high,  and  cost  $18,000.  It  stands  in 
Elm  street.  The  children  are  taught 
at  a good  school,  and  have  a good  libra- 
ry, and  extensive  playgrounds.  Morals 
and  religion  are  carefully  inculcated,  and 
the  future  interest  of  the  pupils  provi- 
ded for. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church. — The 
building  is  of  simple  form,  and  in  a neat 
style  of  architecture.  The  walls  are 
straight  and  smooth,  with  seven  win- 


dows on  each  side,  and  a portico  pro- 
jected in  front,  with  ten  Corinthian  col- 
umns. The  steeple,  which  is  dispropor- 
tionately high,  is  conspicuous  from  a 
distance,  (see  engraving,  p.  499.) 

The  Commercial  Hospital  and  Lunatic 
Asylum  of  Ohio  is  situated  in  the  north- 
western part  of  Cincinnati,  in  a retired 
and  airy  situation.  The  building  is  of 
brick,  with  three  stories  and  a basement, 
and  can  contain  250  inmates.  The  poor- 
house  occupies  a separate  part  of  the 
edifice;  and  there  are  two  medical  de- 
partments. Boatmen  who  have  paid 
hospital  money,  those  who  have  not,  and 
the  town  poor,  are  provided  for  gratui- 
tously in  this  institution,  by  different 
funds.  Other  sick  persons  are  admitted 
at  two  dollars  a week. 

The  House  of  Employment  for  Fe- 
male Poor , and  the  Savings  Ban7c,  are 
also  valuable  institutions. 

Benevolent  Societies. — The  Cincinnati 
Total  Abstinence  Temperance  society; 
the  Colonization  society;  the  Ohio  Anti- 
Slavery  society;  the  Scots’  Benevolent 
society;  St.  George’s  society;  the  Cin- 
cinnati Typographical  assocation';  and 
the  Hibernian  Benevolent  society. 

The  Cincinnati  Astronomical  Society, 
organized  in  1842,  have  an  observa-  # 
tory,  with  a large  telescope,  on  Mount 
Adams,  under  the  care  of  Professor 
Mitchells. 

The  Western  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  was  incorporated  in  1838,  and 
has  a valuable  cabinet. 

The  Apprentices ’ Library  was  founded 
in  1821,  by  private  contributions,  and 
is  open  to  all  minors  in  the  city,  brought 
up  to  laborious  employments. 

The  Young  Men’s  Mercantile  Library 
Association  has  its  library  and  reading- 
rooms  in  the  Cincinnati  college,  which 
are  open  daily.  It  was  organized  in 
1835,  and  chartered  the  following  year. 

Education. — 1.  Common  Schools. — 
The  common  school  system  of  Cincin- 
nati was  founded  in  1830-’31,  and  the 
number  of  children  taught  is  very  large. 
The  number  of  districts  is  ten,  which 
are  now  supplied  with  brick  school- 
houses,  with  cupolas,  and  furnished  with 
common  apparatus,  with  seats  for  from 
three  to  five  hundred  pupils,  each,  at  a 


Lane  Seminary,  Walnut  Hills,  near  Cincinnati. 


502 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


cost  of  more  than  $100,000.  They  are 
under  three  boards,  viz. : 1,  the  trus- 
tees ; 2,  the  examiners ; 3,  the  corps  of 
teachers. 

2.  Academies , or  Classical  Schools. — 
There  are  several  in  different  parts  of 
the  city. 

COLLEGES. 

Cincinnati  College  was  chartered  in 
1818-’19,  with  university  powers,  and 
has  been  endowed  chiefly  by  private 
contribution.  It  has  a building  in  the  I 
middle  of  the  city,  with  chymical  and 
philosophical  apparatus. 

St.  Xavier  College , a Jesuit  institu- 
tion, enjoys  the  privileges  of  a univer- 
sity, and  has  a mercantile,  as  well  as  a 
classical  department.  It  has  a library 
of  6,000  volumes,  and  a cabinet  of  nat- 
ural history.  The  expenses  are  $160 
a year,  including  board. 

Woodioard  College  was  founded  in 
1812,  by  William  Woodward,  one  of  the 
early  settlers,  who  gave  the  land  on 
which  the  building  is  erected. 

The  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  on  Sixth 
street.  Students  are  admitted  to  the 
lectures  for  $15,  and  for  $5  more  to  the 
hospital,  which  is  large. 

Lane  Seminary , a presbyterian  theo- 
logical seminary,  is  situated  at  Walnut 


Hills,  a short  distance  from  Cincinnati. 
Rev.  Lyman  Beecher  is  president.  The 
course  of  study  occupies  three  years, 
and  is  gratuitous,  while  room-rent  is 
only  $5  a year,  and  incidental  expenses  | 
$5.  This  seminary  enjoys  a fine  and 
conspicuous  situation.  The  building 
for  the  lodgings  of  the  students  is  of 
four  stories  and  a basement,  and  has  an 
entrance  in  the  middle,  with  five  win- 
dows on  each  side  of  the  door,  ^nd  suf- 
ficient depth  to  afford  numerous  apart- 
ments. On  a line  with  it,  at  the  right, 
is  a very  neat  ‘edifice  for  the  chapel  and 
other  purposes,  in  simple  Grecian  style, 
with  six  Doric  columns  supporting  an 
architrave,  forming  a portico,  to  which 
riaes  a broad  range  of  steps.  In  the 
rear  are  the  houses  of  the  president  and 
professors;  and  the  whole  is  backed  by 
a fine  wood,  while  spacious  grounds  in 
front  and  around  are  laid  out  in  yards, 
walks,  and  gardens. 

GAMBIER. 

Gambier  is  the  seat  of  Kenyon  col- 
lege. Connected  with  this  are  Bexley 
Hall  (the  principal  episcopal  academi- 
cal and  theological  institutions  of  this 
part  of  the  country),  Milnor  Hall  (the 
junior  preparatory  school),  and  Rosse 
I chapel.  They  are  situated  in  the  midst 


Kenyon  College. 

I 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


503 


of  a large  tract  of  land,  belonging  to  the 
diocese,  in  a secluded  and  pleasant 
lace,  and  are  under  the  direction  of  a 
oard  of  trustees.  In  the  vicinity  are 
the  bishop’s  residence,  the  president’s 
house,  and  the  dwellings  of  five  profes- 
sors, with  a number  of  other  buildings, 
including  farmhouses,  storehouses,  &c. 

Kenyon  College. — This  edifice  is  of  a 
plain,  Gothic  style,  built  of  stone,  190 
feet  in  length  and  44  in  breadth,  with  a 
spire  in  the  centre.  Funds  for  its  erec- 
tion having  been  collected  from  the  con- 
tributions of  friends  in  England,  by 
Bishop  Chase,  in  spite  of  much  opposi- 
tion, the  main  building  and  spire  were 
finished  in  1828.  The  wings  were  ad- 
ded in  1834  and  1835,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Bishop  MTlvaine,  by  whom 
further  subscriptions  were  obtained  in 
1833.  (see  engraving,  page  502.) 

All  the  buildings,  with  4,000  acres  of 
land  surrounding  them,  belong  to  the 
institution,  which  affords  theological  in- 
struction gratuitously,  and  is  supported 
chiefly  by  the  products  of  the  soil.  The 
whole  was  estimated,  in  1843,  to  be 
worth  from  $175,000  to  $185,000. 

The  institution  was  placed  in  the 
midst  of  this  tract  of  land  to  secure  it 
from  all  exposure  to  intrusion.  An  un- 
settled region  was  selected,  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest,  and  the  trees  havek  been 
cleared  off  since  the  commencement  of 
the  undertaking. 

j Bexley  Hall  is  a well-proportioned 
building,  for  the  residence  of  the  theo- 
logical students  of  Kenyon  college.  It 
was  constructed  with  funds  raised  in 
England  by  Bishop  MTlvaine,  after  a 
plan  proposed  by  an  architect  in  Lon- 
don. It  is  100  feet  long  and  50  deep, 
and  affords  accommodations  for  a large 
number  of  students.  It  bears  the  name 
of  Lord  Bexley,  a distinguished  and 
efficient  friend  of  the  institution,  and 
well  known  for  his  enlightened  and 
Christian  zeal. 

Milnor  Hall  is  the  preparatory  school 
for  Kenyon  college.  It  is  of  brick,  and 
was  erected  by  money  contributed  in 
1833,  under  the  direction  of  Bishop 
MTlvaine. 

Rosse  Chapel  was  raised  in  1836,  on 
the  site  of  a larger  one,  commenced  by 


Bishop  Chase,  and  serves  both  as  the 
college  chapel  and  the  parish  church. 

MARIETTA. 

The  situation  of  this  village  is  not 
unpleasant,  but  low,  yet  its  institutions 
and  society  have  given  it  a distinction 
worthy  of  the  oldest  settlement  in  the 
state.  It  is  the  capital  of  Washington 
county,  and  stands  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  immediately  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Muskingum.  It  is  61  miles 
southeast  of  Zanesville,  109  southeast 
of  Columbus,  93  east  by  north  of  Chili- 
cothe,  and  178  from  Pittsburgh.  The 
college,  and  several  academies  and 
schools,  give  a very  respectable  literary 
standing.  Shipbuilding  was  formerly 
carried  on. 

Here,  as  we  have  before  mentioned, 
was  planted  the  first  permanent  colony 
of  civilized  men  within  the  bounds  of 
the  present  state  of  Ohio.  Here,  on 
the  7th  of  April,  1788,  landed  a party 
of  adventurers,  with  the  celebrated  vet- 
eran, General  Israel  Putnam,  at  their 
head.  The  fort,  erected  by  United 
States’  troops,  had  been  some  time  con- 
structed, the  site  of  which  is  still  pointed 
out. 


Silver  sword  ornament. 


504 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


Antiquities. — Near  the  fort,  on  high 
ground  and  a dry  soil,  was  an  ancient 
mound,  which  was  dug  away  some  years 
ago,  and  several  curious  relics  were 
brought  to  light.  Dr.  S.  P.  Hildreth, 
of  that  place,  published  drawings  and  a 
description,  from  which  we  have  derived 
the  following  particulars.  The  objects 
were  buried  with  a dead  body,  the  re- 
mains of  which  existed. 

The  object  of  this  form  (see  engra- 
ving, page  22),  made  of  silver,  was 
found  lying  beside  the  remains  of  the 
body.  It  is  about  six  inches  long,  and 
two  in  breadth,  and  weighs  an  ounce. 
It  is  smooth,  with  three  longitudinal 
ridges,  and  four  holes  for  rivets,  proba- 
bly to  attach  it  to  the  scabbard. 

Remains  of  the  blade  were  found,  but 
they  were  mere  iron  rust ; a portion  of 
which  was  in  the  corroded  fragments  of 
the  copper  tip. 


Front  and  back  view  of  a boss  of  the  sword-belt. 

Three  of  these  were  found  lying  on 
the  forehead  of  the  skull,  and  one  of 
copper,  thickly  plated  with  silver.  They 
are  plain,  with  a circular  depression 
round  the  centre,  and  measure  two  and 
a quarter  inches  across.  A bit  of  leather 
remained  between  two  of  the  bosses, 
preserved  by  the  oxyde  of  copper. 

Near  the  feet  of  the  body  was  found 
a small  piece  of  copper,  of  this  shape, 


A copper  plumb,  or  pendent. 

weighing  three  ounces.  It  appears  to 
have  been  formed  of  small  pieces  of  na- 
tive copper,  pounded  together,  and  in 
the  cracks  are  several  pieces  of  silver, 
one  about  the  size  of  a sixpence. 

There  were  also  found  a piece  of  red 
ochre,  and  one  of  iron  ore,  partly  vitri- 
fied. 

The  body  lay  with  the  back  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  its  head 
toward  the  southwest.  Fragments  of 
charcoal  and  mineral  coal,  half  burnt, 
lay  about  the  body ; and  over  apd  around 
the  whole  was  a circle  of  thin,  flat  stones, 
which  seemed  to  have  been  laid  while 
the  fire  was  burning.  It  seemed  that  the 
mound  had  been  formed  over  this  tomb, 
by  heaping  up  the  earth  from  the  neigh- 
borhood, being  of  clay,  sand,  and  gravel. 
It  was  six  feet  high,  and  thirty  or  forty 
feet  in  diameter;  but  had  been  reduced 
in  height  by  the  action  of  rain,  &c.  The 
remains  of  the  skeleton  were  imperfect, 
and  some  of  the  bones  soon  crumbled. 
It  was  about  six  feet  in  length ; the  skull 
was  very  thick. 

The  mound  was  found  by  the  first  set- 
tlers covered  with  trees  as  ancient  as 
those  which  grew  around  it,  and  every- 
thing indicated  antiquity. 

Several  other  ancient  works  existed 
at  Marietta,  from  some  of  which,  bits  of 
pottery  have  been  taken.  Dr.  Hildreth 
mentions  several  specimens  in  his  pos- 
session, which  appear  to  have  lain 
long  exposed  to  the  elements,  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  yet  retained  their 
structure  and  hardness.  They  consist 
of  clay  and  pounded  flint.  Such  as  are 
found  on  the  meadows  are  composed, 
he  tells  us,  of  clay  and  broken  clam- 
shells ; and  these  he  refers  to  .he  pres- 
ent race  of  redmen. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO.  505 


Ashtabula  county  is  remarkable  for 
containing  the  first  settlements  in  the 
Western  Reserve,  and,  indeed,  in  all 
northern  Ohio.  The  first  surveying  par- 
ty of  the  Reserve  landed  at  the  mouth 
of  Conneaut  on  the  4th  of  July,  1796. 
It  consisted  of  fifty-two  persons,  two  of 
whom  were  women  ; and  the  family  of 
Judge  James  Kingsley  was  the  first 
which  ever  wintered  within  the  limits 
of  that  region,  now  so  populous. 

Conneaut  Landing,  the  scene  of  the 
above  events,  is  now  an  important  place 
of  transhipment,  and  has  a pier  with  a 
lighthouse,  with  a few  buildings.  The 
village,  or  borough,  of  the  same  name, 
stands  at  the  distance  of  two  miles 
north.  It  is  twenty-eight  miles  from 
Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  contains  four 
churches,  an  academy,  and  about  4,000 
inhabitants. 

Toledo,  on  the  left  bank  of  Maumee, 
and  on  the  Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles  north- 
west from  Columbus,  two  hundred  and 
forty-six  miles,  by  the  canal,  from  Cin- 
cinnati, and  fifty  south  of  Detroit.  It 
extends  along  the  river  more  than  a 
mile,  with  two  landings,  the  upper  and 
the  lower,  where  most  of  the  business  is 
done,  and  where  are  many  large  stores 
and  warehouses.  The  view  down  the 
river,  from  the  upper  landing,  is  re- 
markably fine,  being  extensive,  bounded 
by  headlands,  and  often  enlivened  with 
numerous  vessels. 

Fort  Industry  was  built  on  the  site  of 
this  town,  in  1800,  near  the  present  Sum- 
mit street,  in  which  the  Indian  treaty 
was  held,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1805, 
at  which  the  Indian  title  to  the  “ fire- 
lands  ” was  extinguished.  The  tribes 
represented  were  the  Ottowa,  Chippewa, 
Pottawatomie,  Wyandot,  Shawnee,  Mun- 
see,  and  Delaware. 

Toledo  was  incorporated  in  1836  as  a 
city,  and  has  five  churches,  two  banks, 
and  about  4,000  inhabitants, 

Cleveland  has  one  of  the  best  har- 
bors on  Lake  Erie,  it  being  formed  by 
the  mouth  of  Cuyahoga  river,  and  im- 
proved by  two  piers,  each  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  yards  in  length,  running 
into  the  lake  on  both  sides.  The  Ohio 
canal,  which  extends  from  this  place  to 


Ohio  river,  continues  the  line  of  navi- 
gation commenced  by  the  Erie  canal, 
from  the  ocean  to  that  great  tributary 
of  the  Mississippi,  which  washes  the 
southern  border  of  this  state,  and  gives 
it  its  name.  Immense  quantities  of 
wheat  and  other  productions  are  annu- 
ally sent  through  Cleveland  to  New 
York,  and  the  exports  to  Canada  are 
large,  through  the  Welland  canal.  The 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  canal  offers  a 
ready  communication  with  Pittsburg; 
and  railroads  are  proposed  to  extend 
from  Cleveland  to  Wellsville,  on  the 
Ohio,  and  to  Columbus. 

The  Medical  College , though  of  re- 
cent establishment,  is  flourishing,  and 
has  seven  professors,  with  all  the  neces- 
sary apparatus. 

Preparations  were  made  in  1837  for  a 
marine  hospital,  on  a tract  of  nine  acres 
of  land  on  the  heights  overlooking  the 
lake.  The  edifice  is  to  be  of  hewn  stone, 
and  in  the  Ionic  style. 

The  number  of  churches  is  twenty- 
one,  and  population  which  in  1796  was 
only  three,  in  1840  was  6,071,  and  in 
1S50,  17,094,  of  whom  9,000  were  na- 
tives of  the  United  States. 

Akron,  thirty-six  miles  from  Cleve- 
land, and  one  hundred  and  ten  northeast 
of  Columbus,  stands  on  the  Ohio  canal,  at 
the  Portage  summit,  and  at  its  junction 
with  the  Pennsylvania  canal.  The  nu- 
merous locks  and  Little  Cuyahoga  river 
afford  an  abundance  of  water-power  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  There  are  a 
courthouse,  five  churches,  an  academy,  a 
number  of  mills  and  manufactories,  and 
about  4,000  inhabitants.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1825,  and  at  first  the  inhabitants  were 
all  confined  to  South  Akron,  just  below. 
It  is  now  a very  flourishing  place. 

Cuyahoga  Falls,  five  miles  from  Ak- 
ron, stands  on  the  river  of  the  same 
name,  and  possesses  extraordinary  ad- 
vantages for  a manufacturing  town,  be- 
ing well  supplied  with  water-power  by 
the  stream,  which  makes  a descent  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  a short 
distance.  The  banks  and  bed  of  the 
stream  are  rocky,  and  present  a wild 
scene,  with  a succession  of  cascades. 
Here  are  four  churches,  and  1,500  in- 
habitants. 


506  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


Elyria. — This  town  is  one  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  northeast  of  Columbus, 
and  twenty-four  west  of  Cleveland,  and  is 
the  capital  of  Lorain  county.  It  stands 
on  a level  piece  of  ground,  seven  miles 
from  Lake  Erie,  and  near  the  junction 
of  the  forks  of  Black  river,  which  af- 
| fords  abundance  of  water-power,  by  ma- 
j king  falls  of  forty  feet.  The  population 
is  only  about  1,500  inhabitants,  but  there 
J are  several  manufactories,  six  churches, 

| and  an  academy.  The  first  settlement  was 
i made  in  1817,  by  Heman  Ely,  of  West 
j Springfield,  Massachusetts.  One  of  the 
! presbyterian  churches  is  of  sandstone, 
cost  $ 8,000 , and  is  one  of  the  most  ele- 
gant in  Ohio. 

Oberlin,  the  seat  of  a collegiate  in- 
stitute, is  eight  miles  distant  from 
Elyria.  This  institution  was  founded 
in  1834,  and  contains  a male  and  a fe- 
male department,  with  a president,  fif- 
teen professors  and  teachers,  and  about 
five  hundred  pupils.  It  is  a manual-labor 
institution.  Stage-coaches  run  every 
day  to  Elyria.  The  village  resembles 
those  of  New  England,  consisting  of 
houses  of  two  stories,  painted  white. 

Mansfield,  sixty-eight  miles  from 
Columbus,  and  sixty-nine  from  Sandus- 
ky, has  an  elevated  situation,  and  con- 
tains a courthouse,  seven  churches,  an 
academy,  and  a population  of  about 
2,800.  It  has  a daily  communication 
with  Sandusky  by  the  railroad,  and 
stage-coaches  run  to  Columbus,  Woos- 
ter, &c.,  three  times  a week. 

Sandusky  City. — This  is  an  impor- 
tant commercial  place,  standing  on  a fine 
bay,  three  miles  from  Lake  Erie.  Many 
vessels  enter  here.  The  population  is 
about  .5,500,  and  fast  increasing.  It 
contains  five  churches.  Much  valuable 
building-stone  is  quarried  in  the  vicinity. 
Railroad  cars  arrive  and  depart  daily  for 
Cincinnati,  through  Cleveland,  and  for 
Mansfield,  while  stage-coaches  run  in 
several  directions. 

Steubenville  stands  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Ohio,  twenty-two  miles 
above  Wheeling,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  east  by  north  from  Columbus, 
and  is  regularly  laid  out.  It  is  thirty- 
five  miles  below  Pittsburg,  by  water, 
and  contains  six  churches,  a courthouse, 


a bank,  and  two  academies,  as  well  as  a 
number  of  manufactories.  Stage-coaches 
start  daily  for  Pittsburg,  and  frequently 
for  Washington,  Cambridge,  Canton,  &c. 

This  town  is  named  from  Fort  Steu- 
ben, which  was  erected  in  1789,  near 
the  site  of  the  present  female  seminary, 
in  High  street.  It  consisted  of  several 
block-houses,  connected  by  palisade  fen- 
ces. It  was  occupied  by  United  States 
infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Beatty, 
until  Wayne’s  victory,  after  which  it 
was  dismantled.  Another  block-house 
stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
The  town  was  laid  out  in  1798,  by  Bez- 
aleel  Wells  and  James  Ross,  of  Penn- 
sylvania. It  was  incorporated  February 
14,  1S05. 

The  situation  of  Steubenville  is  hand- 
some, as  it  occupies  an  elevated  plain ; 
and  the  neighboring  country  is  rich  and 
well  cultivated,  the  soil  being  esteemed 
the  best  for  wheat  in  Ohio.  The  sur- 
rounding region  is  also  remarkably  well 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  wheat.  Meri- 
noes,  were  introduced  here,  at  an  early 
period,  by  Messrs.  Wells  and  Dicker- 
son  ; and  a woollen  manufactory  was 
erected  in  Steubenville  in  1814,  which 
led  to  the  establishment  of  various  man- 
ufactories in  the  place.  It  now  con- 
tains five  of  woollen,  one  of  paper,  one 
of  cotton,  one  of  iron,  and  two  of  glass, 
besides  others  ; and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood are  seven  copperas  manufactories. 
All  these  employ  between  eight  hun- 
dred and  one  thousand  hands,  and  con- 
sume more  than  a million  bushels  of 
coal  annually.  This  important  kind  of 
fuel  is  derived  from  mines  at  a short 
distance  from  the  town.  The  popula- 
tion, in  1S10,  was  800  ; in  1S20,  2,479; 
in  1830,  2,964;  in  1840,  4,247;  and  in 
1850,  about  7,000. . 

Steubenville  contains  five  public 
schools  and  four  select  ones,  besides 
a male  and  a female  seminary.  The  for- 
mer is  named  Grove  academy,  and  is  a 
flourishing  institution,  containing  about 
eighty  pupils.  The  latter,  situated  on 
the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  was  commenced  in 
1829,  at  an  expense  of  nearly  $40,000, 
has  ten  or  twelve  teachers,  and  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  The  edi- 
fice presents  a fine  and  imposing  front, 


View  of  Steubenville. 


508  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


having  a central  building  of  four  stories, 
with  a piazza,  and  two  long  wings  of 
three  stories.  A broad  lawn,  shaded 
with  trees,  slopes  toward  the  river. 

Portsmouth,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Ohio  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto, 
one  hundred  and  five  miles  from  Cin- 
cinnati, is  at  the  head  of  the  Ohio  canal, 
and  contains  a population  of  about  5,000 
inhabitants.  The  public  buildings  are 
the  courthouse,  a bank,  and  four  church- 
es. Iron  ore  is  found  in  the  upper  parts 
of  Scioto  county,  and  in  Lawrence 
country,  and  there  are  several  mills  and 
manufactories.  Water,  for  the  supply  of 
the  town,  is  raised  from  the  river  by  steam. 
Steamboats  depart  daily*  for  Wheel- 
ing, Pittsburg,  &c.,  and  stage-coaches 
go  daily  to  Columbus.  Portsmouth  is 
the  capital  of  Scioto  county.  A com- 
pany of  eastern  capitalists  are  forming 
a basin  in  the  old  channel  of  the  Scioto, 
for  the  building  and  repairing  of  steam- 
boats. 

Painesville. — This  town  has  a high 
situation  on  the  left  side  of  Grand  riv- 
er, three  miles  from  Lake  Erie,  and  31 
miles  from  Cleveland,  with  a population 
of  about  1,500.  There  are  four  churches 
and  a courthouse.  Stage-coaches  start 
daily  for  Buffalo. 

Fairport,  the  harbor  of  Painesville, 
is  three  miles  farther  north,  nearly  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river. 

Willoughby. — This  is  a small  vil- 
lage, eleven  miles  southwest  from  Paines- 
ville, the  seat  of  Willoughby  medical 
college.  This  institution  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1834,  and  has«nine  professors, 
and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  stu- 
dents. The  lectures  commence  on  the 
last  Monday  in  October. 

Zanesville  enjoys  a very  handsome 
situation,  on  the  left  bank  of  Muskingum 
river,  seventy-three  miles  from  Wheel- 
ing, opposite  the  mouth  of  Licking  river. 
The  principal  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  a market,  two  academies,  a 
bank,  fourteen  churches,  and  the  athenae- 
um, with  a reading-room  and  mineralogi- 
cal  cabinet.  A fine  bridge  crosses  the 
Muskingum,  over  which  passes  the  na- 
tional road.  The  population  is  about 
11,000. 

A succession  of  dams  and  locks  ren- 


ders the  navigation  to  the  Ohio  uninter- 
rupted along  the  valley  of  the  Muskin- 
gum ; and  water-power  is  obtained  for 
several  large  flour-mills  and  iron-woiks. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  here  in 
the  year  1799,  when  the  village  was 
laid  out.  The  site  of  the  town  was 
granted  to  Ebenezer  Zane  (after  whom 
it  was  named)  as  a reward  for  opening 
a bridle-road  from  Wheeling  to  Mays- 
ville. 

There  is  a daily  communication  be- 
tween Zanesville,  and  Maysville,  Ken- 
tucky, by  stage-coaches,  as  well  as  with 
Cincinnati  and  Wheeling,  and  twice  a 
week  with  Marietta  and  Cleveland. 

Gallipolis,  ninety-seven  miles  from 
Cincinnati,  and  three  hundred  from 
Pittsburg  by  water,  stands  on  the  left 
bank  of  Scioto  river.  It  has  a population 
of  about  2,600  inhabitants,  and  contains 
three  churches,  a courthouse,  a bank, 
and  an  academy,  and  is  the  capital  of 
Gallia  county.  Some  of  the  inhabitants 
are  of  French  descent. 

Chillicotiie. — This  town,  the  capital 
of  Ross  County,  was  formerly  the  seat 
of  government  of  Ohio.  It  is  situated 
ninety-three  miles  from  Cincinnati,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Scioto,  extending 
south  to  Point  creek,  a distance  of  about 
three  fourths  of  a mile.  It  contains  a 
United  States  land-office,  two  banks,  two 
academies,  and  thirteen  churches.  The 
population  is  about  8,000.  A number  of 
ancient  mounds  formerly  stood  in  the 
town  and  its  vicinity.  The  Ohio  canal 
passes  through  the  place,  and  stage- 
coaches go  daily  for  Zanesville,  Colum- 
bus, Maysville,  and  Portsmouth. 

Chillicotiie  has  been  compared  to 
Philadelphia,  in  situation  and  plan,  as 
it  stands  on  a plain,  and  the  streets  are 
regular,  and  the  Scioto  and  Paint  creeks 
bounding  it  on  both  sides,  as  the  Dela- 
ware and  Schuylkill.  But  the  surround- 
ing scenery  is  far  superior,  and  equalled 
by  but  few  other  cities.  The  seat  of 
government  of  the  Northwest  territory 
was  established  here  in  .1800,  by  an  act 
of  Congress,  and  the  business  was  done 
in  a log-house.  The  old  statehouse 
(now  the  county  courthouse)  was  com- 
menced in  1S00,  and  is  believed  to  be 
the  first  stone  building  erected  in  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO.  509 


territory.  In  1816,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  removed  to  Columbus. 

Pickaway  County  was  formed  in 
1810,  from  Ross,  Fairfield,  and  Frank- 
lin counties,  and  contains  the  Pickaway 
plains,  said  to  be  the  richest  body  of 
lands  in  the  state.  The  name  is  derived 
from  that  of  the  Piqua  Indians,  a tribe 
of  the  Shawnees.  Here  resided  the 
celebrated  chiefs  Logan  and  Cornplant- 
er.  The  county  abounds  in  plain  and 
fertile  country,  and  the  eye  may  fre- 
quently overlook  an  extent  of  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  com.  The  four  varieties 
of  Ohio  soil,  however,  are  to  be  found 
in  different  parts  of  the  county,  viz., 
woodland,  barren,  plain  and  prairie.  The 
barrens  were  formerly  covered  with 
shrub-oak,  and  received  their  name  from 
their  supposed  worthlessness.  They 
have,  however,  proved  to  be  very  good 
for  grass  and  oats.  The  first  settlers 
came  principally  from  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia.  The  chief  productions  are 
corn,  wheat,  oats,  grass,  pork,  wool,  and 
neat  cattle.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  west  side  of  Scioto  river  are  tenants. 
Population  in  1850,  21,286. 

In  1774,  Lord  Dunmore  marched 
from  Virginia  with  3,000  men,- to  attack 
the  Indian  towns  on  the  Pickaway 
plains,  but  one  of  his  divisions  was  as- 
saulted in  his  camp,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kenhawa,  now  Point  Pleasant,  and 
barely  succeeded  in  repulsing  the  sav- 
ages after  a severe  loss.  The  Indians 
at  length  sued  for  peace,  after  the  army 
had  reached  Old  Chillicothe ; and  on 
that  occasion  Logan  made  the  speech 
which  has  been  so  much  celebrated  as 
a specimen  of  simple  but  pathetic  elo- 
quence. His  last  days  were  melancholy. 
He  became  addicted  to  intemperance, 
and  wandered  about  the  country,  until 
he  was  killed  by  an  Indian  whom  he 
had  offended. 

Among  the  principal  towns  in  Picka- 
way county  is  Circleville  which  is  else- 
where described.  The  ancient  inhabit- 
ants, the  builders  of  the  mounds,  appear 
to  have  made  this  part  of  the  Scioto  val- 
ley one  of  their  most  favorite  abodes,  as 
the  remains  of  their  works  are  abun- 
dant. For  a most  authentic  and  com- 
plete description  of  these,  the  reader  is 


referred  to  the  first  number  of  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  Smithsonian  Institute, 
now  in  the  press,  which  contains  a me- 
moir by  Messrs.  Davis  and  Squier,  by 
whom  many  of  the  works  in  Ohio  have 
been  recently  and  carefully  surveyed 
and  excavated. 

Lancaster  is  the  county  seat  of 
Fairfield  county,  and  is  situated  on  a 
beautiful,  and  fertile  valley,  on  the 
Hockhocking  river  and  canal,  and  on 
the  Zanesville  and  Chillicothe  turnpike. 
It  is  twenty-eight  miles  southeast  of 
Columbus,  and  is  a very  flourishing 
town.  It  has  seven  churches,  each  one 
belonging  to  a different  denomination. 
In  1840,  it  numbered  2,120  inhabitants, 
and  has  since  then  rapidly  increased. 

The  land  upon  which  this  town  now 
stands,  was,  when  first  known  to  the 
settlers  of  Marietta,  in  the  possession 
of  the  Wyandot  Indians.  Their  princi- 
pal town  occupied  a large  part  of  the 
tract  on  which  Lancaster  has  since  been 
built.  It  is  said  that,  in  1790,  this  town 
contained  five  hundred  inhabitants,  and  a 
hundred  wigwams.  Its  name,  which  was 
Tarhe,  or,  in  English,  Crane  town,  was 
named  after  the  principal  chief  of  the 
tribe.  Near  the  fourth  lock  on  the 
Hockhocking  canal,  and  not  far  from  the 
junction  of  a beautiful  spring  with  the 
Hockhocking  river,  the  hut  of  this  chief 
stood.  It  was  formed  of  the  bark  of 
trees  set  on  poles,  with  one  square 
opening,  large  enough  to  admit  a man. 
At  this  time  the  tribe  numbered  five 
hundred  warriors.  In  1795,  the  territory 
was  ceded  by  them  to  the  United  States, 
in  the  treaty  of  Greenville  ; after  which 
the  larger  number  removed  with  their 
chief,  to  Upper  Sandusky. 

In  1797,  a communication  having  been 
opened  with  the  eastern  states,  by  what 
was  called  Zane’s  trace,  many  who 
were  probably  desirous  of  improving 
their  condition  in  life,  removed  to  this 
spot,  where,  finding  everything  they 
could  wish  to  make  them  comfortable, 
they  determined  to  fix  their  abode. 
Captain  Hunter,  who  in  1798,  settled 
on  the  ibank  of  the  prairie,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  northwest  of 
the  present  turnpike,  is  considered  as 
the  founder  of  Fairfield  county. 


510  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


April  30th,  1803,  Franklin  was  formed 
from  Ross,  and  named  from  Benjamin 
Franklin.  The  land  is  generally  level, 
and  the  prevailing  character  of  the  soil 
is  clay,  and  is  very  well  adapted  to  gra- 
zing, more  so  th*an  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain,  though  on  the  water-courses,  which 
are  very  numerous,  there  are  many 
well-cultivated  and  flourishing  farms. 
The  staple  productions  are  potatoes, 
hay,  oats,  corn,  wheat,  pork,  and  wool. 
In  1820,  the  population  of  Franklin  was 
numbered  at  10,300,  and  in  1840,  it  had 
increased  to  24,880;  in  1850,  43,000. 

This  tract  of  country  was  once  occu- 
pied by  the  Wyandot  Indians,  who  cul- 
tivated the  river  bottoms  and  raised  ex- 
tensive fields  of  corn,  opposite  their 
town,  which  stood  where  the  city  of  Co- 
lumbus now  stands. 

In  the  year  1780,  a party  of  whites 
pursued  some  Indians  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Kanawha  river,  and  overtook  them 
near  Columbus,  gave  them  battle,  and 
overcame  them.  During  the  fight,  two 
squaWs  were  observed  to  hide  them- 
selves in  a hollow  tree ; after  the  skir- 
mish was  over  they  were  drawn  out,  and 
carried  captives  to  Virginia.  As  lately 
as  1845,  this  tree  was  standing  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Scioto  river. 

An  old  Wyandot  chief,  named  Leather- 
lips,  was  executed  in  this  county,  in 
1810,  on  a charge  of , witchcraft. 

Coshocton,  the  capital  of  Coshocton 
county,  has  a fine  situation  on  Muskin- 
gum river,  at  the  junction  of  the  Tusca- 
rawas and  Walhonding,  eighty-three 
miles  northeast  of  Columbus,  and  thirty 
from  Zanesville.  The  buildings  are  much 
scattered  over  a fine  piece  of  ground 
lying  in  four  terraces,  each  rising  about 
nine  feet  above  that  below  it,  and  the 
upper  being  one  thousand  feet  in 
breadth.  The  public  square  is  sixty 
rods  from  the  Muskingum,  and  contains 
four  acres,  planted  with  trees,  and  con- 
taining the  county  buildings. 

This  town  was  laid  out  in  1802,  by 
Ebenezer  Buckingham  and  John  Mat- 
thews, having  been  first  settled  a few 
years  previously.  It  contains  four 
churches,  two  printing-offices,  one  wool- 
len factory,  and  a flour-mill,  and  in 
1850  had  800  inhabitants.  Steamboats 


occasionally  come  up  to  this  place  at 
high  water. 

Roscoe  stands  opposite  Coshocton, 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  and 
is  connected  with  it  by  abridge.  It  was 
laid  off  in  1816,  with  the  name  of  Cal- 
dersburg  by  James  C alder.  The  Wal- 
honding canal  extends  from  this  place  to 
Rochester,  twenty-five  miles  distant. 
Roscoe  is  a great  depot  for  wheat,  and 
has  abundant  water-power,  supplied  by 
the  canal. 

The  following  villages  are  in  this 
vicinity  : East  Union,  West  Carlisle, 
Newcastle,  Rochester,  West  Bed- 
ford, Keene,  New  Bedford,  Evans- 
burgh,  Birmingham,  Chili,  Jacobsport, 
Lewisville,  Plainfield,  Van  Buren, 
and  Warsaw. 

Bucyrus,  the  capital  of  Crawford 
county,  was  laid  out  in  1822,  by  the 
first  settler,  Samuel  Norton,  who  came 
from  Pennsylvania  in  1819.  The  coun- 
try then  abounded  in  wild  animals. 

Massillon. — This  village  is  situated 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas  riv- 
er, and  on  the  route  of  the  Ohio  canal. 
The  public  buildings  are  a bank  and 
seven  churches,  and  the  population  is 
about  2,000. 

Granville,  six  miles  from  Newark, 
has  a college  of  the  same  name,  sit- 
uated at  the  distance  of  a mile.  It  was 
founded  in  1S32,  and  has  four  profes- 
sors, twenty-five  students,  and  a library 
of  about  three  thousand  volumes.  The 
commencement  is  held  on  the  second 
Wednesday  iii  August. 

Newark  stands  at  the  confluence  of 
the  three  branches  of  Licking  river,  and 
ou  the  line  of  the  Ohio  canal,  and  also 
on  that  of  the  railroad  from  Sandusky 
city  to  Columbus.  A branch  of  the 
latter  it  is  intended  to  construct  from 
this  point  to  Zanesville.  The  public 
square  is  the  most  spacious  and  elegant 
in  the  state.  The  town  was  laid  out  in 
1801,  on  the  plan  of  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, by  General  William  C.  Schenk, 
George  W.  Burnet,  and  John  M.  Cum- 
mings, who  were  proprietors  of  this 
military  section,  embracing  four  thou- 
sand acres.  The  first  house  of  hewed 
logs  was  erected  in  1802,  and  the  first 
regular  church  edifice  was  built  in 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO.  5H 

1817,  by  a presbyterian  congregation, 
both  on  the  public  square.  There  are  now 
nine  churches,  three  newspapers,  two 
grist-mills,  one  foundry,  and  a woollen 
factory,  and  the  population  in  1850  was 
4,000. 

Dayton. — This  town  is  the  capital 
of  Montgomery  county,  and  is  situated 
on  the  east  side  of  Great  Miami  river,  at 
the  mouth  of  Mad  river,  and  one  mile 
below  the  southwest  branch.  The  dis- 
tance from  Columbus  is  sixty-seven 
miles  west,  from  Cincinnati  fifty-two, 
and  one  hundred  and  ten  from  Indian- 
apolis. It  was  proposed  to  build  a 
town  here  as  early  as  1788,  by  the  name 
of  Venice,  the  land  lying  within  the  con- 
tract of  John  Cleves  Symmes  : but  the 
project  failed  in  consequence  of  the 
revolutionary  war.  In  1795,  soon  after 
Wayne’s  treaty,  a company  purchased 
the  land  of  Mr.  Symmes,  and  the  town 
was  laid  out  on  the  14th  of  November 
of  that  year.  It  was  named  after  Gen- 
eral Jonathan  Dayton,  Springfield,  New 
Jersey,  the  leader  of  the  enterprise.  The 
first  nineteen  settlers  arrived  on  the 
1st  of  April  of  the  year  following.  Some 
of  the  settlors  were  afterward  obliged 
to  purchase  titles  from  the  government, 
in  consequence  of  the  inability  of 
Symmes  to  fulfil  his  contract.  The 
Miami  canal,  commenced  in  1827,  which 
has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  town. 
Both  the  town  and  the  country  stood 
the  second  in  the  state,  in  point  of  taxa- 
ble property,  in  1846. 

The  first  canal-boat  from  Cincinnati 
arrived  at  Dayton  on  the  25th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1829,  and  the  first  from  Lake  Erie 
on  June  24,  1845.  The  first  line  of 
stage-coaches  from  Cincinnati  to  Co- 
lumbus, weekly,  was  established  in  1825, 
and  were  two  days  on  the  way.  There 
are  now  three  daily  lines. 

Urbana,  forty-two  miles  west-north- 
west from  Columbus,  is  the  capital  of 
Champaign  county,  and  was  laid  out  in 
1805,  by  Colonel  Wilffam  Ward,  who 
gave  lots  for  public  buildings.  The 
first  church  was  of  logs,  and  built  by 
meth odists  in  1807. 

Some  handsome  houses  are  now  built 
in  the  environs  of  the  town,  which  con- 
tains four  churches,  two  printing-offices, 

one  woollen  factory,  one  iron  foundry, 
and  two  machine  shops.  In.  1850,  the 
number  of  inhabitants  was  2,000. 

Batavia,  the  capital  of  Clermont 
county,  is  twenty-one  miles  east  from 
Cincinnati,  and  one  hundred  and  three 
southwest  of  Columbus,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  east  fork  of  Little  Miami 
river.  It  was  laid  out  about  the  year 
1820,  by  George  Ely,  and  made  the 
county  seat  in  1824.  It  contains  two 
churches,  and  two  printing-offices,  and 
had,  in  1850,  800  inhabitants. 

Williamsburg,  seven  miles  east  of 
Batavia,  stands  on  the  east  branch  of 
the  Miami,  and  is  a pleasant  village. 

There  are  several  other  small  towns 
in  Clermont  county:  New  Richmond, 
Moscow,  Point  Pleasant,  Neville, 
and  Chilo,  all  on  the  Ohio  river:  also 
Bethel,  Felicity,  and  Milford. 

Wilmington. — This  is  the  capital  of 
Clinton  county,  and  a village  belonging 
to  the  township  of  Union.  It  stands  on 
Todd’s  fork,  and  is  seventy-two  miles 
southwest  from  Columbus,  on  a tract 
of  undulated  ground.  It  contains  five 
churches,  a printing-office,  a high-school, 
and  about  1,500  inhabitants.  It  was 
settled  chiefly  by  families  from  North 
Carolina,  and  the  first  church  was  built 
by  baptists. 

The  following  villages  are  in  this 
neighborhood  : Clarkesville,  nine 
miles  southwest  of  Wilmington  ; Mar- 
tinsville, nine  miles  south  ; Port  Wil- 
liam, nine  miles  north  ; New  Vienna, 
eleven  miles  southeast  ; and  Burling- 
ton, eleven  miles  northwest.  Sabina, 
Sligo,  Blanciiester,  Cuba,  Lewis- 
ville, Westboro’,  Centreville,  and 
Morrisvili.e,  are  small. 

Clinton  County  was  organized  in 
1810,  and  named  after  Governor  George 
Clinton,  of  New  York,  vice-president 
of  the  United  States.  It  has  a level 
surface,  and  a rich  soil,  well  adapted 
to  grass  and  corn,  with  some  prairie 
land.  The  streams  afford  a good  sup- 
ply of  water-power^  The  chief  produc- 
tions are  corn,  oats,  wheat,  wool,  and 
pork.  The  population,  in  1850,  was 
18,837,  or  fiity  to  a square  mile.  It 
was  first  settled  in  about  1803,  chiefly 
by  people  from  Kentucky,  Pennsylva- 

512  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 


nia,  and  North  Carolina.  William 
Smally  was  the  first  white  inhabitant, 
in  1797. 

Springfteld,  forty-three  miles  west  of 
Columbus,  is  the  county  town  of  Clarke 
county.  It  stands  on  the  national  road, 
and  the  river  road  from  Cincinnati  to 
Sandusky  City  passes  through  it.  It  was 
laid  out  in  1803,  by  James  Demint,  and 
is  remarkably  beautiful  and  advanta- 
geously situated.  The  adjacent  region 
is  fertile  and  picturesque,  and  the  peo- 
ple are  very  intelligent  and  mor  al ; so 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  pla- 
ces for  residence  in  the  state.  The  east 
fork  of  Mad  river,  which  borders  it  on 
the  north,  is  an  excellent  mill-stream, 
never  failing  in  the  driest  seasons.  The 
Lagonda,  or  Buck  creek,  flows  through 
the  town,  which  also  affords  good  water- 
power; and  there  are  more  than  twenty 
mill-seats  within  three  miles  of  Spring- 
field. 

The  main  street  is  broad  and  fine, 
being  ornamented  with  the  courthouse, 
a church,  and  the  academy.  The  high- 
school  is  flourishing,  and  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Methodist  conference  of 
Ohio.  There  is  a lyceum,  which  has 
existed  about  fifteen  years  ; and  the  pub- 
lic libraries  contain  about  four  thousand 
volumes.  There  are  nine  churches,  two 
printing-offices,  and  a variety  of  manu- 
factories. The  population  is  about  6,000. 

Wittnnberg  College , situated  half  a 
mile  from  Springfield,  has  twenty-four 
acres  of  fine  grounds,  and  stands  in  the 
midst  of  beautiful  scenery.  It  is  a Lu- 
theran institution,  and  is  organized  on  a 
broad  plan,  with  collegiate  and  theo- 
logical departments,  and  provision  for 
six  professorships.  It  commenced  op- 
erations in  1846,  with  about  seventy 
students. 

Xenia. — This  town,  the  capital  of 
Greene  county,  is  situated  sixty-four 
miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  and  sixty-one 
from  Columbus,  and  has  broad  streets 
with  fine  houses,  and  considerable  ad- 
vantages for  business.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1803,  on  land  belonging  to  John 
Paul,  who  gave  a large  square  for  pub- 
lic buildings.  The  first  cabin  was 
erected  the  next  year,  by  John  Mar- 
shall, in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 


town.  The  first  meeting  of  the  grand 
jury  was  held  October  3,  1804,  under 
a sugar-tree. 

Zenia  now  contains  eight  churches, 
a bank,  a classical  academy,  two  news- 
paper printing-offices,  and  about  4,000 
inhabitants. 

Sidney,  the  capital  of  Shelby  county, 
was  laid  out  so  recently  as  1819,  on  the 
farm  of  Charles  Starrett,  on  a piece  of 
table-land,  on  the  west  side  of  Miami 
river.  The  court  was  held  there  the 
following  year,  and  the  first  frame  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1820.  The  first 
newspaper  was  printed  in  1836.  The 
courthouse  stands  on  a fine  square  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  and  the  number 
of  churches  is  five.  There  are  three 
flour  and  four  saw-mills,  and  two  carding 
and  fulling-mills.  The  population  prob- 
ably now  amounts  to  about  2,000. 

Van  Buren,  a township  in  Shelby 
county,  is  remarkable  for  containing  a 
large  and  prosperous  settlement  of  col- 
ored people,  numbering  about  four  hun- 
dred. The  land  is  not  well  situated, 
being  low  and  wet ; but  the  inhabitants 
are  industrious,  moral,  and  careful  for 
the  education  of  their  children,  being 
as  prosperous  as  their  white  neighbors. 
They  have  also  churches  of  their  own. 
In  1846,  the  slaves  emancipated  by  the 
will  of  the  celebrated  John  Randolph, 
came  to  this  place,  and  attempted  to 
settle  permanently,  after  they  had  been 
driven  from  Mercer  county,  but  the 
white  neighbors  drove  them  off  by  vio- 
lence, and  compelled  them  to  scatter 
about  the  country. 

Port  Jefferson,  five  miles  northeast 
of  Sidney,  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
feeder  supplied  by  Miami  liver  to  the 
Miami  canal,  a distance  of  thirteeu 
miles.  It  contains  about  fifty  houses, 
two  churches,  &c. 

The  following  villages  are  in  this  vi- 
cinity : Hardin,  five  miles  west  of  Sid- 
ney ; Newport,  twelve  miles  west; 
Berlin,  sixteen  miles  west-northwest; 
Houston,  eleven  miles  west-southwest ; 
Lockport,  eight  miles  south  ; and  Pal- 
estine, nine  miles  east. 

Hamilton,  the  capital  of  Butler  coun- 
ty, is  twenty-two  miles  north  of  Cincin- 
nati, stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO  513 


Great  Miami.  It  contains  seven  church- 
es, a flourishing  female  academy,  two 
newspaper  printing-offices,  three  flour- 
mills, three  saw-mills,  three  cotton  facto- 
ries, and  two  machine  shops,  and  had  a 
population  of  2,000  in  1850  ; since 
which  it  has  increased  considerably,  and 
seems  destined  to  be  a large  manufac- 
turing town.  Large  hydraulic  works 
have  been  erected,  which  rank  among 
the  best  west  of  the  Alleganies.  The 
water  is  brought  four  miles,  from  the 
Great  Miami,  by  a canal,  and  is  suffi- 
cient for  two  hundred  run  of  four  and  a 
half  mill-stones. 

Maumee  City,  the  capital  of  Lucas 
county,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
miles  northwest  from  Columbus,  and 
eight  south  of  Toledo.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1817,  in  the  old  reservation  of  twelve 
miles  square,  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids 
of  the  Maumee,  which  was  granted  to 
the  Indians  in  1795.  The  site  of  the 
town  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  oppo- 
site Perrysburg  and  Fort  Meigs,  on  the 
Wabash  and  Erie  canal.  The  ground 
is  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the 
Maumee,  which  here  makes  a fine, 
broad  bend,  from  which  the  banks  rise 
like  a vast  amphitheatre,  about  two 
miles  long  and  one  mile  wide.  A beau- 
tiful island  of  two  hundred  acres,  and 
several  smaller  ones,  ornament  the  sur- 
face of  the  river. 

The  French  had  a trading  post  a lit- 
tle below  the  town,  as  early  as  the  year 
1680,  where  the  English  built  a fort  in 
1794  ; the  place  was  a favorite  resort  of 
the  Indians.  The  ruins  of  the  latter  fort 
still  remain.  A part  of  Wayne’s  battle 
was  fought  within  the  limits  of  this 
town ; and  the  British  erected  several 
batteries  below  the  town,  in  the  late 
war,  during  the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs. 
These  were  taken  by  storm  by  Colonel 
Dudley,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1813;  but 
ho  was  afterward  driven  back  and  de- 
feated. 

The  Pork  Trade  of  the  West. — More 
than  four  hundred  thousand  hogs  had 
been  packed  in  Cincinnati,  up  to  the 
month  of  January,  1848,  for  the  season 
of  1847-’8 — an  unprecedented  number, 
even  for  that  place.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a very  few  places,  the  same  rate 


of  increase  has  occurred  in  the  west 
generally. 

The  pork  packed  at  Cincinnati  comes 
exclusively  from  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and 
Indiana.  The  supplies  from  all  these 
quarters  were  immense.  On  one  road 
leading  to  Cincinnati  from  Indiana, 
about  70,000  hogs  crossed  the  Miami- 
town  bridge.  There  are  other  bridges 
over  the  Miami,  on  roads  leading  from 
Indiana. 

For  about  two  months,  the  passage  of 
hogs  up  the  leading  streets,  from  the 
Ohio  river,  seemed  to  be  almost  con- 
stant. So,  also,  the  turnpikes  coming  in 
from  Ohio  indicate  the  same  state  of 
facts. 

That  we  may  have  an  idea  of  the  ca- 
pacity of  these  states  to  increase  the 
number  of  hogs  brought  to  market,  take 
the  following  statement.  The  first  table 
contains  the  amount  for  1840,  the  second 
an  estimate  for  1850. 

1840.  Hogs.  Corn. 

Ohio,  2,099,746  33,668,1 44  bush. 

Kentucky,  2,310,533  39.847,120  “ 

Indiana,  1,623,608  28,155,887  “ 


Total,  6,033,887  101,671,131  bush. 

In  1840,  then,  the  farmers  of  these  three 
states  had  six  millions  of  hogs,  and  more 
than  a hundred  millions  of  bushels  of 
corn.  They  could  have  fatted  two  mill- 
ions of  those  hogs,  and  sent  them  to  mar- 
ket, on  forty  millions  of  bushels  of  corn. 

1850.  Hogs.  Corn. 

Ohio,  2,500,000  50,000,000  bush. 

Kentucky,  2,500,000  45,000,000  “ 

Indiana,  2,000,000  40,000,000  “ 

Total,  7,000,000  135,000,000  bush. 

There  are  in  the  United  States 
30,000,000  of  hogs.  This  is  about  fif- 
teen times  the  number  usually  slaugh- 
tered in  the  whole  country  for  market 
in  one  year.  Hogs  grow  upon  full  size 
in  less  than  two  years.  It  follows,  then, 
from  these  facts,  that  there  must  be  at 
least  five  times  as  many  hogs  in  the 
country  that  might  be  fatted  for  market, 
as  really  are. 

The  west  being  peculiarly  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  Indian  com  (the  best 
food  for  fattening  hogs),  renders  the  rais- 
ing of  hogs  a very  profitable  business. 


33 


514 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


This  state  consists  of  two  great 
peninsulas,  and  presents  a form 
and  position  unlike  any  other  state 
the  Union.  It  might  be  com- 
pared with  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
in  respect  to  the  separation  of  its 
parts  by  water;  but  it  is  different 
from  them  in  lying  far  in  the  in- 
terior, and  in  having  for  its  prin- 
cipal boundaries  the  borders  of 
three  great  lakes.  It  has  Lake 
Superior  on  the  north,  with  its  out- 
let and  the  Saut  de  Sainte  Marie 
on  the  northeast;  Lake  Huron  on 
the  east,  with  the  west  end  of 
Lake  Erie  on  the  southeast,  with  Lake  Clair  and  the  outlet  of  Huion,  Ohio 
and  Indiana  on  the  south;  Lake  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  on  the  west. 

The  advantages  offered  to  commerce  and  trade  by  the  natural  features  of  the 
country,  and  to  internal  improvements,  are  equalled  only  by  the  agricultural  facil- 
ities and  mineral  wealth  of  some  parts  of  the  territory.  There  are  seveial  good 
harbors  along  the  borders  of  the  lakes  and  their  coves,  which  also  abound  with 
fish  ; copper  mines,  of  great  extent  and  richness,  abound  along  the  shores,  on 
Lakes  Huron  and  Superior;  and  railroads  have  already  been  constructed  nearly 
across  the  isthmus  of  the  grand  peninsula.  . 

This  grand  peninsula  is  divided  into  two  inclined  planes,  by  a continuation  o 
the  ridge  of  land  which  separates  the  wrater  of  the  Wabash  and  the  great  Miami 
and  Maumee— one  of  them  sloping  toward  Lake  Huron,  drained  by  the  rivers 
Raisin,  Huron,  Erie,  Rouge,  Huron  of  St.  Clair,  Bell,  Black,  Saginaw,  Thunder, 
Cheboiang,  &c. ; and  the  other  sloping  toward  Lake  Michigan,  and  crossed  by 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  515 


the  St.  Joseph’s,  Kalamazoo,  Grand  riv- 
er, and  many  of  smaller  size.  All  the 
rivers  have  a fall  from  the  table-land. 
The  mouths  of  these  streams  generally 
afford  harbors  of  different  depth  and 
size,  while  few  other  parts  are  to  be 
found  along  the  shores,  although  the 
depth  of  the  lakes  is  sufficient  for  all  the 
purposes  of  commerce,  and  canals  to 
facilitate  the  passage,  Detroit  river,  &c., 
will  hereafter  render  commerce  still 
more  extensive.  The  whole  line  of 
coast  on  the  different  lakes,  including 
the  sinuosities,  is  probably  one  thousand 
miles.  The  shores  of  Superior  and  Hu- 
ron are  much  more  irregular  than  those 
of  Michigan.  Saginaw  bay  is  a gulf, 
sixty  miles  in  length. 

In  point  of  soil,  the  best  part  of  the 
grand  peninsula  is  in  the  south,  toward 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  the  upper  portion  be- 
ing rather  barren.  The  surface  is  but 
slightly  varied,  with  a succession  of 
oak-openings  and  rolling  country,  often 
spotted  with  small  hollows  and  ponds 
called  cat-holes. 

History. — This  state  was  first  visited 
by  the  French  from  Canada;  and  De- 
troit (or  “the  strait”)  was  founded  in 
1670.  But  it  was  a small  town  when 
ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty 
of  Paris.  It  was  not  before  1796  that 
this  country  was  given  up  to  the  United 
States ; it  was  formed  into  a territory 
in  1805;  in  1812  was  occupied  by  the 
British  troops;  recovered  in  1813  by 
General  Harrison  ; and  soon  after  the 
return  of  peace,  became  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal objects  of  emigration,  and  was 
greatly  favored  by  the  opening  of  the 
Erie  canal.  Fort  Brady  was  built  in 
1822,  when  the  settlement  of  Chippe- 
way  county,  the  north  part,  commenced. 

Population. — In  1820  Michigan  con- 
tained only  8,896  inhabitants ; but  in 
1830,  28,000;  and  in  1850,  395,576. 

The  following  remarks  on  the  soil 
and  agriculture  of  the  state,  are  from  a 
recent  number  of  the  American  Agri- 
culturist : — 

“ A considerable  portion  of  the  east- 
ern part  of  Michigan  consists  of  a clay 
soil,  and  is  well  adapted  to  grass  and 
grazing.  This  quality  of  land  extends 
from  a point  some  thirty  miles  south  of 


Detroit,  to  near  Lake  Huron  on  the  St. 
Clair  river,  and  for  about  thirty  miles 
in  the  interior.  As  we  advance  west- 
ward, the  soil,  with  more  or  less  excep- 
tion, gradually  changes  to  a gravelly 
or  sandy  loam,  and  in  some  instances 
acquires  these  characteristics  to  so  de- 
cided an  extent  as  seriously  to  interfere 
with  its  permanent  fertility.  This  is 
universally  true  of  the  large  quantities 
of  the  oak  openings,  which  so  generally 
pervade  the  interior  and  western  part 
of  the  state.  These  lands  will  bear  a 
few  good  first  crops  ; but  manures  must 
follow  close  upon  their  heels,  or  ex- 
haustion and  sterility  are  as  certain  as 
blighted  leaves  after  autumnal  frosts. 
There  are  some  moderately  good  corn 
lands  among  this  class  of  soils,  and  most 
of  it  excellent  for  wheat ; but  all  the 
agricultural  vigilance  of  a long-culti- 
vated country  must  be  generally  adopt- 
ed, or  diminished  crops  will  soon  drive 
the  occupants  into  the  uncultivated  re- 
gions still  farther  west.  There  are  many 
exceptions  to  these  remarks,  and  none 
more  so  than  a considerable  part  of  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Kalamazoo,  whose 
rich  and  gracefully  undulating  fields, 
clad  with  their  native  burr-oak,  give  un- 
failing promise  of  abundant  wheat-fields 
for  years  to  come. 

“ There  are  other  and  extensive  por- 
tions of  the  state,  possessing  consider- 
able fertility,  which  yet  remain  to  be 
occupied,  and  which,  in  the  inevitable 
progress  of  things,  will  ere  long  be  set- 
tled, and  swell  the  tide  of  her  popula- 
tion and  wealth,  to  a respectable  approx- 
imation toward  her  elder  sisters. 

“ Sheep  husbandry  is  making  consid- 
erable progress  in  the  state,  and  prom- 
ises soon  to  furnish  no  inconsiderable 
proportion  of  the  aggregate  of  her  oc- 
cupation. Depredations  from  wolves 
seem  already  to  offer  no  serious  impedi- 
ment to  this  department  of  the  farmer. 

“ Wheat  is  the  product  of  the  state, 
and  on  this  the  farmers  principally  rely 
for  their  available  exports.  Never  did 
their  efforts  receive  a greater  reward 
than  the  present  season.  The  estimate 
of  several  judicious  citizens  is,  that  the 
crop  fully  averaged  twenty  bushels  per 
acre  over  the  state.  I was  informed  of 


510  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


a wheat  field  containing  one  hundred 
acres,  which  averaged  over  forty-five 
bushels  per  acre,  and  one  measured  acre 
of  which  produced  over  sixty  bushels. 
A cargo  of  this  year’s  crop  from  Mich- 
igan averaged  one  barrel  of  flour  for 
every  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
pounds  of  wheat.” 

Within  eight  years  the  population  of 
Michigan  must  have  increased  at  least 
fifty  per  cent.,  while  its  area  of  land  un- 
der cultivation  and  the  amount  of  its 
annual  product  have  probably  more  than 
doubled.  The  export  of  its  great  sta- 
ple wheat  (either  in  the  berry  or  in 
flour),  from  the  last  crop  will  more  than 
quadruple  that  from  any  crop  prior  to 
1839.  Its  annual  production  of  corn 
and  other  grains,  of  cattle  and  sheep,  of 
wool  and  the  products  of  the  dairy,  of 
ashes,  &c.,  is  also  very  considerable  ; 
but  wheat  is  the  great  staple  of  Mich- 
igan, and  will  doubtless  continue  so, 
unless  the  ravages  of  the  Hessian  fly, 
now  reported  as  terrible,  shall  be  per- 
petuated. 

The  situation  of  this  state  is  peculiar. 
Almost  surrounded  by  water,  old  Mich- 
igan— the  grand  peninsula — is  bounded 
on  three  sides  by  the  lakes  Erie,  St. 
Clair,  Huron,  and  Michigan,  with  the 
straits  connecting  them,  and  having  In- 
diana on  the  south.  The  face  of  the 
country  is  remarkably  level,  and  the 
soil  mainly  of  a decided  fertility.  The 
latter  may  be  said  to  be  naturally  di- 
vided into  dry  and  wet  prairie,  ‘ tim- 
bered openings’  (upland)  and  a heavy 
proportion  of  low,  flat,  wet  land,  most 
of  which  will  be  dry  enough  when  thor- 
oughly cleared  and  cultivated,  but  which 
is,  as  yet,  rather  swampy — often  de- 
cidedly so.  All  around,  on  the  three 
sides  bordering  on  the  lakes  and  straits, 
there  is  a belt  of  flat  land,  a little  ele- 
vated above  the  water  level,  and  very 
heavily  timbered.  Inside  of  this,  the 
land  gradually  rises  and  becomes  gently 
rolling,  being  divided  into  “ oak-open- 
ings (having  two  or  three  dozen  small 
and  middling  oak-trees  to  the  acre,  with 
any  quantity  of  oak-bushes  and  roots, 
and  an  indifferent  show  of  wild  grasses) ; 
“ timbered  openings”  (on  which  the 
oak-trees  are  much  more,  and  the  bushes 


less  numerous);  and  open  “prairies,” 
or  vast  natural  meadows,  with  heavy 
belts  of  forest  intersecting  and  dividing 
them,  usually  on  the  courses  of  the 
streams,  or  on  wet  marshy  ground.  The 
prairies,  especially  all  the  largest  and 
finest,  are  generally  found  in  the  south- 
ern half  of  the  state,  and  more  of  them 
west  than  east  of  a line  drawn  through 
its  centre.  These  are  pretty  easily  sub- 
dued and  abundantly  fertile ; the  oak 
lands  are  “brought  to”  with  more  la- 
bor, but  also  yield  largely  both  wheat 
and  corn. 

Aside  from  its  general  depth  and  fer- 
tility, much  of  the  soil  is  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  lime,  which  accounts  for 
its  partiality  to  wheat.  The  low  and 
luxuriously  timbered  lands  (usually  with 
elm,  cucumber,  basswood,  &c.)  have  not 
to  any  great  extent  been  cleared  as  yet, 
being  most  stubborn  and  least  inviting; 
but  here  also  the  soil  in  the  main  is 
strong.  Yet  even  Detroit  appears  to 
be  closely  hemmed  in  to  landward  by 
the  primitive  forest,  which  still  covers 
probably  five  sixths  of  the  nearest  hun- 
dred square  miles. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  state,  es- 
pecially around  Saginaw  bay,  there  are 
extensive  forests  of  choice  pine  ; and 
far  in  the  North  is  a great  abundance  of 
poor  land — extensive  sterile  swamps  and 
marshes,  checkered  by  barren  knolls 
and  hillocks.  But  nobody  thinks  of  set- 
tling in  that  bleak,  forlorn  region,  and 
the  great  portion  of  the  soil  north  of  a 
line  drawn  through  the  centre  of  the 
state  is  good,  as  nearly  all  south  of  that 
line  is.  Very  few  states  exceed  this  in 
agricultural  capacity,  either  in  the  ag- 
gregate, or  acre  to  acre. 

The  absence  of  mountains  or  any- 
thing like  them  through  the  greater  part 
of  the  state,  is  by  no  means  an  unmin- 
gled good.  It  is  the  cause  of  a palpable 
deficiency  of  springs  and  running  streams 
through  the  better  portion  of  the  state, 
and  of  a decided  deficiency  of  navigable 
waters  within  the  state,  though  it  is  so 
nobly  provided  with  them  externally. 
But  this  again  is  compensated  to  a great 
extent  by  the  signal  facilities  everywhere 
presented  for  the  construction  of  canals 
and  railroads,  especially  the  latter. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  517 


Thus  tempted,  the  state  undertook, 
about  the  year  1836,  the  construction 
of  three  lines  of  railroad  across  the  pen- 
insula— the  central,  stretching  hence  to 
Lake  Michigan  near  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Joseph  ; the  southern,  from  the  Mau- 
mee near  Toledo  due  westward;  and 
the  northern.  On  the  two  former  a very 
considerable  beginning  had  been  made 
when  the  state  fell  into  pecuniary  em- 
barrassments, in  part  owing  to  the  mag- 
nitude of  her  undertaking,  and  somewhat 
to  a change  in  the  times.  The  southern 
road  was  arrested;  the  central  road 
was' feebly  and  haltingly  prosecuted,  fed 
by  the  sale  of  state  lands  and  the  issue 
of  treasury  warrants,  which  sold  at  a 
ruinous  depreciation ; and  of  the  rev- 
enue accruing  on  the  completed  portion 
of  the  road  or  roads,  nearly  all  was  ab- 
sorbed. Such  was  the  condition  of  these 
works  when,  more  than  a year  since,  the 
state  decided  to  offer  the  central  road, 
just  as  it  stood,  for  sale  for  two  millions 
of'dollars  of  her  acknowledged  debt, 
which  then  was  worth  in  the  market 
something  less  than  one  million  dollars. 
The  offer  was  accepted  by  a club  of 
Bostonians,  the  payment  made,  the  road 
transferred,  and  instantly  placed  under 
very  different  management.  The  re- 
ceipts of  the  completed  portion  rapidly 
increased,  expenses  were  curtailed,  and 
the  work  on  the  unfinished  portion  vig- 
orously stimulated,  payment  therefor 
being  made  promptly  and  in  cash.  Al- 
ready the  road  is  in  operation  to  Kala- 
mazoo, more  than  half  way  across  the 
state,  and  it  is  to  be  entirely  completed 
at  farthest  wit: in  the  next  year.  Al- 
ready the  finished  portion  pays  a liberal 
and  rapidly  increasing  profit  on  its  cost 
to  the  company,  whose  stock  is  at  a high 
premium,  and  can  rarely  be  bought  at 
all.  Already  preparations  are  being 
made  for  relaying  the  old  track,  now 
very  imperfect,  with  a new  and  im- 
proved rail ; while  in  the  city  large  pur- 
chases of  real  estate  have  been  made 
by  the  company,  mainly  on  the  river  or 
strait  just  below  the  present  centre  of 
trade,  including  a water-front  of  sixteen 
hundred  feet,  on  which  a gigantic  freight 
and  a passenger  depot  are  to  be  erected, 
while  the  track  of  the  railroad  to  its  de- 


creed terminus  is  to  occupy,  for  a con- 
siderable distance,  what  is  now  part  of 
the  river,  which  is  to  be  filled  in  for  the 
purpose.  By  this  means  vessels  will 
load  and  unload  directly  from  the  de- 
pot, whereas  now  there  is  a necessity 
of  carting  every  barrel  and  bale  some 
two  hundred  rods,  involving  serious  ex- 
pense and  waste.'  On  these  works  a 
large  number  of  men  are  now  employed 
here. 

The  southern  railroad  (a  much  ruder 
and  less  promising  work)  has  been  or  is 
to  be  sold  for  half  a million  of  dollars  of 
state  liabilities,  in  order  that  it  likewise 
may  be  pressed  onward  to  completion. 

The  usual  time  of  departure  from  Buf- 
falo is  in  the  evening.  Lake  Erie  is  trav- 
ersed in  about  twenty-four  hours,  stop- 
ping at  Cleveland  and  Detroit.  Passing 
the  beautiful  Detroit  and  St.  Clair  riv- 
ers, and  the  wide-spreading  and  difficult 
fiats  of  the  latter,  you  enter  Huron,  and 
stretching  along  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness coast  for  hundreds  of  miles,  pas- 
sing Saginaw  bay  and  the  Thunder  bay 
islands,  reach  Mackinaw,  the  resort  of 
all  who  delight  to  enjoy  a glimpse  of  its 
solitary  loveliness,  or  to  breathe  its  pure, 
cool,  and  invigorating  atmosphere.  This 
(including  the  time  to  wood)  occupies 
two  days  and  a half.  Thence  passing 
the  straits  of  Michilimackinac,  and  the 
Mauitou  islands,  the  boat  pushes  either 
across  Lake  Michigan  to  Sheboigan, 
Mil  waukie,  &c.,  or  passing  up  Green  bay, 
and  stopping  at,  or  catching  glimpses 
of,  its  innumerable  islands  in  all  their 
greenness  and  beauty,  reaches  Navarino. 
Returning  through  the  passage  called 
“ Death’s  Door,”  and  again  entering 
Lake  Michigan,  the  voyage  is  pursued 
to  Chicago,  stopping  at  Milwaukee,  Ra- 
cine, and  Southport — the  populous  and 
rapidly-growing  creations  of  the  lake 
commerce  and  western  settlements  : thus 
terminating  the  voyage  where  nature 
and  art  combine  to  fix  the  seat  of  a great 
city — now  rapidly  rising  as  such,  and 
combining  in  a remarkable  degree  the 
elements  of  commerce,  business,  society, 
and  refinement.  In  short,  nothing  can 
exceed  the  upspringing  vigor  of  such 
cities  as  Buffalo,  Milwaukie,  Racine, 
and  Chicago ; and  no  one  can  predict 


- - — — - -ll 

518  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  1 

perhaps  with  too  glowing  a prospective 
the  destiny  of  the  mighty  region  now 
just  springing  into  life  and  being. 

The  voyage  to  Chicago,  via  Green 
bay,  may  be  made  in  five  days  or  less, 
according  to  the  delays  at  the  places 
and  points  of  interest  on  the  route.  The 
distance  is  about  1,350  miles. 

Returning,  the  excursion  may  be  ex- 
tended, with  additional  gratification, 
from  Mackinac  to  the  Sault  St.  Marie, 
or  even  far  up  into  Lake  Superior  and 
the  mineral  region.  At  least  the  trip  to 
Chicago  should  be  taken  by  all  who  de- 
sire to  understand,  not  only  the  breadth 
and  scope  of  these  inland  waters,  and 
the  cities  on  their  borders,  but  the  teem- 
ing population — the  great  and  rapidly- 
advancing  free  states — to  which  they 
afford  the  avenues  of  a commerce  and 
intercommunication,  already  of  gigantic 
extent,  and  the  mighty  progress  of  which 
the  most  sanguine  may  not  fully  predict. 

Lake  St.  Glair. — The  St.  Clair  flats 
are  formed  by  the  division  of  the  waters 
which  issue  from  Lake  Huron  through 
the  St.  Clair  river,  by  two  or  three  low 
marshy  islands,  forming  three  or  four 
channels  or  branches,  within  and  just 
below  which  division  the  water,  being 
wide,  has  in  some  places  a depth  of 
only  six  or  eight  feet,  or  something  less 
than  a steamboat  will  draw,  if  built 
stanch  enough  for  the  lake  trade  and 
tolerably  loaded.  Of  course  they  gen- 
erally get  aground,  and,  there  being  no 
tide  in  the  lakes,  have  no  choice  but  to 
remain  aground  until  a good  part  of  their 
freight  can  be  transferred  to  flatboats 
termed  “ lighters,”  which  are  on  hand, 
ready  to  be  serviceable  for  a considera- 
tion. Fifty  thousand  dollars  well  ap- 
plied here  would  dredge  out  a deep  and 
wide  channel,  and  the  current  is  so  very 
gentle  that  it  would  not  move  the  sand 
back  again.  Yet  for  want  of  this  fifty 
thousand  dollars  (vetoed  in  the  harbor 
bill),  the  farmers,  whose  produce,  and 
the  emigrants,  whose  families,  as  well  as 
the  merchant,  whose  goods,  must  trav- 
erse the  lakes — are  put  to  an  expense, 
including  that  of  delays,  probably  not 
less  in  one  year  than  the  entire  cost  of 
dredging  out  a clear  and  durable  chan- 
nel. Such  is  one  of  the  many  griev- 

ances  which  impelled  the  people  of  the 
west  to  ask  their  fellow-citizens  gener- 
ally to  meet  them  in  convention  at  Chi- 
cago, in  1847,  to  consider  the  general 
subject  of  river  and  harbor  improvement. 

The  banks  of  the  St.  Clair  river  are 
low  and  level,  generally  well  wooded, 
except  where  settlement  has  driven  back 
the  forest  for  a mile  or  less.  The  Brit- 
ish side  appears  highest,  driest,  and  most 
settled.  A part  of  it  has  been  peopled 
by  white  men  for  fifty  or  sixty  years — 
as  a good  part  of  our  bank  of  the  De- 
troit river  and  Lake  St.  Clair  has  for 
even  a longer  period.  The  old  settlers 
are  of  French  origin,  and  are  wedded 
to  old  customs ; they  are  seldom  seen 
out  of  their  settlements.  The  largest 
and  most  active  village  on  either  side 
for  a hundred  miles  above  Detroit  is 
Newport,  in  St.  Clair  county,  famed  for 
steamboat  and  ship  building.  Saginaw, 
a thrifty  lumbering  village  at  the  bot- 
tom of  Saginaw  bay,  much  further  up, 
is  larger,  but  far  away  from  the  steam- 
boat route  to  Mackinac  or  the  Sault. 

Detroit. — This  city  is  situated  in 
latitude  42°  20/  and  longitude  6°  west 
of  Washington,  on  the  shore  of  Detroit 
river,  which  is  the  outlet  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron into  Lake  St.  Clair,  which  lies  mid- 
way between  it  and  Lake  Erie.  The 
river  is  above  a mile  in  breadth,  and 
divided  into  channels  by  Peach  island, 
and  below  by  Grand  Turkey  island. 

The  town  stands  on  an  inclined  plane, 
rising  thirty  feet ; most  of  the  streets 
are  regularly  laid  out  at  right  angles, 
but  obliquely  to  the  bank  of  the  river ; 
there  are  several  fine,  broad  avenues, 
and  the  situation  for  trade  is  highly  ad- 
vantageous. It  contains  the  old  state- 
house,  city-hall,  a markethouse,  eleven 
churches,  four  banks,  masonic-hall,  a 
land-office,  two  orphan-asylums,  three 
female  academies,  several  literary  soci- 
eties, and  twenty-five  thousand  inhabit- 
ants. The  first  steamboat  arrived  here 
in  1818. 

The  growth  of  this  city  has  taken 
the  healthy  form  of  expansion  in  every 
landward  direction,  instead  of  the  too 
common  mode  of  accommodating  an  in- 
creasing population  by  filling  up  the 
interstices  between  old  houses  with  new 

View  of  Detroit. 


520  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


ones,  and  putting  one  on  the  top  of 
another.  Nearly  all  the  dwellings  stand 
healthfully  apart,  and  each  surrounded 
by  its  little  garden  or  grass  and  flower 
plat,  evincing  a fondness  for  shrubbery 
and  the  minor  poetry  of  nature.  Many 
of  the  streets  are  thickly  set  with  rows 
of  young  maples,  in  some  instances  two 
rows  on  one  side  of  a wide  avenue, 
which  will  in  a few  years  add  greatly  to 
the  beauty  and  comfort  of  Detroit,  es- 
pecially  of  its  favorite  promenades.  All 
around  are  signs  of  growth  and  pros- 
perity, to  which  the  development  of  the 
mineral  wealth  of  the  Lake  Superior 
region  has  already,  though  in  its  infancy, 
given  some  impetus,  and  is  destined  to 
give  far  more.  The  only  counterpoise 
to  this  is  the  removal,  last  winter,  of 
the  state  government  to  a township  in 
Ingham  county,  named  Lansing,  seventy 
miles  northwest  of  Detroit,  wherein  is 
the  confluence  of  the  Red  Cedar  creek 
with  Grand  river,  which  latter,  how- 
ever, does  not  become  navigable  until 
far  below  this.  The  location  on  a cor- 
ner of  a county,  in  a township  as  yet 
mainly  in  primitive  wilderness,  remote 
from  natural  or  artificial,  present  or 
prospective  facilities  of  travel  and  trans- 
portation, created  much  surprise  at  first. 
Yet  the  site  is  pretty  central  to  the 
whole  state,  not  specially  objectionable 
on  any  ground,  and  the  selection  seems 
at  present  to  be  pretty  generally  acqui- 
esced in. 

Agents  transport  flour  hence  by  way 
of  the  Welland  canal,  Lake  Ontario,  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal,  the  railroad, 
Lake  Champlain  and  the  Champlain 
canal,  to  Albany  and  New  York,  for  the 
present  charge  from  Buffalo  to  New 
York. 

Monroe  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river  Raisin,  two  and  a half  miles  from 
its  mouth  and  Lake  Erie,  and  thirty- 
seven  miles  from  Detroit.  It  has  two 
banks,  a land-office,  a courthouse,  seven 
churches,  two  academies,  a reading- 
room  and  library  of  fifteen  hundred  vol- 
umes, and  a number  of  manufactories. 
The  number  of  inhabitants  is  about 
5,000.  Cars  set  off  every  day  for  Hills- 
dale, through  Adrian  ; and  stage-coaches 
daily  for  Detroit,  and  for  Toledo,  Ohio. 


A branch  of  the  university  of  Michi- 
gan is  established  in  Monroe. 

Marshall,  on  Kalamazoo  river,  at  the 
mouth  of  Rice  creek,  is  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  miles  west  of  Detroit.  It 
contains  a bank,  four  churches,  an  acad- 
emy, and  a number  of  mills  and  manu- 
factories, with  about  4,000  inhabitants. 
Cars  start  daily  for  Detroit  and  Kalama- 
zoo. 

Kalamazoo. — This  town  is  situated 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  of  the  same 
name,  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-six  miles  west  from  Detroit, 
with  which  it  has  a daily  communica- 
tion by  the  railroad.  There  are  three 
churches,  a land-office,  a courthouse,  and 
a branch  of  the  university. 

St.  Joseph’s  is  two  hundred  miles 
west  of  Detroit,  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
of  that  name,  at  its  mouth  in  Lake  Erie. 
A part  of  the  town  looks  out  upon  the 
lake,  where  is  a good  harbor.  It  is  a 
place  of  increasing  importance,  and  con- 
tains a courthouse,  three  churches,  a 
bank,  and  a population  of  about  900.  It 
has  daily  communication  with  Chicago 
by  steamboat,  and  stages  run  to  the  De- 
troit railroad;  and  stage-coaches  run  to 
Chicago  through  “ Michigan  city.” 

Mackinac. — This  town  is  situated  on 
the  southeast  extremity  of  Mackinac 
island.  The  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  two  churches,  a school  of 
the  American  board  of  commissioners 
for  foreign  missions,  a Roman  catholic 
missionary  school,  and  a branch  of  the 
university.  It  has  over  1,000  inhabitants. 
The  harbor  is  large  enough  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  vessels,  and  a valuable 
fishery  is  carried  on,  which  supplies 
a considerable  export  trade,  above  three 
thousand  barrels  of  white-fish  and  trout 
being  sent  out  annually.  A considera- 
ble amount  of  business  is  annually  done 
in  the  fur  trade. 

Mackinac  consists  of  three  slight 
wooden  piers,  a water  street  and  a back 
street,  with  perhaps  sixty  houses  on 
both.  The  fort  stands  to  the  right  of 
the  village,  on  the  brow  of  the  eminence, 
is  built  of  a porous,  shelly  limestone, 
and  has  a tolerable  command  of  the 
main  passage  out  of  Lake  Michigan  into 
J^ake  Huron ; but  it  happens  to  be  it- 


Mackinac  Bluffs. 


522  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


self  commanded  by  a higher  eminence, 
a mile  west  of  it,  which  the  British  si- 
lently seized  and  fortified  at  the  out- 
break of  the  war  of  1812,  placing  guns 
there  in  battery  and  summoning  our 
commandant  to  surrender  before  he  sus- 
pected even  that  war  was  declared. 

Mackinac  has  a commanding  view  of 
Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron,  with  the 
surrounding  isles,  headlands  and  bays. 
The  air  is  very  pure,  and  there  is  some 
timber,  but  it  is  mainly  covered  with 
low,  shrub-like  evergreens — fir,  spruce, 
&c.  It  is  among  the  coldest  spots  with- 
in the  limits  of  our  Union.  The  apple- 
tree  blossoms,  but  does  not  bear  there, 
any  more  than  at  the  Sault. 

The  soil  is  mostly  gravelly  and  rock 
of  a limestone  nature.  In  traversing 
the  island,  which  is  about  ten  miles 
in  circumference,  we  find  but  three  farms, 
and  they  not  much  laid  under  cultivation. 
Farming,  however,  must  be  profitable ; 
a ready  market  being  at  hand  in  the 
village,  which  now  contains  by  estima- 
tion not  far  from  1,000  inhabitants,  who 
are  mostly  engaged,in  fishing. 

The  village,  within  the  past  five  years, 
has  begun  to  wear  a greatly  improved 
appearance,  several  good  buildings  hav- 
ing been  erected,  which  are  neatly 
painted,  and  several  new  ones  now  go- 
ing up.  All  the  upper  lake  steamers 
and  sail  craft  stop  at  the  wharf  for  an 
hour  or  two  to  wood. 

Usually  there  are  a number  of  Indi- 
ans visiting  the  village  from  the  main 
shores.  They  come  in  their  bark  ca- 
noes, freighting  poles,  bark,  and  matting, 
for  a temporary  wigwam.  They  pitch 
their  tent  on  the  beach  during  their  stay, 
and  are  gazed  at  most  intently  by  the 
passengers.  Apparently  they  are  all 
happy.  Songs  and  laughter  emanate 
from  them  in  the  evening,  echoing  over 
the  broad  expanse  of  waters.  Many  of 
the  “ curiosity”  wares  are  made  by  the 
squaws,  and  bartered  with  the  merchants 
for  provisions.  The  sales  of  these  curi- 
osities to  strangers  can  not  be  less  than 
$15,000  annually. 

The  imports  of  the  place  are  now  es- 
timated at  $150,000  annually.  The  ex- 
ports for  a great  number  of  years  have 
been  mostly  furs.  This  trade  declining, 


fish  has  taken  their  place.  The  mer- 
chants are  interested  in  the  business — 
all  of  them  more  or  less.  But  few  of 
them,  however,  are  engaged  in  catching 
them.  They  generally  sell  or  let  nets, 
furnish  barrels  and  salt,  and  then  pur- 
chase of  the  fishermen  after  they  are 
packed. 


FISH 

PACKED  AT  MACKINAC  AND 

VICINITY. 

Year. 

White-Fish. 

Trout. 

Total. 

bbls. 

bbls. 

bbls. 

1835 

1,200 

— 

1,700 

1837 

— 

— 

1,600 

1840 

3,250 

750 

4,000 

1841 

4,500 

500 

5,000 

1842 

6,275 

1,425 

7,700 

1843 

9,S00 

2,110 

11,910 

1844 

12,200 

3,575 

15,775 

1845 

15,150 

4,270 

19,420 

1846 

16,000 

4,000 

20,000 

These  fish  were  packed  and  shipped 
from  this  place,  and  were  taken  at  St. 
Croix,  Grande  Traverse,  Little  Traverse, 
L’Arbre  Croche,  and  fishing  grounds  ad- 
joining. It  will  be  seen  that  the  trade 
is  flourishing,  and  in  a little  over  ten 
years  has  increased  from  1,700  barrels 
to  20,000. 

The  fishing,  however,  on  the  upper 
lakes,  is  not  confined  to  this  place  and 
vicinity.  Other  points  on  Lakes  Huron 
and  Michigan  are  profiting  by  it.  We 
append  the  statistics  of  the  business  at 


SAULT 

ST.  MARIE 

AND  LAKE 

SUPERIOR. 

Year. 

White-Fish. 

bbls. 

Trout. 

bbls. 

Total. 

bbls 

1835 

— 

— 

2,300 

1837 

— 

— 

6,100 

1840 

8,000 

4,000 

12,000 

1841 

7,000 

3,000 

10,000 

1842 

7,500 

3.000 

10,500 

1843 

2,500 

500 

3,000 

1845 

2,100 

250 

2,350 

1,725 

1846 

1,550 

175 

During  the  years  1841  and  1842,  the 
American  Fur  Company  met  with 
heavy  losses  in  the  fish  trade  on  Lake 
Superior,  and  they  abandoned  the  busi- 
ness. Since  then  it  has  been  carried  on 
by  various  individuals  on  a small  scale, 
and  will  not  probably  regain  its  former 
flourishing  condition  until  a canal  is 
constructed  around  the  falls  of  St.  Marie. 

On  the  St.  Mary’s  river,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  St.  Joseph’s,  on  the  British 
side,  the  business  is  carried  on  largely, 
which  goes  to  the  Canada  market.  The 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  523 

catch  is  generally  from  6,000  to  8,000 
barrels  yearly. 

At  Beaver  island  and  vicinity,  on  Lake 
Huron,  a large  quantity  is  taken  annu- 
ally. A gentleman  in  the  trade  is  of 
opinion  that  10,000  barrels  will  be 
packed  this  season. 

At  False  Presque  isle,  Thunder  bay, 
and  vicinity,  last  season,  12,000  barrels 
were  furnished  for  the  Ohio  market. 

Of  the  business  at  Green*  bay,  Drum- 
mon’s  island,  Three  rivers,  the  Manistee, 
Sheboigan  and  Racine  rivers.  Saginaw 
bay,  and  other  grounds,  we  are  without 
particular  information.  An  old  fisher- 
man estimates  the  quantity  packed  at 
these  places  last  season  at  20,000  bar- 
rels. This  is  considered  a low  estimate. 

The  following  is  a recapitulation  for 
1846,  in  barrels  : Mackinac  and  vicini- 
ty, 20,000  ; St.  Marie  and  vicinity,  1,725 ; 
Beaver  island  and  vicinity,  10,000  ; 
Presque  isle,  Thunder  bay,  &c.,  12,000; 
other  places  on  Lakes  Huron  and  Mich- 
igan, 20,000  ; Canada  side,  estimate, 
15,000  ; total,  78,725. 

In  addition  to  barrelling,  at  several 
points,  large  quantities  are  boxed  daily 
in  ice  and  shipped  to  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kie,  Detroit,  Toledo,  Cleveland,  and 
Buffalo,  on  sale.  The  sales  at  Macki- 
nac for  the  consumption  of  steamers 
passing,  is  no  small  item.  It  amounts 
to  not  far  from  one  hundred  dollars’ 
worth  per  week.  The  whole  catch  of 
all  the  lakes  may,  therefore,  be  safely 
estimated  at  100,000  barrels.  When  an 
access  to  Lake  Superior  is  easy  by 
canal,  that  almost  unexplored  lake  will 
annually  furnish  an  equal  quantity. 

The  number  of  barrels  required  gives 
employment  to  at  least  three  to  four 
hundred  persons  in  their  construction. 
The  salt  consumed  is  an  item  of  conse- 
quence to  commerce,  and  the  freight  is 
worthy  of  note.  The  business  may  now 
be  considered  at  half  a million  of  dol- 
lars per  year.  A canal  completed  at  the 
Sault  would  swell  it  in  five  years  to  a 
million. 

Ann  Arbor  is  situated  on  both  sides 
of  Huron  river,  forty  miles  west  of  De- 
troit, with  which  it  has  daily  communi- 
cation by  the  railroad,  and  also  with 
Kalamazoo.  It  is  divided  into  the  up- 

per  and  lower  town  by  the  river,  and 
the  elevated  ground  which  it  occupies 
makes  the  situation  a fine  one.  It  con- 
tains a bank,  courthouse,  six  churches, 
and  a number  of  manufactories,  with 
about  3,500  inhabitants. 

The  University  of  Michigan , situated 
here,  was  founded  in  1837,  and  has 
three  professors,  about  eighty  students, 
and  libraries  containing  about  five  thou- 
sand volumes.  The  cabinets  contain 
valuable  collections  made  by  the  state 
naturalists. 

Ypsilanti. — This  town  also  stands 
on  Huron  river,  which  furnishes  valua- 
ble water-power  at  this  place.  Here 
are  several  mills  and  manufactories,  four 
churches,  and  about  2,500  inhabitants. 
Railroads  afford  daily  communication 
with  Detroit  and  Kalamazoo. 

Jackson  stands  on  the  right  bank  of 
Grand  river,  seventy-nine  miles  west  of 
Detroit,  and  contains  about  3,000  in- 
habitants. The  public  buildings  are  a 
courthouse,  four  churches,  an  academy, 
and  the  state  penitentiary,  with  a branch 
of  the  university.  Cars  go  daily  for 
Detroit  and  Kalamazoo. 

Adrian. — This  town  is  on  the  right 
bank  of  Raisin  river,  at  the  distance  of 
sixty-seven  miles  from  Detroit,  and  con- 
tains four  churches,  a courthouse,  an 
academy,  a number  of  manufactories, 
mills,  &c.,  and  a population  of  about 
3,500.  Railcars  go  daily  to  Toledo, 
Hillsdale,  and  Monroe. 

Saut  de  Sainte  Mary , or  falls  of  St. 
Mary  (familiarly  called  the  Soo)  stands 
on  high  ground  on  the  right  bank  of  St. 
Mary’s  strait,  just  below  the  falls,  or 
rapids.  Here  are  Fort  Brady,  the  tra- 
ding-house of  the  American  Fur  com- 
pany, three  churches,  and  a courthouse. 
The  population  is  about  one  thousand. 

The  organization  of  copper  compa- 
nies commenced  here  in  1845,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  year  at  least  one  hundred 
were  formed.  Many  of  them  are  good, 
but  not  a few  of  them  will  prove  mere 
bubbles.  Those  who  have  commenced 
working  on  their  locations  meet  with 
great  encouragement.  Eight  hundred 
and  ninety-six  permits  for  location  have 
been  granted  by  government.  The  com- 
panies that  have  actually  commenced 

524  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


work,  or  have  left  men  in  charge  as  set- 
tlers, are  entitled  to  pre-emption,  under 
the  late  law  for  the  sale  of  the  lands. 
Of  this  class,  there  are  not  probably 
more  than  twenty-five  companies,  and 
they  cover  much  territory,  some  of  them 
as  many  as  twenty-five  permits,  or  sec- 
tions. Those  that  hold  pre-emptions  get 
their  lands  at  two  dollars  and  a half  per 
acre  ; the  others  at  five  dollars.  Rising 
of  twenty  companies  have  expended 
much  money  in  mining  operations — one 
company  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  others  from  five  to  fifty  thou- 
sand. Of  the  ultimate  success  of  their 
operations,  few  who  have  visited  the 
country  have  any  doubt.  The  enter- 
prise is  necessarily  attended  with  heavy 
outlays  at  the  commencement,  for  ma- 
chinery and  mining  implements. 

It  is  but  a few  years  since  nearly  all 
the  iron  and  lead  consumed  in  this  coun- 
try was  imported.  It  was  with  the  ut- 
most difficulty  that  capitalists  could  be 
persuaded  to  embark  in  it.  The  lead 
mines  on  the  Mississippi  lay  dormant 
for  years,  for  want  of  confidence  in  their 
productiveness.  The  experiment,  how- 
ever, of  mining  it  was  tried;  and  now 
this  country  exports  the  article  to  va- 
rious parts  of  the  world,  and  the  stock- 
holders are  amassing  a great  interest  on 
their  investments.  The  copper  busi- 
ness is  more  promising  at  this  time  than 
even  lead  or  iron.  Many  more  have 
visited  Lake  Superior  and  gone  into  it. 
The  Cliff  mine  has  raised  2,495  tons  of 
native  copper  and  vein-stone  containing 
copper.  A portion  of  it  was  sent  to 
Boston  and  Roxbury  for  smelting.  Ac- 
cording to  a statement  based  upon  the 
portion  smelted,  the  amount  of  pure 
copper  is  about  three  hundred  tons,  at 
four  hundred  dollars  a ton,  worth  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  in 
the  aggregate.  A shaft  has  been  sunk 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  below  the 
bed  of  Eagle  river,  and  a vein  of  native 
copper,  four  feet  wide,  was  found  of 
great  richness. 

The  Eagle  Harbor  company  have 
opened  twenty  veins  containing  native 
copper  and  sulphurets.  Native  silver 
has  been  found  in  the  copper  ores  as 
tested  by  Professor  Mather.  Two  hun-  i 


died  tons  of  ore  has  been  raised  from 
one  vein  ; forty  tons  of  it  was  shipped 
to  New  York  last  fall,  of  which  the 
Waterbury  (Connecticut)  brass  foundry 
smelted  five  tons  and  obtained  forty-five 
per  cent,  of  pure  copper.  An  ingot  of 
it  was  rolled  there  for  platers’  use  with- 
out annealing,  which  can  not  be  done 
with  even  English  refined  cake-coppers. 
A smelting  establishment  has  been  erect- 
ed. 

The  Northwestern  company  have  sunk 
a shaft  to  a considerable  depth,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  vein-stone,  containing 
copper,  has  been  raised. 

The  Bohemian  company  commenced 
exploring  their  location  in  1846.  A 
vein  of  gray  sulphuret,  of  great  rich- 
ness, was  found. 

Prince’s  mine  raised  a considerable 
amount  of  ore,  which  has  been  sent  to 
England,  for  analysis.  It  is  supposed 
that  it  contained  much  silver.  The  bed 
is  worked  vigorously  this  season. 

A company  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia have  sent  a German  geologist 
up  the  country,  to  erect  smelting  works 
and  a laboratory.  There  is  now  a suf- 
ficient ore  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  to 
keep  a large  establishment  at  work  a 
year. 

The  Bruce  mine  begins  in  or  very 
near  the  St.  Mary’s  river,  a little  above 
the  point  at  which  its  name  is  lost  in 
that  of  Lake  Huron,  and  where  its  out- 
let winds  among  and  is  divided  by  the 
thousands  of  islands  which  chequer  the 
north  end  of  that  lake.  It  is  on  the 
British  mainland,  opposite  St.  Joseph’s 
island,  which  is  also  British  territory. 
The  usual  route  of  steamboats  is  on  the 
other  side  of  this  island. 

The  course  of  the  vein  is  north  forty- 
five  degrees  west — neither  parallel  nor 
at  right  angles  with  the  river,  but  about 
half  way  between  ; the  principal  devel- 
opment has  been  made  sixty  rods  from 
the  water’s  edge.  The  average  width 
of  the  whole  is  over  eight  feet.  It  is 
said  to  grow  richer  as  it  descends. 

The  ease  of  quarrying  it  is  wonder- 
ful, and  can  not  be  overstated;  ten  thou- 
sand tons  of  this  ore  may  be  mined  and 
placed  on  a dock  at  the  river  side,  ready 
for  shipment,  for  less  than  the  cost  of 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


transporting  as  much  ore  already  raised 
and  dressed  from  almost  any  Lake  Su- 
perior mine  to  Saut  St.  Marie,  so  as  to 
be  ready  for  shipment  below.  It  cer- 
tainly must  be  a large  estimate  to  make 
the  cost  of  delivering  ten  thousand  tons 
of  this  ore  on  shipboard,  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  or  five  dollars  per  ton.  If  the 
ore  yield  but  ten  per  cent,  of  copper — 
and  it  can  not  be  worth  less  than  twenty 
or  twenty-five  dollars  per  ton  on  ship- 
board— the  profit  to  be  made  from  work- 
ing it  may  thus  be  roughly  computed. 

Another  vein  just  opened  on  this  lo- 
cation, not  fifty  rods  west  of  the  vein 
just  described,  is  about  six  feet  wide  on 
the  surface.  Nearly  a mile  further  west, 
on  the  same  location,  is  a vein  eighteen 
feet  wide  on  the  surface,  but  this  is  less 
rich  than  the  worked  vein. 

The  Bruce  mines,  belonging  to  the 
“ Lake  Huron  and  St.  Mary’s  river  com- 
pany,” are  situated  on  the  north  shore 
of  Lake  Huron,  about  seventy  miles 
below  the  Saut,  within  thirty  hours’  run 
by  steamer  from  Detroit;  they  were 
discovered,  during  the  early  part  of  last 
summer,  by  an  exploring  party  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Keating,  late 
of  the  Indian  department,  her  Britan- 
nic majesty’s  service.  In  addition  to 
the  location  on  which  they  are  situated, 
the  same  company  have  three  others, 
situated  either  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Huron  or  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Ma- 
ry’s river,  and  all  below  the  Saut.  The 
Lake  Huron  and  St.  Mary’s  river  com- 
pany was  first  organized  in  Montreal, 
in  the  early  part  of  November  last,  and 
immediately  afterward,  Captain  Keat- 
ing, accompanied  by  Mr.  Arthur  Ran- 
kin, of  Sandwich,  proceeded  to  the 
island  of  St.  Joseph,  whence  the  latter 
gentleman,  accompanied  by  an  expe- 
rienced practical  miner,  proceeded  to 
the  location.  After  spending  two  days 
in  examining  the  veins,  &c.,  he  set  out 
in  an  open  boat,  for  the  Saut,  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th  of  November,  in 
order  to  take  the  steamer  Champion  on 
her  last  downward  trip  for  the  season, 
having  in  one  day  got  out  a sufficient 
quantity  of  ore  to  fill  sixteen  barrels,  be- 
sides several  large  blocks,  one  of  which 
weighed  six  hundred  pounds;  another 


STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  525 


weighed  about  two  hundred.  Part  of 
the  ore  was  taken  to  Montreal,  and  the 
remainder  to  New  York,  whence  about  a 
ton  was  sent  to  Baltimore  to  be  smelted, 
where  it  was  found  to  contain  twenty 
and  a half  per  cent,  of  pure  copper. 
On  the  12th  of  December  last,  Captain 
Keating,  with  one  regular  miner  and 
four  laborers,  commenced  operations  by 
sinking  a shaft  in  one  of  the  veins  on 
the  location. 

Lansing. — The  new  capital  of  Michi- 
gan is  just  beginning  to  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  a town,  and  is  pleasantly 
situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  Ingham 
county,  near  the  confluence  of  Cedar 
and  Grand  rivers.  Population  2,500. 

Its  recent  aspect — the  smokingheaps 
of  wood,  the  blackened  surface  of  the 
ground,  the  standing  girdlings  and  board 
shanties — more  readily  suggest  the  idea 
of  some  immigrating  colony,  than  the 
capital  of  a great  sovereign  state. 

At  first  view  it  seems  strange  that  a 
dense  forest,  with  only  here  and  theie 
an  opening,  should  have  been  selected 
as  the  site  for  the  city.  But  when  un- 
derstood, one  will  not  think  so.  The 
advantages  to  the  state  in  general  by 
the  removal  of  the  capital  from  Detroit, 
will  be  very  great.  There  it  was  at 
one  side;  here  it  is  in  the  centre  of  the 
state,  and  surrounded  by  a territory, 
which,  in  point  of  fertility  and  all  other 
agricultural  facilities,  is  scarcely  any- 
where equalled. 

On  the  river  near  the  town  is  abun- 
dance of  water  power. 

The  new  statehouse  is  not  designed 
for  the  permanent  one,  and  its  plan  is 
therefore  not  very  magnificent.  The 
spot  selected  for  the  site  is  on  a pleas- 
ant elevation  above  Grand  river.  The 
foundation  of  it  is  laid,  fronting  on  the 
river  ninety-seven  feet,  and  sixty  deep. 
The  basement  story  is  of  stone,  and 
is  designed  for  offices,  &c. ; the  super- 
structure is  of  two  stories,  for  the  two 
houses  of  the  legislature. 

There  is  no  stone  on  the  soil ; but  an 
abundance  of  stone  convenient  for  build- 
ing is  found  in  the  river. 

New  roads  are  opened,  and  settlers 
fast  coming  in;  and  what  was  formerly 
I regarded  an  obscure  by-place,  will  soon 


526  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


be  the  point  for  news  and  intelligence 
for  all  this  vicinity.  A line  of  stages 
now  communicates  between  this  place 
and  the  railroad  at  Jackson,  and  the 
trip  from  Detroit  is  easy. 

The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  ex- 
tends from  Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan, 
to  La  Salle,  at  the  head  of  steamboat 
navigation  on  the  Illinois  river,  a dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  and  five  miles. 
The  canal  is  constructed  the  same  size 
as  the  proposed  enlargement  of  the 
Erie  canal  of  New  York — the  water  be- 
ing six  feet  in  depth  and  sixty  feet  wide 
at  its  surface.  The  locks  are  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  feet  long  between  the  gates, 
and  eighteen  feet  wide,  admitting  the 
passage  of  boats  conveying  one  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  burden.  Upon  the  ori- 
ginal plan,  this  canal  was  to  be  supplied 
with  water  drawn  from  Lake  Michigan. 
It  is  now  constructed  with  the  summit 
level  raised  eight  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  lake  ; and  the  supply  of  water  is 
obtained,  in  part,  through  a feeder  about 
seventeen  miles  long,  from  the  Culmet 
river,  and  in  part  by  introducing  the  Des 
Plaines  river,  which  runs  a considerable 
distance  along  the  side  of  the  canal,  and 
the  surface  of  which  is  on  a level  with 
the  water  in  the  canal  at  the  summit. 

These  two  sources  will  supply,  in  all 
ordinary  seasons,  a sufficient  quantity  of 
water  for  a maximum  trade  on  the  ca- 
nal ; but  in  seasons  of  extreme  drought 
there  will  be  a deficiency  of  3,300  cubic 
feet  per  minute  ; and  to  supply  this  pe- 
riodical deficiency,  two  steam-engines  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  horse  power 
each,  are  in  course  of  erection  at  the 
junction  of  the  canal  with  the  Chicago 
river,  five  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago. The  power  of  these  engines  is  to 
be  applied  in  part  to  cast-iron  cylinder- 
pumps  of  four  and  a half  feet  diameter, 
and  in  part  to  a wheel  with  float-boards, 
working  in  a tight  chamber,  to  raise  the 
water  from  the  river  (which  is  here  on 
a level  with  the  lake)  eight  feet  in  height 
upon  the  summit  level.  The  surplus 
power,  above  that  which  may  be  re- 
quired to  these  pumps,  &c.,  as  well  as 
when  the  pumps  are  not  required,  it  is 
proposed  to  apply  to  some  kind  of  man- 
ufactures. 


The  canal  occupies  the  channel  of  the 
Chicago  river  for  five  miles  from  the 
lake ; it  then  rises  by  a lock  of  eight 
feet  lift,  to  the  summit  level;  thence  to 
the  first  lock  at  the  south  end  of  the 
summit,  is  twenty-seven  miles,  or  three 
miles  above  Lockport.  From  this  point 
the  canal  descends  along  the  valleys  of 
the  Des  Plaines  and  Illinois  rivers,  by 
fifteen  locks,  overcoming  a fall  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet.  At  the  distance 
of  twenty-four  miles  from  Chicago,  the 
extensive  rock  excavation  commences, 
and  extends  nine  miles  in  length,  vary- 
ing in  depth  from  four  to  twenty  feet, 
making  an  average  depth  of  fifteen  feet. 
The  excavation  of  this  amount  of  rock 
has  cost  an  immense  sum,  but  by  raising  ; 
the  summit  level  eight  feet,  a very  great  i 
additional  amount  of  rock  excavation  j 
has  been  avoided. 

On  the  final  completion  of  the  canal, 
the  immense  piles  of  rock,  which  had 
lined  the  canal  banks,  became  available  ] 
for  the  people  of  Chicago  to  Macadam-  i 
ize  and  improve  their  streets,  pave  their  I 
sidewalks,  and  in  brief,  for  building  pur- 
poses generally. 

This  canal  has  very  few  mechanical 
structures  in  proportion  to  its  length. 
There  are  but  four  aqueducts,  and  only 
ten  stone  arch  culverts,  of  eight  to  twen- 
ty feet  span,  and  two  stone  dams,  one  ; 
across  the  Des  Plaines,  and  one  across  j 
the  Du  Page  river.  The  whole  of  the  1 
canal  has  been  constructed  in  the  most 
thorough  and  permanent  manner,  and 
reflects  great  credit  upon  the  skill  and 
scientific  acquirements  of  the  engineer- 
in-chief,  William  Gooding,  Esq. 

One  important  feature  of  this  canal, 
and  of  canals  in  general,  over  other 
modes  of  communication,  is  the  water 
power  which  they  create  for  manufac- 
turing purposes,  the  effect  of  which  is  to 
increase  directly  the  amount  of  business  \ 
on  the  canal,  by  the  transportation  of 
the  raw  materials  and  of  the  manufac-  i 
turing  products,  but  it  has  a further  j 
effect  in  its  influence  upon  the  more 
speedy  settlement  of  the  country,  and 
the  development  of  the  agricultural  and 
mineral  resources  of  the  country  adja- 
cent to  these  lines  of  improvement. 

It  is  estimated  that  above  the  town  of 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  527 


Joliet  there  will  be  eighty-four  runs  of 
stone,  on  a fall  of  sixty  feet ; and  below 
that  place,  forty-five  runs,  on  a fall  of 
the  same  amount ; making  one  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  runs  of  stone.  This 
quantity  of  power  may  be  increased  by 
using  the  whole  force  of  the  steam  pow- 
er, to  raise  the  water  eight  feet  high 
from  the  Chicago  river,  and  discharging 
this  additional  quantity  of  water  at  the 
south  end  of  the  summit  level  over  a fall 
of  sixty  feet. 

Of  course  it  is  impossible,  from  the 
rapidity  with  which  this  western  coun- 
try is  filling  up  with  inhabitants,  and 
not  of  being  able  to  foresee  to  what  ex- 
tent changes  may  take  place  in  the  pres- 
ent roads  and  routes  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  great  interior  commerce  of 
the  west,  to  make  any  definite  calcula- 
tions as  to  the  amount  of  business  which 
may  be  done  on  this  canal.  The  follow- 
ing exhibit  has  been  prepared  by  a per- 
son who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  sub- 
ject. It  is  intended  as  an  estimate  of 
the  amount  of  business  and  toll  on  this 
canal  for  the  second  year  after  its  com- 
pletion : — 

Tolls. 

Lumber  - 33,472,000  feet.  $33,472 

Salt  - - 207,700  bbls.  37,386 

Flour  - - 400,000  “ 60,000 

Wheat  - 2,257,000  bush.  100,650 

Sugar,  molas’s,)  g 625  hhds.  10  781 
and  tobacco  J 

Merchandise  38,298  tons.  76,576 
All  other  articles  - 45,000 


Total  - $364,865 

Sheep. — Grain  has  been  considered 
the  principal  staple  of  export.  To  this 
we  may  now  add  wool-growing.  As 
early  as  1834,  the  farmers  of  Macomb 
county  gave  attention  to  it — particularly 
in  the  towns  of  Shelby,  Washington, 
Bruce,  and  Armada.  They  led  in  the 
introduction  of  sheep  into  the  territory, 
and  have  continued  ever  since  to  in- 
crease their  flocks  in  quality  and  num- 
ber. The  state  census  of  1837  gave  the 
number  in  that  county  at  5,365  head, 
which  was  then  over  one  quarter  the 
number  in  the  state  ; the  whole  then 
being  but  21,684. 

The  United  States  census  taken  in 


1840,  only  three  years  after,  gave  the 
number  at  89,934.  During  the  years 
of  1840  and  1841,  a company  of  gentle- 
men from  Vermont  took  into  the  coun- 
ties of  Kalamazoo,  Van  Buren,  and  Ea- 
ton, over  25,000  head,  and  left  them 
with  the  farmers  on  shares.  During  the 
same  years,  many  of  the  more  thrifty 
farmers  sent  out  to  Ohio  and  obtained 
many  thousands,  and  sold  them  in  the 
western  counties.  Among  others,  Rev. 
John  D.  Pierce  was  zealously  and  pa- 
triotically engaged  in  getting  into  Cal- 
houn and  vicinity  the  best  breeds.  Mr. 
Pierce  sent  east  and  to  Ohio  for  some 
four  or  five  thousand,  which  he  sold  to 
his  poorer  neighbors,  on  time  sufficient 
for  the  fleece  that  could  be  obtained, 
would  enable  them  to  pay.  In  those 
times,  a majority  of  our  farmers  were 
poor,  for  it  took  two  or  three  years  to 
get  a dollar  surplus.  Most  of  those  to 
whom  Mr.  Pierce  sold,  are  now  large 
growers.  The  increase  since  1840  has 
been  almost  beyond  belief.  Thousands 
after  thousands  have  been  driven  from 
other  states — western  New  York  send- 
ing her  full  quota  of  the  best  of  Meri- 
noes  and  not  a few  Saxonies. 

During  this  time  a large  number  of 
cloth-dressing  establishments  have  been 
erected,  and  some  dozen  woollen  facto- 
ries, in  various  parts  of  the  state.  The 
largest  are  at  Pontiac,  Ypsilanti,  Ann 
Arbor,  Jackson,  and  Marshall.  The 
wool  now  manufactured  into  cloth  in 
the  state  can  not  be  far  from  500,000 
pounds,  including  the  home-made  flannel. 

The  present  number  of  sheep  can  not 
be  estimated  at  less  than  600,000.  The 
crop  averaging  three  pounds  each,  would 
give  1,800,000  pounds.  The  whole  av- 
eraging twenty-four  cents  to  the  pound, 
give  a total  of  $432,000.  Of  this  quan- 
tity, say — home  consumption  500,000 
pounds;  for  export  1,100,000  pounds. 

We  are  borne  out  in  this  conclusion 
by  the  exports  of  past  years,  and  in- 
crease of  sheep. 

The  exports  were — in  1841,  23,000 
pounds  ; in  1844,  256,407  ; in  1845, 
412,081 ; in  1846,  from  Detroit,  506,103  ; 
from  Monroe,  84,424  ; from  St.  Joseph, 
4,000  ; from  Toledo,  124,600:  making  a 
total  of  716,587  pounds. 


528  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


This  season  a large  number  of  east- 
ern manufacturers  are  in  market,  par- 
ticularly for  the  coarser  kinds,  the  new 
tariff  having  done  away  the  duty  of  five 
per  cent,  on  foreign  coarse  wools,  that  cost 
abroad  seven  cents  and  under,  and  made 
a uniform  duty  of  thirty  per  cent.,  which 
tends  to  keep  the  harsher  qualities  from 
coming  from  South  America  to  compete 
with  ours.  Another  branch  of  manu- 
facture of  which  wool  of  the  coarser 
qualities  is  a component  part,  has  sprung 
up  at  the  east — Mousseline  de  Laine. 
Eight  or  ten  large  factories  have  been 
erected.  For  years  this  class  of  goods 
has  been  supplied  from  France  and  Eng- 
land. One  of  these  establishments  at 
Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  will  use  a 
million  of  pounds  annually.  This  new 
branch  of  industry  will  add  five  millions 
of  pounds  to  the  consumption  yearly. 
The  Bakewell,  English,  and  South  Down 
sheep,  having  long  wool,  are  preferred, 
as  it  has  to  undergo  a combing  process. 

Farmers  say  it  is  more  profitable  to 
raise  wool,  at  present  prices,  than  to 
grow  wheat  at  sixty-two  and  a half  cents 
a bushel.  Sheep  do  not  exhaust  land, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  fertilize  it.  If  it 
can  be  grown  at  the  east  with  profit, 
where  the  very  interest  on  the  land  is 
more  than  the  purchase  of  pasturing  in 
this  state,  the  west,  in  a short  time,  will 
supplant  the  east  in  its  production  en- 
tirely. Since  the  west  has  gone  into  the 
business,  mark  the  increasing  quantity 
that  has  passed  through  the  Erie  canal. 

The  following  is  a statement  of  the 
arrival  of  wool  at  tide  water  on  the  Hud- 


son  river,  and  aver 

age  price  : — 

Year. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

Price. 

1840, 

2,876,000  $1,150,400 

40  cts. 

1842, 

3,355,000 

1,004,554 

30  “ 

1843, 

6,216,400 

1,678,428 

27  “ 

1844, 

7,672,300 

2,519,474 

38  “ 

1845, 

9,504,039 

2,946,252 

31  “ 

1846, 

8,866,376 

2,571,415 

29  “ 

The 

amount  of 

wool  which 

arrived 

at  Buffalo  from  Michigan,  in  1844,  was 
256,407  pounds  ; in  1845,  412, 0S1 ; and 
in  1846,  716,587. 

Wool  has  also  become  an  article  of 
foreign  export,  there  being  no  duty  on 
it  in  England.  The  project  was  never 
tried  till  1844,  when  about  300,000 


pounds  went  from  Boston  and  New 
York.  The  quantity  has  annually  in- 
creased since. 

In  almost  every  village  of  this  state 
there  are  wool-buyers.  In  the  principal 
ones,  eastern  manufacturers  have  agents. 

The  Pictured  Rocks  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior.— The  southern  shore  of  Lake  Su- 
perior is  distinguished  by  long  ranges 
of  inaccessible  rocks,  which  form  a hope- 
less obstacle  to  the  unhappy  navigator 
driven  before  a northerly  storm.  For 
miles  there  is  not  a spot  to  be  found 
where  even  a canoe  can  effect  a landing* 
or  where  a man  could  climb  up  the  lofty 
perpendicular  banks,  to  escape  destruc- 
tion. The  water  is  deep  quite  up  to 
the  base  of  the  cliffs,  and  the  region  is 
shunned,  especially  in  bad  weather. 

In  some  places,  however,  where  a 
small  accessible  point  has  been  found, 
the  Indians  formerly  made  their  land- 
ing-places ; and  remains  of  their  rude 
drawings  are  still  traceable  upon  the 
precipices  far  upon  the  shore.  One  of 
the  most  remarkable  of  these  is  repre- 
sented in  the  vignette.  The  cliffs  are 
high,  bold,  and  apparently  perpendicu- 
lar ; but  their  faces  are  marked  with 
drawings  of  different  figures,  explicable 
only  by  members  of  the  tribe  or  nation 
by  which  they  were  inscribed,  but  all 
significant  parts  *of  a record  capable  of 
distinct  interpretation  only  by  those  ac- 
quainted with  the  secrets  of  the  system. 

The  figure  of  an  animal  is  usually  the 
token,  or  armorial  representative,  of 
some  tribe,  family,  or  individual ; and 
rude  drawings  of  objects  are  expressive 
of  things  or  actions  connected  with  them. 
By  the  aid  of  native  interpreters,  the  in- 
scriptions on  some,  it  is  said,  have  been 
discovered  to  refer  to  a great  Indian 
military  expedition  against  a nation  on 
the  north  side  of  the  lake,  to  which  the 
pictured  rocks  of  the  Mississippi  also 
relate. 

The  following  description  of  a visit 
to  this  remarkable  spot,  by  a gentleman 
engaged  in  surveying  the  upper  penin- 
sula of  Michigan,  for  the  United  States 
government,  will  be  interesting  to  the 
reader : — 

“ I had  passed  and  repassed  the  ‘ Grand 
Portal’  of  the  pictured  rocks,  three  dif- 


^=:  ^ 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN.  529 


ferent  times,  and  had  once  made  a sketch 
of  it,  but  it  seems  I had  never  ascer- 
tained the  extent  of  its  interest.  In 
passing  it  lately,  all  the  circumstances 
being  favorable,  we  determined  to  enter 
the  arch  with  our  boat ; and  though  our 
mast  was  only  about  sixteen  to  eighteen 
feet  high,  still  the  feeling,  as  we  ap- 
proached, was,  that  we  must  take  it 
down  to  be  able  to  pass  under  the  apex 
of  the  arch  ; but  drawing  nearer,  the 
mast  seemed  to  shrink,  and  the  arch  to 
tower  upward,  until  our  sail  shook  un- 
der a vault  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
high  ! So  much  is  the  eye  deceived  by 
a general  proportionate  grandeur.  En- 
tering, we  found  ample  room  for  a vast 
ship-of-war,  with  sails  all  standing,  to 
conceal  herself,  turn  round,  and  come 
out  without  impediment.  Although  the 
water  is  deep  for  three  fourths  of  the 
way,  yet  at  the  far  end  of  the  cave  there 
is,  first,  a pile  of  huge  fallen  blocks  of 
sandstone;  and,  beyond  these,  a sand- 
beach,  fifty  to  sixty  feet  wide.  Excited 
by  a work  so  magnificent,  I determined 
to  make  it  my  observatory  until  I had 
ascertained  the  form  and  dimensions  as 
accurately  as  expedition  would  permit. 
For  this  purpose,  and  to  enjoy  the  ro- 
mantic luxury,  I resolved  on  spending 
a night  where  I need  not  call  upon  the 
mountains  to  hide  me. 

“ As  there  was  a spice  of  danger  in 
passing  a night  in  this  palace  of  the 
winds  and  waves,  I landed  the  party 
to  encamp  on  the  sands,  near  the  Doric 
rock,  and  was  then  transported  and  led 
in  the  cave  with  my  nephew  and  instru- 
ments, the  voyagers  returning  with  the 
boat  to  the  encampment.  Here  we 
were  more  securely  imprisoned  than 
Napoleon  on  St.  Helena,  the  only  means 
of  escape  being  to  climb  over  hanging 
rocks  two  hundred  feet  high,  or  swim 
half  a mile  of  the  lake,  with  water  so 
cold  as  to  stiffen  us  in  one  eighth  of  that 
distance,  and  our  provisions,  a few  sticks 
of  wood  which  we  brought  in  the  boat, 
and  a bucket  of  bean-sou,p.  But  we 
gave  ourselves  no  anxiety,  for  we  had 
too  much  work  to  perform.  Immediate- 
ly we  measured  our  base  line  for  tri- 
angulation, five  hundred  feet  long,  all 
within  the  cave  of  the  great  arch.  At 


this  part  of  the  Pictured  Rocks  there  is 
a table  of  sandstone  about  two  hundred 
feet  high,  presenting  to  the  lake  a per- 
pendicular wall  of  waving  and  angular 
outline  for  several  miles.  At  the  Grand 
Portal,  the  rock  juts  out  into  a short  pen- 
insula by  two  curves  which  come  up  like 
the  curves  from  the  shoulders  in  each 
side  of  the  neck;  at  the  end  it  is  ab- 
ruptly truncated  as  if  the  head  had 
been  cut  off.  Into  this  truncated  end 
enters  the  Grand  Portal  arch,  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  high,  and,  pen- 
trating  about  three  hundred  feet,  termi- 
nates in  two  smaller  arches.  Near  the 
far  end,  a cross  arch,  opening  on  each 
side  of  the  neck,  traverses  the  main  cav- 
ern. Thus  the  ground  plan,  like  that 
of  ancient  cathedrals,  is  a cross  ; in  the 
portal,  however,  the  head  of  the  cross  is 
double.  We  ventured  to  give  names  to 
the  various  apartments  : First,  the  Grand 
Dome  opening  in  the  Grand  Portal; 
second  and  third,  the  first  and  second  dor- 
mitories ; fourth  and  fifth,  the  right  and 
left  wings  of  the  cross;  sixth,  the  ves- 
try with  columns,  groined  arches,  and 
Gothic  windows  communicating  with  the 
right  wing;  seventh,  the  Egyptian  laby- 
rinth, consisting  of  cylindric  and  groined 
galleries,  supported  by  peculiar  columns, 
having  a distant  resemblance  to  the 
Egyptian,  communicating  both  with  the 
right  wing  and  with  the  Grand  Dome. 
The  form  of  the  columns  is  that  of  two 
elongated  bells,  with  the  two  small  ends 
joined  to  form  the  middle  of  the  shaft; 
or,  to  detail  the  figure,  it  is  expanded  at 
the  top  like  an  inverted  bell,  contracts 
rapidly  as  it  descends,  and  by  a gradual 
curve  becomes  nearly  cylindric  for  some 
distance ; and  again  it  contracts  on  a 
gradual  curve  till  it  comes  almost  to  a 
point,  where  it  meets  the  same  figure 
reversed.  This  form  is  essentially  beau- 
tiful, being  a solid  generated  by  rotation 
of  Hogarth’s  sigmoid  line  of  grace.  To 
explain  the  mode  of  its  formation  would 
lead  to  too  long  a discussion. 

“ Our  most  active  and  frolicsome  half- 
breed  voyager  had  waded  the  water, 
and,  without  our  perceiving  him,  had 
entered  the  labyrinth.  To  our  surprise 
he  thrust  his  head  out  of  a hole  in 
i the  Grand  Dome,  and  uttered  a hideous 


34 


530  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MICHIGAN. 


growl.  His  companions  instantly  took 
up  the  drama  of  the  beast  in  his  den, 
and  hurled  a volley  of  stones  at  him. 
Darting  back,  Legarde  presented  his 
head  at  another  opening,  and  defied  his 
pursuers  with  a still  fiercer  snarl ; in- 
stantly there  followed  another  volley, 
another  evasion,  and  another  peal  of 
laughter  echoed  back  from  the  dome,  I 
labored  hard  until  dark,  and  then  dis- 
covered a new  danger  in  making  it  my 
place  of  rest.  I found  a great  part  of 
the  cave  to  be  lined  with  a shell  of  stone 
loosened  by  the  last  winter’s  frost,  and 
ready  at  all  points  to  fall  with  crushing 
force.  Going  back  to  the  farthest  re- 
cess of  the  dormitory  arch,  I knocked 
off  all  the  loose  stones,  propped  up  my 
cot  on  piles  of  rocks,  and  composed  my- 
self to  sleep,  not  unmindful,  as  I lay 
down,  that  the  canopy  of  my  bed  was  of 
solid  stone,  two  hundred  feet  thick,  with 
a forest  of  fir-trees  on  top  as  the  orna- 
mental fringe.  About  midnight  I arose, 
lighted  a candle,  built  a fire,  and  walked 
forward  with  my  lantern  to  the  farthest 
block  of  stone.  Here  I gazed  at  the 
great  star-lighted  window  presented  by 
the  portal  arch,  and  as  I stood,  the  po- 
lar star  just  twinkled  on  the  verge  of  the 
opening,  making  the  angular  altitude 
equal  to  the  latitude  of  the  place.  Again 
I lay  down  in  the  dormitory  and  listened 
to  the  dirge-like  music  of  the  ripple,  as 
it  kissed  the  rocky  fragments  and  danced 
into  the  labyrinths.  In  such  situations 
there  is  often  a mirage  of  sound  as  won- 
derful as  that  of  sight ; the  discords  seem 
to  be  absorbed,  and  the  harmonious 
notes  are  echoed  and  reverberated  with 
more  enchanting  spells  than  belong  to 
the  iEolian  ; commingled  with  the  dirge 
one  imagines  imitations  of  cascades,  hail, 
rain,  and  storms.  This  was  the  pianis- 
simo ; while  the  fortissimo  would  be  wit- 
nessed when  the  northern  storm  should 
drive  the  thunder  of  the  great  lake 
directly  into  the  Grand  Portal.  Sup- 
pose this  to  have  happened  while  I was 
a tenant — it  was  really  what  1 desired. 
An  avalanche  of  rock  sufficient  to  have 
crushed  a city,  had  fallen  just  outside  of 
the  left  arch,  and  laid  rudely  piled  to 
the  height  of  fifty  feet.  Thither  wrould 
I have  retreated  to  witness  the  bloodless 


battle  of  the  elements ; for  a long  war 
has  been  waged  between  waves  and 
rocks,  in  which  the  rocks  have  so  far 
been  obliged  to  yield.  Morning  came, 
and  with  the  dawn  myself  and  nephew 
were  at  our  work  of  triangulating.  Hav- 
ing completed  the  survey,  and  obtained 
geological  specimens  of  great  interest, 
we  returned  in  the  boat  which  had  come 
from  the  party  on  shore,  in  the  afternoon. 

“ I shall  calculate  my  observations, 
make  drawings  of  ground-plan  and  ele- 
vations, and  include  them  in  my  report 
to  Dr.  Jackson,  and  through  him  to  the 
government,  that,  if  they  are  found  wor- 
thy of  it,  they  may  be  published.  I 
need  hardly  say,  that  such  a curiosity,  in 
such  a climate,  deserves  a visit  from  the 
Cincinnatians  during  the  hot  months. 
Within  half  a mile  is  a boat  harbor,  a 
fine  camping  ground  ; and  still  another 
half  a mile  along  the  land  beach,  is  the 
Chapel  rock,  and  still  nearer,  a cascade. 
Beyond  this  again  is  a cascade  leaping 
the  top  of  the  Pictured  Rocks  clear  into 
the  lake,  and  blowing  a blast  of  wind  in 
all  directions  from  where  it  strikes  the  ! 

fc» 

water  sufficiently  to  propel  a sail-boat. 
The  Grand  Portal  is  less  extensive  than 
the  mammoth  cave,  being  a mere  frac- 
tion of  it,  but  it  has  some  compensating 
beauties.  It  has  light  and  a fine  breeze, 
and  is  at  the  same  time  as  cool.  You 
arrive  at  all  of  its  beauties  without  fa-  \ 
tigue,  and  enjoy,  through  its  three  open  < 
arches,  the  most  extraordinary  land-  1 
scapes.  Through  the  Grand  Portal  you  \ 
see  only  the  shoreless  lake  ; through  the 
western  opening  of  the  cross  arch  a 
limited  but  magnificent  view  of  the  lake 
and  the  Pictured  Rocks  overhanging  its 
dark  blue  waters,  on  whose  surface, 
when  calm,  those  rocks  are  reflected 
into  a symmetrical  counterpart  of  the 
original.  Through  the  eastern  wing  is 
seen  also  the  lake  and  the  Pictured 
Rocks  dying  away  in  well-marked  per- 
spective, as  one  point  sinks  behind  the 
other,  to  the  distance  of  ten  miles.  In 
the  course  of  this  perspective  is  the  cas- 
cade of  Chappel  river,  the  Chappel 
rock,  and  the  cascade  of  the  winds.  This 
cross  arch  is  five  hundred  feet  long,  and 
so  straight  that  light  is  seen  through  it 
from  one  side  to  the  other.  Mr.  School- 


craft  passed  through  it  with  his  boat : 
but  the  lake  having  fallen  about  four 
feet  it  is  nearly  dry,  and  the  only  en- 
trance by  water  is  by  the  Grand  Portal.” 

The  emigration  to  Michigan  is  now 
larger  than  for  years  past.  Every  part 
of  the  peninsula  wears  a new  aspect  to 
what  it  did  five  years  since.  The  log 
houses  have  given  way  to  fine  brick  and 
pine  dwellings,  ornamented  with  paint, 
and  the  windows  bedecked  with  blinds 
or  tasty  curtains.  The  slab  sheds  are 
hardly  known.  Large  barns  have  taken 
their  places.  Where  the  wolf  prowled 
undisturbed,  herds  of  sheep  are  seen — 
the  bleating  of  the  frolicsome  lambs  is 
heard,  where  the  doe  had  full  sway. 
You  can  scarcly  ride  on  any  road  that 
has  been  open  for  five  years,  that  is  not 
lined  on  either  side  with  grain.  The 
whole  country  has  the  appearance  of  a 
fifty  years’  settlement.  Enterprise  and 
industry  are  everywhere  prevalent. 

The  advantages  that  Michigan  offers 
to  the  emigrant,  are  clearly  set  forth  in 
the  following  statements  : — 

“ First.  W e are  surrounded  with  wa- 
ter communication  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  with  noble  streams  that  are  navi- 
gable, and  from  its  tributary  waters  into 
the  lakes.  From  the  mouth  of  each  the 
canvass  wafts  the  staff  of  life  to  the  east. 

“Second.  We  have  avenues  of  art, 
binding  with  solid  iron,  as  by  links,  the 
centre  and  southern  counties  from  one 
extremity  to  the  other,  while  the  north 
for  some  distance  equally  enjoys  the 
benefit  of  iron  horses  to  forward  their 
surplus  to  a shipping  point. 

“ Third.  No  state  can  boast  of  better 
hydraulic  power — the  summit  level  be- 
ing near  the  centre  of  the  peninsula  and 
its  never-failing  streams  diverging  to 
several  points,  as  tho  ugh  the  hand  of  an  ' 
engineer  had  planned  their  serpentine 
courses  to  accommodate  evei'y  county. 
View  the  lines  of  all  the  streams  of  every 
state  in  the  Union,  as  laid  down  on  their 
respective  maps,  and  it  is  unequalled. 

“ Fourth.  The  soil  is  calculated  for 
the  production  of  almost  every  species 
of  culture  that  could  be  desired  north  of 
the  tropics. 

“ Fifth.  Our  school  and  university 
fund  exceeds  most  of  our  neighbors,  for 


land  already  sold  and  that  remaining  is 
mostly  of  the  choicest  kind.  We  have 
our  school  districts  and  rapidly-increas- 
ing school  libraries,  in  every  direction 
settled.  Our  state  university  is  already  in 
operation,  with  professors  of  the  rarest 
talent  for  the  higher  branches.  In  point 
of  advantages  for  education,  New  Eng- 
land or  New  York  are  not  ahead.  In 
point  of  intelligence,  the  last  census  of 
the  United  States  places  us  ahead  of 
nearly  every  sister  state,  with  two  ex- 
ceptions, as  having  the  least  number 
who  can  neither  write  nor  read. 

“ Sixth.  A majority  of  our  present 
population  are  mostly  from  New  Eng- 
land and  New  York.  The  rapid  in- 
crease of  our  exports  exhibit  their  in- 
dustry. No  state  in  the  Union,  from  the 
organization  of  the  confederacy,  has 
made  such  rapid  strides.  It  is  unparal- 
leled in  ancient  or  modern  history. 

“ Seventh.  Our  state  indebtedness,  by 
the  sale  of  state  improvements,  has  been 
reduced.  The  interest  on  all  acknowl- 
edged bonds  will  be  paid  on  the  first  of 
January  next,  and  a tax  law  has  been 
passed  to  meet  it  hereafter. 

“Eighth.  Our  exports  exceed  our  im- 
ports the  past  year  by  over  a million  of 
dollars. 

“ Ninth.  Our  advantages  for  market- 
ing our  surplus  products  are  far  supe- 
rior to  any  and  all  other  states  west  of 
Buffalo,  and  they  bear  a much  better  price. 

“ Tenth.  We  have  two  months  the  ad- 
vantage of  our  neighbors  in  the  naviga- 
tion of  Lake  Erie  for  eastern  shipments, 
always  at  a season  when  produce  bears 
the  best  prices.  In  the  spring  there  is 
generally  four  weeks  after  the  opening 
of  the  lower  lakes,  that  the  straits  of 
Mackinac  are  obstructed  with  ice,  which 
is  invaluable  either  in  a rising  or  falling 
market,  and  some  four  weeks  after  the 
first  of  November,  when  the  passage  to 
the  upper  lakes  is  hazardous,  and  craft 
going  thither  are  in  danger  of  not  being 
able  to  return  until  the  following  spring. 
During  all  this  time,  both  spring  and 
fall,  most  of  the  craft  make  trips  from 
Detroit  to  Buffalo,  which  throws  hun- 
dreds of  them  in  competition  for  freight, 
and  transportation  is  thereby  cheapened 
while  it  advances  at  the  upper  ports.” 


532 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA. 


Cut-Off  River,  near  New  Harmony. 


INDIANA. 


This  state  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Michigan,  east  by  Ohio, 
south  by  Kentucky,  from  which  it 
is  separated  by  Ohio  river,  west  by 
Illinois,  and  northwest  by  Lake 
Michigan.  The  Ohio  forms  the 
boundary  for  340  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  to  that 
of  the  Wabash.  The  entire  out- 
line is  990  miles.  The  greatest 
length  is  along  the  west  border, 
272  miles,  the  main  length  nearly 
260  miles,  the  mean  breadth  140 
miles,  and  the  area  about  36,000 
square  miles.  It  lies  between  north  latitude  37°  50'  and  41°  47'  and  longitude 
7°  48x  and  11°  48y  west  from  Washington.  Population,  988,734. 

About  five  sixths  of  this  state  is  drained  by  the  Wabash  river.  In  surface  it 
is  intermediate  between  Illinois  and  Ohio,  being  less  monotonous  than  the  for- 
mer, and  less  hilly  than  the  latter.  A range  of  rough  and  abrupt  hills  rises  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio;  but  these  are  formed  by  the  cutting  down  of  the  channel, 
while  on  the  opposite  side  there  is  only  a gentle  declivity  of  the  surface  toward 
the  northwest,  where  the  waters  are  drained  into  the  Wabash.  The  White  river, 
a minor  stream,  rises  within  half  a mile  of  the  Ohio,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Kentucky,  at  the  Great  Bend.  The  region  crossed  by  the  branches  of  this 
stream  and  by  the  Wabash  is  remarkable  for  the  amenity  of  its  surface;  beyond 
which  extends  the  wide  plain  or  table-land.  Here  rise  the  Tippecanoe  and  Eel 
rivers,  which  flow  into  the  Wabash,  as  well  as  the  Kankakee  and  Pinkimink,  trib- 
utaries of  the  Illinois;  the  Elkhart,  Pigeon,  and  others,  flowing  into  the  St. 
Joseph’s  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  the  St.  Joseph’s  branch  of  the  Maumee.  The 

■ - .......  .—I 


■ - ■ ^ : — : — 1 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA.  533 

Wabash,  the  principal  river  in  the  state, 
is  five  hundred  miles  long ; and,  rising 
in  Ohio,  flows  into  Indiana  in  the  north- 
east part,  crosses  it,  and  forms  the  west- 
ern boundary  for  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles. 

The  great  western  plain  commences 
on  Lake  Erie,  between  the  Maumee 
and  Raisin  rivers,  and  extends  to  the 
junction  of  the  Illinois  with  the  Missis- 
sippi river.  It  is  about  four  hundred 
miles  in  length,  from  northeast-by-east 
to  southwest  and  west,  and  is  chiefly 
prairie.  The  surface  and  subsoil  abound 
in  marine  and  river  shells,  and  numer- 
ous trees  are  found  imbedded.  Prairies 
abound  also  along  White  river,  and  pre- 
sent every  variety  of  these  peculiar  kinds 
of  lands,  viz.,  the  dry,  wet,  level,  rolling, 
barren,  and  fertile  prairie.  The  rich, 
however,  preponderate,  and  many  tracts 
are  luxuriant. 

Climate. — That  part  of  the  state 
nearest  to  Lake  Michigan  is  subject  to 
copious  rains;  and  as  much  of  the  land 
in  that  section  is  low  and  marshy,  a 
considerable  portion  of  it  is  thus  unfit 
for  cultivation  ; while  sandhills,  bearing 
small  juniper-trees,  are  numerous  in  the 
rear.  The  low  tracts  have  generally 
proved  very  unhealthy,  especially  near 
swamps,  ponds,  and  streams  ; and  fever- 
and-ague  has  sometimes  prevailed  ; the 
warmer  regions  have  also  suffered  from 
the  same  cause.  The  rapid  increase  of 
the  population,  however,  shows  that  this 
evil  has  not  materially  checked  the  pros- 
perity of  the  state. 

The  winters  are  mild  compared  with 
those  of  New  England  and  even  Penn- 
sylvania— as  winter  lasts  only  about  six 
weeks  from  the  end  of  December.  The 
rivers  which  are  not  the  most  rapid  are 
then  frozen;  and  sometimes  even  the 
Wabash  has  been  bridged  with  ice. 
Frequently  snow  falls  in  the  northern 
parts  to  the  depth  of  eighteen  inches ; 
but  in  the  south  it  is  seldom  ever  more 
than  six  inches.  Peach-trees  bloom 
early  in  March,  and  the  forests  grow 
green  from  the  5th  of  April  to  the  15th  ; 
and,  as  numerous  shrubs  put  forth  their 
flowers  before  their  leaves  appear,  the 
appearance  of  the  country  is  delightful 
early  in  the  season. 

11.  ■ ■ -= 

Tl^fe  governor  is  elected  by  the  people, 
for  four  years,  ineligible  next  term.  A 
lieutenant-governor  is  also  chosen  in  the 
same  manner,  and  for  the  same  term. 
The  senate,  not  to  exceed  fifty  members, 
elected  for  four  years.  The  representa- 
tives, not  to  exceed  one  hundred,  chosen 
for  two  years.  Elections  are  held  bien- 
nially. Elections  by  the  people  are  by 
ballot ; by  the  assembly  which  meets 
biennially,  viva  voce.  The  judicial  pow- 
er is  vested  in  a supreme  court  of  from 
three  to  five  members,  elected  by  the 
people,  for  six  years;  in  circuit  courts, 
the  judges  of  which  are  elected  by  the 
people  for  six  years  ; and  in  such  minor 
courts  as  the  assembly  may  establish. 
This  light  of  suffrage  extents  to  every 
white  male  citizen,  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  six  months  a resident  of  the  state. 

Literary  Institutions. — In  this  state 
are  the  following:  Indiana  university, 
at  Bloomington ; Hanover  college,  at 
South  Hanover;  Wabash  college,  at 
Crawfordsville  ; Indiana  Ashbury  uni- 
versity; the  University  of  Notre  Dame 
du  Lac,  at  South  Bend;  Franklin  col- 
lege, at  Franklin;  and  St.  Gabriel  col- 
lege. The  number  of  academies  is  six- 
ty, and  that  of  common  schools  one 
thousand  six  hundred. 

Indianapolis,  the  capital  of  Indiana, 
stands  on  the  west  bank  of  the  west 
branch  of  White  river,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  miles  west  of  Cincinnati.  It 
is  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation 
on  that  stream,  and  is  already  a large  and 
flourishing  town,  although  the  spot  was 
in  the  midst  of  the  forest  as  late  as  the 
year  1821.  The  river  is  crossed  by  a 
fine  bridge. 

The  position  of  the  town  is  near  the 
centre  of  the  state,  and  it  enjoys  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  a large  river,  which 
waters  as  great  a portion  of  fertile  land, 
in  proportion  to  its  size,  as  any  other  in 
the  United  States.  The  surrounding 
country  has  been  settled  with  great  ra- 
pidity ; and  the  town  is  laid  out  with 
much  taste,  and  presents  a fine  appear- 
ance. Several  broad  streets  meet  from  1 
different  points,  at  a beautiful  circular 
public  green,  situated  on  a gentle  e\e\  a- 
tion,  on  which  conspicuously  stands  the 
governor’s  house.  Population,  8,000. 

534  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA. 


Capitol  of  Indiana. — This  edifice  is 
situated  in  an  open  square  of  the  city. 
It  is  of  the  robust  or  ancient  Doric  or- 
der, and  is  considered  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  the  classical  spirit  of  the 
antique  on  the  western  continent. 

The  building  is  eighty  feet  wide,  and 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  and 
contains  rooms  on  three  floors — a base- 
ment below  the  level  of  the  portico  and 
peribolus,  and  two  stories  above.  The 
great  halls  of  legislation,  chambers  of 
the  senate  and  representatives,  are  on 
the  upper  floor,  which  renders  them 
lofty  in  the  ceilings,  and  the  committee 
rooms,  which  are  on  the  first  floor,  more 
accessible  by  the  free  passage  from  end 
to  end  of  the  building,  which  passage 
could  not  be  admitted  were  the  great 
rooms  below.  The  senate-chamber  is 
thirty-six  by  seventy  feet ; the  hall  of 
representatives,  forty-eight  by  seventy, 
or  near  these  dimensions  ; and  the  ro- 
tunda, thirty-six  feet,  with  dome  and  sky- 
light. The  halls  are  rectangular  ob- 
longs on  the  plan,  but  have  a semi-hemi- 
spherical concavity,  or  half  dome  in  the 
ceiling,  resting  on  a semicircular  colon- 
nade, which  forms  the  “ bar  of  the 
house”  (so  termed),  within  which  the 
members’  seats  are  placed,  all  facing  in- 
ward, fronting  the  focal  point  and  speak- 
er’s chair.  This  general  arrangement 
is  favorable  to  the  extension  and  inflec- 
tion of  sound,  which,  here  made  sono- 
rous, is  yet  found  free  from  reverbera- 
tion, distinct  and  clear.  It  affords  vari- 
ety, with  an  architectural  character  to 
the  apartment,  while  the  columns  con- 
tribute an  additional  support  to  the  roof. 

As  an  exhibition  of  classical  architec- 
ture, we  have  in  the  capitol  of  Indiana 
each  of  the  three  orders  appropriated 
by  Greece  : the  Doric,  Ionic,  and  Co- 
rinthian— the  robust,  chaste,  and  masr- 
mficent.  In  the  body  of  the  edifice  we 
have  a resemblance  to  the  Parthenon  of 
Athens  ; in  the  interior,  the  rich  Ionic 
of  the  Erectheion  ; in  the  dome,  the  cir- 
cular temple  of  Vesta,  at  Tivoli  ; and 
the  lantern  is  a model  of  the  Corinthian 
monument  of  Lysicrates. 

The  other  public  buildings  are  the 
courthouse,  state-prison,  deaf  and  dumb 
asylum,  lunatic  asylum,  a female  insti- 


tute, and  ten  churches.  The  popula- 
tion amounts  to  about  three  thousand. 

Stage-coaches  depart  daily  for  Cin- 
cinnati, Wheeling,  Columbus,  and  Zanes- 
ville ; and  for  several  other  places  there 
times  a week.  The  communication  with 
Madison  is  also  daily,  being  all  of  the 
way  by  railroad. 

Vincennes,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash, 
is  the  second  western  town  in  point 
of  antiquity,  having  been  settled  by 
Frenchmen  from  Canada  as  early  as 
1735,  at  a time  when  Kaskaskia  was  the 
only  place  inhabited  by  white  men  in 
those  extensive  regions.  Here,  in  the 
midst  of  a fertile  district,  and  in  the 
heart  of  a wilderness,  a small  colony  re- 
mained, for  a long  time  almost  entirely 
excluded  from  the  world,  and  mingling 
only  with  the  savages,  to  whose  habits 
they  in  some  respects  accommodated 
themselves.  It  was  for  a time  the  seat 
of  the  territorial  government. 

The  ground  is  level,  regularly  laid 
out  in  squares,  and  the  houses  generally 
have  fruit  gardens  attached  to  them. 
Steamboats  come  up  to  the  town  most 
of  the  year.  The  adjacent  prairie  is 
large  and  fertile,  and  five  thousand  acres 
of  it  are  in  common,  according  to  the 
provision  of  the  old  French  inhabitants. 

During  the  early  part  of  its  history 
the  French  and  Indians  carried  on  a 
predatory  warfare  against  the  Kentucki- 
ans and  other  border  settlers. 

New  Harmony,  fifty-four  miles  below 
Vincennes,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash, and  over  one  hundred  from  its 
mouth,  was  settled  in  1814  by  a band  of 
eight  hundred  Germans,  of  a sect  called 
Harmonists,  who  had  previously  made 
a settlement  in  Pennsylvania  on  Beaver 
creek.  They  were  led  by  Joseph  Rapp, 
and  held  their  property  in  common,  un- 
der certain  strict  regulations.  They 
formed  a large  and  flourishing  village, 
with  a large  house  for  public  meetings, 
a botanic  garden,  and  green-house. 

About  the  year  1826,  the  people  hav- 
ing become  somewhat  discontented  with 
the  place,  and  disposed  to  return  to 
Pennsylvania,  sold  to  the  celebrated  the- 
orist, Robert  Owen,  of  Lanark,  Scot- 
land, who  here  brought  some  of  his  vis- 


The  Capitol  of  Indiana,  Indianapolis. 


ion  ary  plans  to  experiment.  A com- 
munity was  established,  who  spent  the 
sabbath  in  listening  to  his  discourses, 
and  occupied  their  time  in  various  modes, 
with  very  little  profit  to  themselves  or 
the  public.  The  experiment  at  length 
failed,  and  the  place  may  hereafter  rise  to 
the  rank  for  which  nature  seems  to  have 
fitted  it,  under  the  management  of  per- 
sons of  better  sense  and  sounder  princi- 
ples. 

Logansport  stands  on  the  bank  of 
the  Wabash,  at  the  mouth  ©f  Eel  river, 
and  each  of  these  streams  is  crossed  by 
a fine  bridge.  This  place  enjoys  the 
commercial  advantages  afforded  by  the 
Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  and  by  the 
water-power  obtained  from  the  rivers. 
Manufactories  of  several  kinds  are  in 
operation.  Stage-coaches  run  three 
times  a week  to  Lafayette  and  Niles,  as 
well  as  to  the  capital  of  the  state. 

South  Bend,  on  the  bank  of  Maumee 
river,  is  well  situated  for  a manufactur- 
ing place,  though  partly  built  on  a 
lofty  bluff.  It  contains  a courthouse, 
four  churches,  and  about  2,000  inhabit- 
ants. 

The  Roman  Catholic  college  of  Notre 
Dame  du  Lac  was  founded  in  1844. 

Michigan  City. — This  town,  at  the 
south  end  of  the  lake  of  that  name,  has 
the  only  harbor  in  the  state.  It  was 
laid  out  in  1835,  but  is  already  a consid- 
erable village,  of  about  2,900  inhabitants, 
with  some  trade,  and  a communication 
with  Chicago,  Niles,  and  South  Bend, 
by  stage  coaches,  three  times  a week. 

Terre  Haute. — This  town,  as  its 
French  name  indicates,  occupies  an  ele- 
vated position.  It  is  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Wabash,  and  seventy-three  miles 
west  of  Indianapolis,  where  the  river  is 
crossed  by  the  national  road  on  a fine 
bridge.  A courthouse,  six  churches,  a 
market-house,  bank,  and  a seminary,  are 
the  principal  public  buildings.  The  pop- 
ulation is  about  4,000.  The  situation  is 
advantageous  for  trade,  and  the  place  is 
flourishing.  Stage-coaches  go  daily  to 
Indianapolis,  St.  Louis  Shawneetown, 
and  Danville,  Illinois. 

Crawfordsville  stands  on  the  left 
bank  of  Rock  river,  forty  five  miles  dis- 
tant from  Indianapolis,  and  contains 


seven  churches,  a courthouse,  a semina- 
ry, and  4,000  inhabitants. 

Wabash  college , which  is  situated  in 
Crawfordsville,  was  founded  in  1835, 
and  has  four  professors,  more  than  one 
hundred  students,  and  about  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  volumes  in  its  libra- 


ries. 


Lafayette. — This  town  stands  at  the 
head  of  steam  navigation  on  the  Wa- 
bash, three  hundred  and  ten  miles  from 
its  mouth,  by  the  course  of  the  stream. 
It  has  seven  churches,  a courthouse,  and 
several  other  public  buildings,  with  a 
population  of  about  4,000.  The  Wabash 
and  Erie  canal  affords  a communication 
between  this  place  and  Lake  Erie. 
Stage-coaches  go  three  times  a week  to 
Indianapolis  and  Logansport. 

Indiana  occupies  an  important  portion 
of  the  vast  central  valley  of  North  Amer- 
ica, drained  by  the  Mississippi  and  its 
numerous  branches,  while  it  touches,  at 
its  extreme  northwest  corner,  the  south 
end  of  one  of  the  great  northern  lakes. 
As  a large  part  of  the  state  lies  between 
the  Ohio  and  the  WEbash,  it  partakes 
of  the  general  features  of  the  Missis- 
sippi country ; and  to  Indiana,  in  com- 
mon with  her  neighboring  sister  states, 
the  following  impressive  statements  and 
views  justly  apply  : — 

The  P eculiar  Characteristics  of  West- 
ern Mind. — Says  a late  writer  : “ There 
have  been, I apprehend, in  no  country 
in  its  early  settlement,  precisely  the  el- 
ments  in  forming  the  public  mind,  which 
are  found  in  the  western  regions  of  our 
own.  The  colonies  that  went  out  from 
Phoenicia,  and  that  laid  the  foundations 
of  empire  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediter 
ranean,  had  a homogeneousness  of  char- 
acter, and  transferred  the  principles  and 
feelings  of  the  mother-country  at  once 
to  the  new  lands  where  they  took  up 
their  abode.  The  colonies  that  went 
out  from  Greece  to  occupy  the  maritime 
regions  of  Asia  Minor,  carried  with  them 
the  love  of  the  arts,  of  literature,  and  of 
liberty,  which  distinguished  Corinth  and 
Athens  ; and  Ionia  became  merely  a re- 
flected image  of  what  Attica  and  Achaia 
and  Argolis  had  been.  The  colonies 
which  landed  on  Plymouth  rock,  and  at 
Salem,  and  Boston,  also  had  an  entire 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA.  537 

homogeneousness  of  character.  There 
was  no  intermingling  of  any  foreign  el- 
ements contemplated  or  allowed.  They 
were,  when  they  landed,  and  when  they 
laid  the  foundation  of  Harvard  univer- 
sity, and  when  they  spread  over  New 
England,  what  they  were  in  Holland 
and  in  England,  with  only  the  modifica- 
tions which  their  new  circumstances 
made,  but  with  none  from  any  foreign 
admixtures. 

“ When  we  turn  our  eyes,  however, 
to  the  great  west,  we  discern  an  entirely 
different  state  of  things.  There  is  no 
homogeneousness  of  character,  of  ori- 
gin, of  aim,  of  language.  There  are 
elements  already  mingled  and  struggling 
for  the  mastery,  any  one  of  which,  if 
alone,  would  have  vital  and  expansive 
power  enough  to  diffuse  itself  all  over 
that  great  valley. 

“ There  is  a large  infusion  of  the 
puritan  mind. 

“ There  is  a large  infusion  there  of  a 
foreign  mind,  with  little  homogeneous- 
ness of  character  or  of  views,  except  in 
the  single  reason  which  has  precipitated 
it  on  our  western  shores.  There  are 
different  languages ; different  manners 
and  customs  ; different  modes  of  faith 
and  worship.  It  is  alike  in  this,  that  it 
is  a foreign  mind,  little  acquainted  with 
our  institutions ; bred  up  mostly  under 
a monarchical  government;  restrained 
at  home  less  by  an  intelligent  public  sen- 
timent than  by  the  bayonet ; tenacious  in 
most  instances  of  the  religion  in  which 
it  was  trained;  and  having,  to  a large 
extent,  little  sympathy  with  the  princi- 
ples and  the  achievements  of  protestant- 
ism.  There  is  at  the  west,  as  a conse- 
quence of  this,  a great  intermingling 
of  those  minds  which  are  likely  to  be 
most  adventurous,  energetic,  and  bold. 
In  the  vast  valley  there  are  representa- 
tives from  nearly  all  the  nations  of  Eu- 
rope, and  all  the  forms  of  religion  which 
prevail  there.  Ireland,  and  France,  and 
England,  and  Germany,  and  Italy,  have 
their  representatives  there;  and  they 
appear  there,  not  as  amalgamated  with 
our  republican  and  protestant  institu- 
tions, but  as  still  imbodying  the  senti- 
ments which  they  cherished  in  their 
native  land. 

t ... 

“ A second  characteristic  of  the  west- 
ern mind,  as  it  is  now,  is,  that  it  is  as  yet 
unsettled.  A demagogue,  a propagator 
of  error,  a rejector  of  religion,  here, 
must  begin  his  work  by  a covert  or  open 
attack  on  these  associations ; he  must 
weaken  their  power  over  the  soul ; he 
has  a long  work  to  do  to  detach  the 
mind  from  its  fastenings,  before  he  can 
move  it  according  to  his  will.  But,  in 
a new  region,  he  finds  all  this,  to  a gj’eat 
extent,  done  to  his  hand.  There  is  no 
ancient  sanctuary,  or  sabbath-bell,  or 
sepulchre  of  the  dead,  or  schoolhouse, 
or  established  public  sentiment,  that  can 
hinder  his  purposes  ; and  his  work  be- 
gins at  a point,  to  reach  which  elsewhere 
might  cost  the  labors  of  his  life. 

“ A third  observation  which  may  be 
made  in  relation  to  the  characteristics 
of  the  western  mind,  is,  that  there  are 
circumstances  which  make  it  certain  that 
it  will  be  developed. 

“ From  the  character,  also,  of  the  el- 
ements which  compose  society  there, 
there  will  be  intellectual  strife ; there 
will  be  earnest  conflict ; there  will  be 
impassioned  eloquence ; there  will  be  a 
struggle  of  mind  with  mind. 

“ Everything  in  the  natural  scenery 
is  on  a scale  so  vast  and  grand — the  ma- 
jestic rivers,  the  boundless  prairies,  the 
deep  forest,  the  very  immensity  almost 
of  the  rich  domain  which  is  spread  out 
there  as  if  to  make  man  vast  in  his 
schemes,  gigantic  in  his  purposes,  large 
in  his  aspirations,  and  boundless  in  his 
ambition. 

“ I may  notice  a fourth  characteristic 
of  the  western  mind,  in  its  relation  to 
religion.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to 
one  who  looks  on  the  heterogeneous  and 
unsettled  mass,  the  result  of  the  experi- 
ments there  made  has  shown  that  the 
west  is  not  a favorable  field  for  planting 
communities  destitute  of  all  religion. 

“ The  question,  then,  if  these  are  just 
views,  is  not  whether  there  shall  be  any 
religion,  or  none — but  whether  the  re- 
ligion which  shall  prevail  there  shall  be 
true  or  false  ; enlightened  or  ignorant ; 
a miserable  fanaticism,  or  a large  and 
liberal  Christianity ; a low  and  drivel- 
ling superstition,  or  principles  that  com- 
mend themselves  to  reason  and  common 

538 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA. 


sense;  the  religion  of  tradition,  or  the 
religion  of  the  Bible ; a religion  of  ex- 
citement, and  feeling,  and  variableness, 
or  the  religion  of  principle.” 

The  following  statements,  recently 
published,  give  an  interesting  view  of 
the  advantages  offered  by  the  Ohio  for 
ship-building : — 

An  intelligent  gentleman,  formerly  of 
Boston,  but  who  has  spent  most  of  the 
last  twenty  years  in  the  west,  in  1805 
explored  the  west,  with  a view  to  the 
establishment  of  a ship-yard  there,  and 
in  1806,  a Mr.  Jarvis,  of  Boston,  on  his 
recommendation,  built  one  or  two  large 
ships  at  Marietta.  One  of  the  largest 
and  best  bodies  of  oak  in  the  United 
States  is  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio, 
stretching  along  the  highlands  of  Vir- 
ginia, Ohio,  and  the  more  mountainous 
region  of  Kentucky,  for  several  hundred 
miles.  There  are  inexhaustible  beds  of 
coal  and  iron  ore  directly  on  the  river- 
bank  from  Pittsburgh,  some  four  hun- 
dred miles  westerly,  and  within  which 
distance  there  are  now  nearly  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  furnaces  and  forges  en- 
gaged in  producing  and  manufacturing 
the  raw  material.  Several  large  ships 
have  since  been  built  at  the  above  and 
other  places  on  the  Ohio,  and  at  an  av- 
erage of  from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent, 
less  than  they  could  have  been  built  for 
on  the  Atlantic.  The  Ohio  is  an  un- 
steady stream,  but  all  who  are  acquaint- 
ed with  it  know,  that  at  least  two  months 
in  the  spring,  and  for  the  same  period 
in  the  autumn,  there  is  sufficient  water, 
as  high  up  as  Marietta,  for  a ship-of-the- 
line  to  pass  down  to  the  Mississippi.  It 
is  also  true,  that  for  six  or  eight  months, 
one  year  with  another,  there  are  times  i 
.when  the  largest  merchantmen  can  tra- 
verse this  river  in  perfect  safety.  By 
so  arranging  as  to  bring  out  the  ship  so 
that  she  would  make  her  descent  in  the 
spring  or  autumn,  she  could  load  with 
the  products  of  the  country,  and  make, 
on  her  homeward  passage,  more  than 
sufficient  to  compensate  for  any  loss  of 
time  or  other  inconveniences  for  being 
built  at  a distance  from  her  place  of 
final  destination,  while  the  timber  crop  j 
and  means  of  subsistence  can  be  obtained  ! 
in  the  greatest  abundance,  and  at  a com-  J 


paratively  small  price  to  what  they  would 
cost  on  the  seaboard.  It  is  to  be  borne 
in  mind,  that  Kentucky  and  Ohio  pro- 
duce the  best  of  hemp,  which,  if  called 
for,  would  be  manufactured  on  the  spot, 
to  complete  the  rigging  up,  and  at  a 
great  saving  in  expense. 

The  only  difficulty  to  be  encountered 
in  the  commencement  of  an  extensive 
yard  in  the  interior,  would  be  the  want 
of  workmen  ; but  this  would  be  reme- 
died so  soon  as  an  assurance  should  be 
given  for  constant  employ.  It  is  ob- 
servable, too,  that  in  this  mild  and  ge- 
nial climate,  the  same  force  can  accom- 
plish more  in  the  year  than  at  New 
York,  Boston,  or  anywhere  at  the  north, 
a fact  showing  that  both  principal  and 
labor  have  greater  advantages  here  than 
elsewhere ; besides,  the  workman  can 
support  his  family  for  one  third  what 
it  will  cost  him  at  the  east. 

A Western  River-Town. — Many  of 
the  principal  river-towns  in  the  west 
bear  more  or  less  resemblance  to  that 
represented  in  the  accompanying  engra- 
ving ; and  in  several  points  some  of 
those  of  Indiana  enjoy  situations  much 
like  it.  The  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  the 
Wabash,  in  several  parts,  are  as  eleva- 
ted as  the  land  seen  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  streams,  while  the  clusturing  hou- 
ses near  the  shore,  the  signs  of  naviga- 
tion on  the  water,  and  the  general  as- 
pect of  active  and  prosperous  business, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  of  a varied  and 
fruitful  country,  on  the  other,  may  afford 
an  impression  of  one  of  the  western 
towns  rising  so  rapidly  on  the  borders 
of  those  large  and  beautiful  rivers.  The 
roofs  of  large  public  buildings  are  seen 
above  the  numerous  private  habitations, 
and  the  number  of  church  steeples, 
which  present  the  most  conspicuous 
objects,  indicate  that  various  Christian 
denominations  in  the  country  are  repre- 
sented in  our  distant  regions,  and  car- 
ry with  them  their  zeal  and  their  in- 
dustry. 

There  are  salt-springs  in  different 
parts  of  Indiana;  but  the  people  were 
formerly  wholly  supplied  with  salt  from 
the  United  States  saline,  near  Shawnee- 
town,  and  the  salines  of  Kenhawa.  Coal 
beds  exist  in  some  places,  and  copper 


View  on  the  Wabash  River, 


P 


540  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA. 


ore  is  found  in  the  north.  From  early 
times  a report  has  prevailed  that  a silver 
mine  existed  near  Ouitanon  ; but  the 
uniform  surface  of  the  country  and  the 
deep  soil  which  covers  a large  part  of 
it,  are  unfavorable  to  the  discovery  of 
mines,  and  to  the  abundance  of  minerals 
of  any  kind.  Large  tracts  of  the  state, 
as  in  many  other  extensive  regions  of 
the  west,  are  destitute  of  rocks,  stones, 
and  even  pebbles. 

The  navigable  waters  of  Indiana  are 
very  numerous  and  extensive  ; the  prin- 
cipal rivers  being  accessible  in  large 
steamboats,  and  many  of  their  branches 
being  boatable.  The  entire  extent  of 
navigable  waters  has  been  variously  es- 
timated at  from  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred miles  and  upward. 

So  numerous  are  the  streams  which 
approach  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  so  high 
are  they  navigable  in  boats,  at  least  a 
part  of  the  year,  and  so  many  conveni- 
ent ponds  lie  between,  that  more  than 
twenty  portages  have  formerly  been 
used  on  various  routes  between  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Ohio  and  Wabash  and  the 
lakes. 

1.  The  oldest  of  these  used  by  white 
men  is  that  between  St.  Mary’s  and  the 
little  river  of  the  Wabash,  which  was 
used  by  the  French  from  Canada,  in 
communicating  with  their  early  posts  on 
the  Wabash.  2.  By  the  short  Chicago 
and  Kickapoo  of  the  Illinois.  3.  By  the 
Big  Miami  and  a branch  of  the  Mau- 
mee, by  which  canoes  proceed  from  the 
Ohio  to  Lake  Erie.  4.  To  Lorimer’s 
fort,  between  the  Miami  and  Maumee. 
5.  By  Hudson  river  of  Lake  Erie  and 
Grand  river  of  Lake  Michigan.  6.  By 
the  Muskingum  and  Cuyahoga  of  Lake 
Erie,  during  spring  floods.  7.  The  four- 
mile  portage,  between  St.  Joseph’s  of 
Lake  Michigan  and  the  Theakiki.  S.  The 
two-mile  portage,  between  Theakiki  and 
the  Great  Kenomic.  9.  The  half-mile 
portage,  between  the  Great  and  Little 
Kenomic.  10.  The  three-mile  portage, 
between  the  Chicago  and  the  Plein. 
There  are  also  many  others  between  the 
branches  of  the  Wabash  and  Lake 
Michigan. 

There  were  formerly  many  tribes  of 
Indians  residing  within  the  bounds  of 

- 


this  state  : the  Mascotins,  Piankeshaws, 
Kickapoos,  Delawares,  Miamies,  Shaw- 
nees,  Weeas,  Ouitanons,  Eel  Rivers, 
and  Pottawotamies. 

In  1791  General  Wilkinson  invaded 
their  country,  and  destroyed  their  great 
town,  in  which  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty  houses,  eighty  of  which  had  shin- 
gled roofs. 

The  country  about  the  upper  parts  of 
the  Wabash  is  of  the  best  kind,  the  soil 
being  black,  deep,  friable,  and  highly 
productive,  and  the  surface  extending  in. 
wide  and  beautiful  prairies,  of  an  un- 
dulated form.  They  are  less  uniform 
and  fiat  than  most  of  the  prairies  fur- 
ther west,  often  being  varied  by  hills, 
some  of  considerable  elevation.  The 
region  thus  abounds  in  fine  scenes,  which 
afford  a delightful  relief  to  the  eye. 

These  regions  were  formerly  well 
stocked  with  game  ; and  wild  animals 
are  still  common  in  some  places  : bears, 
deer,  wild  turkeys,  prairie-hens,  par- 
tridges, grouse,  wild  pigeons,  rattle- 
snakes, and  copper-heads.  Abundance 
of  fish  of  different  kinds  are  found  in  the 
streams  and  lakes.  The  first  settlers,  as 
well  as  the  Indians,  depended  for  their 
subsistence,  to  a great  extent,  upon  the 
chase  and  fishing;  and  the  pursuit  of 
bears  and  deer,  especially,  gave  frequent 
exercise  to  their  skill  and  activity. 

A Bear  Hunt. — The  accompanying 
engraving  offers  a very  interesting  scene 
of  a nature  quite  common  in  the  early 
period  of  the  settlement.  In  a still  and 
clear  winter’s  night,  when  the  animal, 
ravenous  with  hunger,  sometimes  pro- 
ceeded from  his  den  in  search  of  food, 
the  bold  and  hardy  settler  was  also 
awake  and  abroad.  With  his  trusty 
rifle  in  his  hand,  a cautious  step  and  a 
watchful  eye,  his  ear  attentive  to  every 
sound,  he  sought  a station  from  which 
he  might  discover  and  observe  the  ap- 
proach of  the  fierce  wanderer  of  the  for- 
est. The  cracking  of  the  frozen  surface 
of  a lake  or  river,  or  the  falling  of  a 
twig  overladen  with  ice,  was  the  only 
sound  that,  for  a time,  broke  the  solemn 
silence  of  the  night.  But  a rustling  of 
the  bushes,  or  the  motion  of  a dark  fig- 
ure slowly  emerging  from  the  gloom, 
betrayed  the  approach  of  the  prewier. 


Bear-Hunting — W inter  scene. 


542 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA. 


After  the  discovery  of  a bear,  the 
primary  object  of  the  hunter  is  to  avoid 
his  observation,  until  he  comes  within 
the  reach  of  the  rifle;  and  the  second 
is  to  make  sure  work  at  the  first  shot. 
The  savage  beast,  though  usually  inclined 
to  avoid  a rencontre  with  his  human  en- 
emy at  a season  when  his  nature  is  tamed 
by  full  feeding  on  vegetables,  is  rendered 
bold  and  fierce  by  hunger,  seems  raised 
above  all  fear,  and  rushes  even  upon  an 
armed  man  to  devour  him.  Unlike  most 
other  wild  animals,  also,  he  is  almost  in- 
evitable in  the  pursuit,  when  the  hunter 
turns  to  fly.  There  is  scarcely  any  sur- 
face, however  yielding,  over  which  his 
soft  and  spreading  foot  will  not  bear 
him;  and  he  climbs  the  tree  with  far 
greater  facility  than  the  most  agile  man, 
following  him  to  the  extremity  of  the 
limbs,  and  falling,  on  occasion,  more 
safely  to  the  ground. 

But  such  men  as  the  settlers  of  Indi- 
ana would  seldom  find  themselves  re- 
duced to  seek  escape  before  the  bear, 
even  in  the  severest  season.  Having 
discovered  his  game,  he  resorted  to  all 
the  arts  which  ingenuity  and  experience 
could  dictate,  until  he  found  himself 
within  rifle  distance  ; and  then,  with  un- 
erring aim,  he  sent  the  fatal  ball  into 
the  savage  heart  of  the  beast,  which 
would  gladly  have  found  his  way  into 
the  little  log-house,  and  devoured  the 
sleeping  family  : and  now  the  monster’s 
flesh  is  to  serve  them  for  food,  and  his 
warm  and  shaggy  skin  is  to  shield  them 
from  the  cold. 

Many  a scene  like  that  represented  in 
the  engraving  has  been  witnessed  in  the 
prairies  of  Indiana,  which  in  winter  pre- 
sent a dreary  and  chilling  aspect,  though 
in  summer  blooming  in  the  richest  fer- 
tility, enlivened  with  graceful  deer,  smi- 
ling with  a thousand  flowers,  and  re- 
sounding with  songs  of  musical  birds. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Indiana  was 
published  at  Vincennes,  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, sometime  before  1810.  In 
1828  there  were  twenty-eight  newspa- 
pers in  the  state. 

The  historical  society  of  Indiana  was 
organized  in  1820,  and  incorporated 
in  1831. 

Lawrence  burg  is  a small  town  on  the 


bank  of  the  Ohio,  one  mile  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Miami.  There  are 
four  churches  and  a courthouse,  and  the 
number  of  inhabitants  is  about  2,500. 
Three  times  a week  stage-coaches  de- 
part for  Cincinnati,  Madison,  and  Indi- 
anapolis. 

Madison.  — This  town,  eighty-nine 
miles  below  Cincinnati,  occupies  a beau- 
tiful position  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio. 
The  surrounding  country  has  fine  hills, 
and  the  streets  are  laid  out  with  regu- 
larity, and  built  with  taste.  There  are 
ten  churches,  a courthouse,  a market- 
house,  a bank,  and  a savings  bank,  and 
a population  of  about  5,000.  The  hills 
in  the  rear  of  the  town  rise  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
there  are  several  fine  views  from  their 
sides  and  summits.  Steamboats  land  at 
the  wharves,  stage-coaches  run  three 
times  a week  to  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
and  Frankfort,  and  the  railroad  forms  a 
constant  and  easy  communication  with 
Indianapolis. 

New  Albany,  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles  above  Cincinnati,  and  two  miles 
below  the  falls,  is  the  largest  town  in 
Indiana,  containing  six  thousand  five 
hundred  and  sixty  inhabitants.  The 
public  buildings  are  nine  churches,  a 
bank,  a male  and  a female  seminary,  a 
lyceum,  and  the  theological  college. 

The  streets  are  from  seventy  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  breadth,  and  laid  out 
with  regularity.  Much  ship-building  is 
carried  on  here.  There  are  several 
large  ship-yards;  and  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen steamboats  are  annually  built,  be- 
sides a considerable  number  of  sloops 
and  schooners.  Besides  several  stage- 
routes,  much  travelling  is  performed  on 
the  river. 

Evansville,  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  miles  below  Cincinnati,  stands  on 
an  elevation  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
and  contains  several  large  manufactories, 
with  ten  churches,  and  several  other 
public  buildings.  The  population  is  two 
thousand  five  hundred.  One  mile  dis- 
tant from  this  place  are 

The  Pigeon  Springs. — This  is  a fa- 
vorite resort  for  visiters  in  the  summer 
months.  The  waters  contain  muriate 
of  soda,  bicarbonate  of  iron,  and  magne- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  INDIANA.  543 


sia,  carbonic  acid,  and  carburetted  hy- 
drogen gases,  with  nitrogen.^  Their 
medical  properties  are  aperient,  altera- 
tive, diuretic,  and  diaphoretic. 

Bloomington,  forty-nine  miles  from 
Indianapolis,  is  situated  at  the  head  of 
a branch  of  White  river,  and  contains 
nearly  3,000  inhabitants.  It  has  five 
churches  and  the  Indiana  university. 

Cut-off  River. — This  wild  scene,  rep- 
resented in  the  engraving,  is  on  the 
course  of  a stream  of  this  singular  name, 
which  is  a branch  of  the  Wabash,  flow- 
ing into  that  river  at  New  Harmony. 
The  banks  are  high,  steep,  and  very 
remarkable  for  their  picturesque  char- 
acter, being  steep,  and  thickly  grown 
with  gigantic  oaks  and  other  trees  of 
large  size,  while  the  surface  is  broken 
by  rocks  and  ledges.  The  stream  in 
some  parts  is  beautifully  variegated  with 
small  islands,  which  add  a most  pleas- 
ing character  to  the  scene  ; while  the 
high,  rude,  and  frowning  banks,  crowd- 
ed with  thick,  natural  forests,  give  an 
air  of  wildness  and  sublimity,  strongly 
contrasting  with  the  smooth  surface  of 
the  stream  ; and  the  gentler  aspect  of 
some  of  the  islets  which  seem  to  float  on 
the  water. 

Evergreen-trees  are  rare  in  these  re- 
gions ; but  the  catalpa-tree  and  plane, 
with  the  maples,  rise  from  an  under- 
growth of  pawpaws,  spinewood,  and  red- 
bud, presenting  a rich  variety  of  form  and 
color,  remarkably  agreeable  to  the  eye. 

Circumstances  have  led  to  some  pe- 
culiarities in  the  settlements  of  large 
portions  of  Indiana.  The  cheapness  of 
the  land  attracted  many  settlers  from 
Pennsylvania  and  further  south,  as  well 
as  Germans  and  foreigners  from  several 
nations  in  Europe.  These  did  not  gen- 
erally meet  and  mingle  in  one  mass  : 
they  were  not  drawn  to  particular  points, 
but  usually  scattered  and  planted  at  dis- 
tances from  each  other.  Later  immi- 
grants, therefore,  naturally  obeyed  the 
laws  of  affinity,  and  bent  their  steps  to 
the  neighborhoods  where  they  found  the 
languages  or  the  customs  in  which  they 
had  been  educated.  Thus  the  process 
of  amalgamation  has  not  gone  as  far  in 
I this  state  as  in  many  other  newly-settled 
regions  ; and  in  some  parts  it  hardly 


appears  to  have  yet  commenced.  The 
traveller  on  some  of  the  routes  through 
Indiana,  meets  in  succession  with  small 
communities  which  offer  striking  pic- 
tures of  several  distinct  European  na- 
tions, alternating  with  others  marked 
with  the  peculiarities  of  the  east  and 
the  south,  the  west,  the  middle  and  the 
northern  parts  of  our  own  country. 

The  history  of  New  Harmony,  already 
given,  presents  a striking  picture  of  one 
community  of  a peculiar  nature,  and  es- 
sentially different  from  any  other  within 
the  limits  of  the  state  ; but  there  are  oth- 
ers, of  different  kinds,  which  are  hardly 
more  exclusive,  and  but  little  less  af- 
fected by  surrounding  influences.  Such 
circumstances  are  unfavorable  to  some 
of  the  best  interests  of  the  state,  and 
must  tend  to  retard  such  improvements 
as  the  public  need.  They  may,  per- 
haps, be  best  counteracted  by  the  uni- 
versal diffusion  of  education,  and  pri- 
marily by  the  multiplication  of  good 
public  schools.  Unhappily,  Indiana  has 
not  yet  shown  becoming  zeal  in  this 
important  department  of  public  improve- 
ment ; and  she  must  expect  to  see  some 
of  her  more  sagacious  neighbors  leading 
the  way  in  solid  progress,  in  prosperity, 
wealth,  and  numbers,  as  well  as  in  gen- 
eral intelligence,  refinement,  and  power. 
She  must,  notwithstanding,  continue  to 
increase,  and  with  rapidity.  Her  soil, 
situation,  and  various  natural  resources, 
will  constantly  attract  new-comers,  while 
they  will  well  reward  those  who  have 
already  adopted  the  land  as  their  own. 
With  the  strong  inducements  which  the 
state  has  to  lay  wide  and  deep  the  foun- 
dations of  public  intelligence  and  vir- 
tue, and  the  strong  stimulus  offered  by 
the  examples  of  some  of  her  sister  states, 
it  may  be  hoped  that  she  will  hereafter 
become  not  less  conspicuous  for  her  pat- 
ronage of  learning,  than  for  her  numer- 
ous and  superior  natural  advantages. 
Certain  it  is,  that  whenever  such  a pe- 
riod shall  arrive,  Indiana  will  find  her 
career  attended  with  many  facilities  and 
improvements  ; and  such  of  her  citizens 
as  may  anticipate  the  change  of  public 
opinion,  will  find  their  active  and  perse- 
vering exertions  rewarded  by  great  and 
honorable  and  lasting  results. 


544 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Cave-in  Rock,  near  Shawneetown 

ILLINOIS. 

This  state  is  distinguished  by 
natural  peculiarities,  which  give  it 
a marked  distinction  among  its  sis- 
ters of  the  American  Union.  In  the 
rapid  increase  of  its  inhabitants,  it  is 
unsurpassed,  having  a population  in 
1S50  of  858,234.  In  1771  it  was 
only  1,460  ; in  1800,  3,250  ; in  1810, 
12,282;  in  1820,  55,211  ; in  1830, 
157,445;  in  1840,  484,500 ; in  1845, 
668,000. 

Various  authentic  sources,  of  the 
latest  dates,  furnish  the  following 
particulars  respecting  this  extensive, 
fertile,  and  growing  state. 

The  extreme  length  of  Illinois,  from  north  to  south,  is  375  miles,  and  the 
extreme  width  215,  averaging  about  160.  It  lies  between  37°  and  42°  30'  north 
latitude,  and  10°  2 5/  and  14°  25'  west  longitude  from  Washington.  The  area  is 
about  sixty  thousand  square  miles,  or  38,400,000  acres.  The  public  land  sur- 
veys give  35,235,200  acres,  or  55,055  square  miles,  leaving  4,945  square  miles 
chiefly  occupied  with  navigable  waters.  All  the  waste  lands,  including  those  so 
broken  as  to  be  useless  (there  are  no  mountains),  irreclaimable  swamps,  &c.,  may 
amount  to  two  millions  of  acres,  or  3,125  square  miles  ; leaving  of  arable  lands 
and  small  water-courses,  which  are  necessary  for  farming  purposes,  51,930  square 
miles. 

Illinois  is  the  third  state  in  the  Union  in  extent;  and  in  its  proportion  of  good 
land  by  far  the  first.  Another  such  tract  of  equal  size  and  quality  can  not  be 
carved  out  on  the  globe.  It  is  larger  in  area  than  all  New  England,  deduct- 
ing one  tenth  of  Maine;  greater  than  England  and  Wales  united;  has  two 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS.  545 


acres  of  good  land  to  their  one ; and, 
in  productiveness,  two  acres  of  Illinois 
land  are  equal  to  at  least  three  of  their 
cultivated  ones  on  the  average,  and  with 
good  husbandry  will  continue  so  for 
many  years.  And  with  such  agricul- 
tural capabilities,  unsurpassed  by  any 
other  state  or  nation  great  or  small,  not 
a state  in  the  Union,  except  a few  small 
ones  on  the  seaboard,  possesses  equal 
natural  advantages  for  marketing  its 
surplus. 

The  mineral  riches  beneath  the  soil 
are  perfectly  exhaustless.  No  geologi- 
cal survey  has  been  had,  so  that  we 
know  not  what  the  resources  in  this  re- 
spect may  be.  But  coal  mines,  lime- 
stone, and  granite,  are  found  in  all  parts  ; 
lead  in  immense  quantities  at  the  north 
and  south  ; iron  at  the  north  ; salt  springs 
at  the  south  and  centre1;  and  potter’s 
clay,  waterlime,  and  various  kinds  of 
marble,  in  the  different  sections. 

In  general  it  is  well  watered  with 
springs  and  running  streams,  though 
some  of  the  large  prairies  in  the  north- 
ern part  are  somewhat  deficient  in  this 
respect.  Even  there,  however,  it  is  not 
common  to  find  a section*  without  a 
spring.  Closely  in  connexion,  come  in 
the  manufacturing  advantages.  The 
greatest  lack  of  nature’s  bounties,  and 
indeed  the  only  one  of  consequence,  is 
a limited  supply  of  timber.  This  ob- 
jection, however,  lies  only  against  por- 
tions of  the  north,  and  is  easily  remedied 
by  culture.  There  is  enough  for  pres- 
ent purposes.  As  yet  the  best  can  be 
bought  in  all  parts  of  the  state  for  from 
three  to  ten  dollars  per  acre  ; and  twenty 
to  forty  acres,  well  husbanded,  suffice 
for  a large  farm.  The  future  will  take 
care  of  itself.  Black-locust  will  grow 
in  two  years  from  the  seed,  to  make 
fencing  material ; and  if  the  fires  on  un- 
cultivated prairie  .be  kept  down  for  a 
few  years,  the  surface  is  speedily  cov- 
ered with  a young  forest  growth.  There 
will  be  more  timber  in  Illinois  twenty 
years  hence  than  now. 

Illinois  will  be — must  be — one  of  the 
noblest  branches  of  the  confederacy. 

* A section  is  a square  mile,  or  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  The  public  surveys  divide  the  lands 
into  townships  six  miles  square,  sections,  quarter 
and  half  quarter  sections. 


No  one  of  her  sister  states  enjoys  equal 
natural  advantages;  and  with  honesty 
and  ability  to  direct  her  public  affairs, 
which  her  citizens  can  supply,  she  will 
take  a most  honorable  position. 

The  “ timbered  openings”  are  mcst 
delightful  to  the  eye,  though  the  inti- 
mate combination  of  them  all  is  requis- 
ite to  satisfy  the  highest  ideal  of  utility 
or  beauty.  Were  Illinois  all  prairie, 
though  inconceivably  fertile,  it  would 
be  uninhabitable  by  man,  by  reason  of 
the  lack  of  fuel,  fencing  and  building 
materials ; were  it  all  timbered,  there 
would  be  slender  temptation  to  desert 
in  its  favor  the  more  accessible  new 
lands  of  Ohio  and  western  New  York. 
But  this  natural  intermingling  of  grain- 
field  and  pasture,  meadow  and  grove,  is 
more  inviting  than  any  aspect  worn  by 
haturp  elsewhere.  He  who  traverses 
this  region  will  never  again'  wonder  at 
the  mighty  tide  of  emigration  which  sets 
with  resistless,  ever-increasing  volume 
from  the  Atlantic  westward. 

There  is  extreme  difficulty  in  realizing 
that  this  adaptation  is  indeed  the  work 
of  nature.  Before  and  beside  you  rolls 
an  “inland  sea”  of  verdure  and  luxu- 
riance— hundreds  of  acres  of  wheat, 
corn,  and  oats,  darkly  waving  in  early 
summer;  while  behind  them  stretch  the 
immeasurable  meadows,  coeval  with 
Eden,  their  untold  wealth  of  herbage 
and  flowers  undulating  in  the  fresh 
breezes  like  a gently-troubled  ocean  ; 
and  still  behind  these,  at  points  not  very 
far  distant,  and  again  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  or  farther,  swells  the  graceful  out- 
line of  the  nearest  woods,  marking  the 
winding  way  of  some  sluggish  water- 
course, or,  more  commonly,  crowning 
some  scanty  elevation  with  the  glossy 
foliage  of  the  scattered  oaks,  beneath 
whose  protecting  shade  a thick  growth 
of  clustering  shrubbery,”  mainly  oak  also, 
commingled  with  hazel,  repels  the  grass 
and  withstands  the  fire  of  the  prairie, 
maintaining  a precarious  and  stationary 
existence.  The  little  that  man  has  yet 
done  here  blends  so  naturally  and  easily 
with  the  work  of  nature,  that  the  forest 
outline  seems  the  limit  of  his  transfor- 
mations. The  open  prairie,  often  dot- 
ted with  extensive  herds  of  cattle  or 


35 


sheep,  and  everywhere  inviting  their 
presence — everywhere  proffering  a liar- 
vest  to  the  mower’s  scythe — seems,  alike 
with  the  neighboring  expanse  of  corn 
and  wheat,  too  bounteous,  too  benefi- 
cent, to  have  waved  there  spontaneously, 
through  summer  after  summer,  since  the 
deluge.  The  new  and  the  old  do  not 
palpably  wrestle  here  as  in  the  forest 
clearings,  where  the  narrow  field  of 
man’s  victory  stands  out  in  scathed  and 
blackened  contrast  with  the  verdure  and 
stateliness  surrounding  it ; but  all  seems 
peaceful,  genial,  and  bounteous.  The 
prairies  are  the  Capua  of  nature.  May 
they  not  lure  into  indolence  and  sensu- 
ality the  Hannibals  of  our  continent — 
the  hardy  pioneer  race,  whose  rapid  and 
mighty  conquests  have  been  more  truly 
wondrous,  and  far  more  beneficent,  than 
those  of  any  warrior! 

The  best  natural  dispositions  of  prai- 
rie and  timber,  and  the  most  tasteful 
improvements,,  are  on  the  cross-roads 
and  by-ways,  quite  aside  from  the  three 
or  four  great  roads  leading  west  from 
Chicago,  which  are  mainly  travelled. 
These  routes  are  injured  by  land  specu- 
lation and  non-resident  ownership  ; they 
traverse  immense  breadths  of  treeless 
prairie,  threaded  by  narrow  ridges  of 
scattered  and  scanty  timber ; while  in 
crossing  diagonally  from  one  western 
road  to  another,  especially  in  the  valley 
of  the  Fox,  the  Sycamore,  or  the  Black- 
berry, the  country  is  better  timbered, 
better  improved,  and  every  way  more 
inviting. 

As  to  cattle  and  sheep,  they  cost  lit- 
erally nothing  here.  From  April  to 
November  they  thrive  and  fatten  on  the 
broad,  unappropriated  prairies  uncared 
for,  and  the  settler  will  cut  hay  enough 
in  a fortnight,  within  half  a mile  of  his 
cabin,  to  carry  a^large  herd  through  the 
winter.  Good  cows  might  be  raised 
here  for  five  dollars  a head,  and  a yoke 
of  well-broken  oxen  turned  off  at  a net 
cost  of  twenty.  Herds  of  a hundred 
head  are  no  rarity,  new  as  are  the  set- 
tlements here,  and  they  bid  fair  to  be 
soon  swelled  to  thousands.  Sheep  are 
brought  in  by  thousands  and  loaned  to 
settlers,  on  covenants  with  good  secu- 
rity to  pay  one  and  a half  to  two  pounds 


of  wool  annually  per  head,  and  return 
a flock  equal  in  all  respects  after  a term 
of  years;  and,  exorbitant  as  is  the  usury, 
the  settler,  unable  to  pay  for  sheep,  may  I 
better  take  them  on  these  terms  than 
do  without  them.  Nearly  every  cabin 
is  surrounded  with  hogs,  which  run  at  I 
large  in  summer,  and  convert  the  super- 
abundant corn  into  pork  in  the  fall. 

The  pioneer  who  erects  his  shanty  in 
the  midst  of  a forest,  must  struggle  long 
or  very  efficiently  before  he  lets  in  sun- 
shine enough  to  give  him  a surplus  of 
grain,  or  justify  him  in  keeping  a herd 
of  cattle.  But  here  be  can  not  have  too 
many  cattle,  even  though  his  cabin  is 
not  yet  built;  a hundred  head  would 
enrich  and  could  not  embarrass  him ; 
while,  give  him  but  team  enough,  he 
may  grow  his  own  grain  the  first  year, 
and  a surplus  of  a thousand  bushels  the 
next.  The  wet  lands  (termed  ‘ sloos,’ 
or  ‘ sloughs’),  at  first  unavailable,  are 
richest  of  all,  and  need  but  a little  drain- 
age to  render  them  the  most  productive 
Even  the  higher  timbered  lands,  thinly 
covered  with  patriarchal  oaks,  overlook- 
ing a thick  undergrowth  of  bushes — 
though  here  termed  “barrens” — are 
really  only  less  fertile  than  the  prairies. 
They  produce  abundantly  when  broken 
up  and  planted. 

And  now  let  us  look  at  the  other  side 
of  the  picture,  and  see  what  are  the  dis- 
advantages of  settlement  and  life  on  the 
prairies. 

Deficiency  of  timber  is  the  first  to 
strike  the  eye  of  one  familiar  with  rural 
or  pioneer  life  at  the  east.  The  den- 
izen of  a log  cabin  in  western  New 
York  or  Ohio  may  at  times  be  short  of 
meal  or  of  meat,  but  he  has  always  good 
fuel  in  abundance  within  a stone’s  throw 
of  his  door,  fencing  stuff  as  near,  and 
building  timber  not  much  less  so.  But 
here  he  finds  the  accessible  sections, 
embracing  portions  of  timber  and  prai- 
rie, all  clutched  by  speculators,  or  ap- 
propriated by  earlier  immigrants,  and 
he  can  obtain  land  at  government  price 
only  by  pitching  his  tent  on  the  broad, 
treeless  prairie,  where  not  even  an  arm- 
ful of  wood  can  be  picked  up  within  a 
mile.  Hither  he  must  haul  his  building 
materials  (pine)  from  Chicago,  his  fuel 


548  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  fencing  from  some  adjacent  grove 
or  “barren,”  after  buying  or  stealing 
them  ; so  that  the  time  saved  to  him  in 
having  no  timber  nor  stumps  between 
him  and  a crop,  is  nearly  all  required  to 
cut  or ’haul  timber  and  fuel.  As  to 
eligibility  and  comfort,  a little  rude 
pioneer’s  cabin  looks  better,  and  is  more 
habitable,  in  an  opening  of  the  forest 
than  in  the  glaring  sunshine  of  an  un- 
shaded prairie. 

Ill  health  is  another  drawback  on  the 
charms  of  prairie  life.  The  settler  has 
hardly  erected  his  cabin,  and  begun  to 
break  up  the  earth  around  it,  when  the 
detested  ague  jumps  upon  him,  just 
when  his  time  is  most  precious — when 
his  winter  wheat  should  be  got  in.  His 
family,  one  after  another,  are  taken 
down  with  bilious  disease,  and  a hard 
season  they  have  of  it — in  a strange 
land,  with  means  and  neighbors  scanty, 
and  the  nearest  physician  perhaps  miles 
away.  Of  course  all  are  not  so  visited 
— many  escape,  through  previous  accli- 
mation, fortunate  location,  or  constitu- 
tional hardihood ; but  these  are  truly 
exceptions,  and  the  settler  from  New 
England,  or  any  region  not  cursed  with 
the  ague,  should  go  expecting  a siege 
of  it,  and  thoroughly  prepared  with 
medicines,  &c.,  for  its  proper  treatment. 

But  these  discouragements  to  prairie 
settlement  are  not  so  formidable  as  they 
appear  to  many.  Ill  health  must  be 
braved  almost  ’anywhere  in  settling  a 
new  country;  and,  though  more  general 
here  than  on  a more  rugged  and  less 
fertile  soil,  if  seasonably  and  properly 
treated,  it  is  not  often  fatal.  On  f the 
other  hand,  many  diseases  common  at 
the  east  are  said  to  be  unknown  here, 
and  even  curable  by  a timely  removal 
hither,  including  that  fatal  blight,  con- 
sumption. When  the  prairies  shall  have 
been  thoroughly  brought  under  cultiva- 
tion, whereby  the  “ sloughs”  will  have 
been  easily  drained,  especially  if  good 
water  shall  be  procured,  Illinois  will 
probably  prove  as  healthy  as  western 
New  York  now  is,  and,  in  time,  as  New 
Hampshire. 

So  of  the  scarcity  of  timber.  There 
is  enough  of  its  kind  (oak  and  hickory) 
now,  if  it  were  only  a little  better  dis- 


tributed, and  cultivation  is  gradually 
beating  back  the  annual  prairie  fires,  and 
planting  groves  and  thickets.  A little 
care  and  labor  work  wonders  in  this  re- 
spect. A few  acres  ploughed  and  sowed 
to  locust  afford  fuel  and  fencing  after 
five  or  six  years,  and  timber  of  slower 
growth  may  thus  be  as  easily  though 
not  so  quickly  obtained.  If  speculation 
would  now  undertake  to  buy  up  the 
centres  of  the  great  prairies  and  plant 
them  with  trees,  it  would  for  once  do  a 
good  thing,  and  abate  somewhat  of  the 
just  odium  created  by  the  purchase  of 
large  tracts  to  remain  sheer  waste  and 
obstacles  until  other  men’s  hard  labor 
has  quadrupled  their  value. 

The  great,  formidable,  permanent, 
drawback  on  the  eligibility  of  the  prai- 
rie region  for  settlement,  is  the  deficiency 
of  water.  This,  perhaps,  can  never  be 
fully  remedied.  Though  the  face  of  the 
country  is  by  no  means  a dead  level,  but 
undulating,  the  inequality  is  so  slight 
that  springs  are  very,  very  rare,  and 
running  brooks  hardly  less  so.  You  may 
ride  twenty  miles  across  the  country 
without  seeing  water  enough  in  all  to 
turn  a gristmill  ; and  what  you  do  find 
a well-bred  horse  will  only  drink  in  his 
last  extremity  of  thirst.  A whole  coun- 
ty, which  in  New  England  would  give 
rise  to  half  a dozen  good  mill-streams, 
and  be  threaded  all  over  with  sparkling 
trout-brooks,  will  here  send  off  scarcely 
water  enough  in  summer  to  run  a single 
pair  of  burr-stones.  This,  in  a region 
so  wonderfully  adapted  to  the  production 
of  grain  and  cattle,  is  a sore  deficiency. 
Following  down  the  valley  of  the  Fox, 
some  twenty  miles,  by  the  thriving  villa- 
ges of  Elgin,  St.  Charles,  Geneva,  and 
Aurora  (each  well  supplied  with  mill- 
power  by  the  river),  although  the  scar- 
city of  running  streams  was  here  by  no 
means  so  absolute  as  in  the  prairies  on 
either  hand,  yet  we  may  doubt  whether 
the  river  gains  as  much  by  tributaries  as 
it  loses  by  evaporation  within  that  dis- 
tance. And,  though  water  is  generally 
obtained  with  facility  by  simply  digging 
a few  feet  through  the  prairie  soil,  we 
can  not  in  conscience  recommend  the 
drinking  of  it,  whether  by  man  or  beast. 
The  abundance  of  lime,  which  renders 


• ••  • =n 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS.  549 


the  soil  so  fertile,  exerts  a far  less  desi- 
rable influence  on  the  water.  Here  is 
the  main  source  of  the  prevailing  dis- 
eases. With  pure,  cold  water  bubbling 
up  at  every  door,  and  the  vile  liquors  so 
prevalent  here  consigned  to  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean,  this  would  soon  be  a 
healthy  country. 

In  time,  the  want  of  water  on  the 
prairies  will  in  part  be  remedied  by 
sinking  deep  wells  through  the  nearest 
stratum  of  rock,  and  raising  the  fluid  by 
means  of  a windlass  or  otherwise.  In 
villages,  the  Artesian  wells  may  not  be 
too  expensive. 

At  Jacksonville  the  country  kegins  to 
lose  that  level  appearance  that  it  has  ex- 
hibited in  the  north,  and,  as  we  proceed 
to  the  south,  is  more  wooded,  with  more 
up-hill  and  down-hill.  There  is,  how- 
ever, still  much  prairie  land  to  pass 
over,  and  the  soil  is,  if  possible,  richer 
than  it  is  further  north.  Everything 
will  grow  here,  and  the  settlers  have 
taken  some  pains  to  plant  trees,  partic- 
ularly the  locust  and  the  rock  or  sugar 
maple.  In  the  valleys  and  on  the  hill- 
sides we  find  oak,  and  walnut,  and  the 
hazel-nut.  On  the  hills  are  the  black- 
berry and  other  bushes  known  in  New 
England — the  mustard,  the  mullein,  the 
whiteweed,  &c.  We  are  now  in  a part 
of  the  country  that  is  “ fenced  in,”  and 
we  behold  on  every  side  the  most  lux- 
uriant farms,  good  houses,  and  large 
barns.  As  we  proceed  south,  the  corn 
grows  taller  and  taller,  with  ears,  in  the 
silk,  higher  up  in  the  air  than  a tall  man 
can  reach.  We  see  beautiful  fields  of 
rye,  and  thick  tall  grass  of  the  various 
descriptions.  As  we  pass  through  a 
more  generally  settled  district,  we  find 
I the  prairie  grass  is  nearly  run  out,  and 
I in  its  place  is  the  timothy,  and  the  red- 
top,  and  the  clover. 

Galena , the' great  depot  of  the  min- 
eral region  of  southern  Wisconsin,  is 
situated  on  Fever  »dver,  about  six  miles 
from  its  mouth.  It  presents  a very  metal- 
lic appearance,  inasmuch  as  its  wharves 
are  lined  with  piles  of  pig-lead,  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach.  In  June  last,  the 
lead  lying  on  the  river  bank  awaiting 
exportation  amounted  to  four  hundred 
and  fifty  thousaftd  pigs,  averaging  sev- 


enty-five pounds  each,  making  about  sev- 
enty-five cords,  weighing  over  three  mil- 
lions of  pounds,  and  worth  at  New  York 
twelve  millions  of  dollars!  This  lead 
region  occupies  the  northwestern  por- 
tion of  Illinois,  and  the  southwestern 
corner  of  Wisconsin,  together  with  a strip 
of  a few  miles  in  width  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  Mississippi  in  Iowa,  equal 
to  a surface  of  nearly  three  thousand 
square  miles.  In  riding  over  the  coun- 
try from  Galena  to* the  Wisconsin  river, 

1 the  most  remarkable  feature  presented  is 
the  numerous  “ diggings.”  One  might 
imagine  himself  in  the  vicinity  of  some 
huge  burrowing  animal,  with  its  holes 
scattered  in  countless  multitudes  on  the 
sides  and  tops  of  the  hills  for  many  miles 
around.  Here  originated  that  slang 
phrase : “ The  greatest  man  in  these 
diggings .” 

The  peculiar  method  of  discovering 
and  working  these  mines  has  introduced 
another  new  word  into  the  language — 
that  of  “ prospecting.”  One  or  two 
men,  with  a pickaxe  and  shovel,  com- 
mence digging  on  the  top  or  side  of  a 
hill,  opening  a hole  from  three  to  ten 
feet  deep  or  more ; if  they  find  no  indi- 
cation of  mineral,  they  abandon  it  and  j 
commenCe'prospecting  in  another  place. 
If  successful,  they  either  continue  to 
work  it  or  sell  the  prospect.  These 
prospect  holes  are  seldom  filled  up. 
The  usual  method  of  raising  mineral  is 
very  simple,  and  very  much  like  the 
primitive  system  of  working  the  silver 
mines  in  Mexico.  A shaft  is  sunk  to  the 
required  depth,  and  while  the  man  be- 
low gathers  the  fragments  of  ore,  the 
one  outside,  by  means  of  a rude  wind- 
lass, raises  it  to  the  surface  in  buckets. 
In  Mexico  they  raise  the  gold  and  silver 
ore  in  oxhide  bags.  In  no  instance  has 
a seam  of  ore  been  exhausted.  As  soon 
as  the  diggings  are  carried  so  low  as  to 
reach  water,  they  are  generally  aban- 
doned. With  one  or  two  exceptions, 
no  attempt  has  been  made  to  drain  the 
mines  by  means  of  pumps  worked  by 
steam — a process  absolutely  necessary 
in  neaily  all  the  European  mines.  Dr. 
Owen,  in  his  “ Report  of  a Geological 
I Examination  of  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  and 
I Illinois,”  made  in  1839,  estimated  the 


550  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 

annual  produce  of  the  mines  at  that  time 
at  thirty  millions  of  pounds.  This  was 
regarded  as  an  over-estimate,  the  great- 
est amount  reported  by  the  government 
agents  being  above  ten,  or  at  most 
twelve  millions. 

A different  order  of  things  has  since 
arisen  ; the  mines  are  constantly  increas- 
ing in  productiveness,  and  there  is  now 
• no  interest  in  concealing  the  amount  pro- 
duced. The  number  of  pounds  actually 
registered  at  Galena'  the  last  year  was 
over  fifty  millions,  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  the  amount  which  found  its 
way  to  market  without  passing  through 
Galena  may  have  been  several  millions 
more.  It  is  estimated  by  those  whose 
knowledge  and  experience  render  them 
competent  to  judge,  that  if  the  mines 
already  opened  were  well  worked,  they 
are  capable  of  producing  one  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  of  pounds  annually 
for  ages  to  come,  which  is  more  than  is 
now  produced  by  all  the  world  beside. 
It  is  without  doubt  the  richest  lead  dis- 
trict in  the  known  world.  Neither  is 
the  wealth  of  this  region  confined  to  its 
mineral  productions.  It  affords  an  ex- 
ception to  the  general  rule  that  “ min- 
eral lands  are  too  barren  for  cultiva- 
tion.” This  is  the  case  in  England, 
Wales,  and  indeed  nearly  all  other  coun- 
tries ; but  here  I find  a mineral  country 
of  unequalled  richness,  covered  with  a 
soil  fully  equal  to  that  of  the  good  farm- 
ing districts  of  other  states  ; and,  judg- 
ing from  the  appearance  of  the  country 
between  here  and  the  Wisconsin  river, 
this  fact  is  duly  appreciated.  New  farms 
are  brought  under  cultivation  in  every 
direction.  The  old  ones  have  an  im- 
proved aspect,  and  the  whole  district 
presents  an  appearance  of  thrift  equal 
to  the  most  favored  agricultural  regions 
of  the  west. 

In  Henry  county  is  a settlement  of 
Swedish  emigrants,  who,  like  our  puri- 
tan fathers,  were  driven  from  the  land 
of  their  nativity  by  bigotry,  persecution,  < 
and  intolerance.  These  people  sought 
and  found  an  asylum  in  this  happy  land  < 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  where  they  i 
can  sit  under  their  own  vine  and  figtree,  1 
without  any  one  to  molest  or  make  them  1 
afraid,  and  worship  God  according  to  1 

' dictates  of  conscience.  How  such 

; valuable  citizens,  s*uch  pious  and  exem- 
• plary  Christians,  could  be  persecuted  in 
a protestant  land  like  Sweden,  under  a 
; king  we  so  milch  esteem  for  his  literary 
attainments  and  excellences  as  Oscar, 
we  can  not  conceive,  unless  that  he  is" 
controlled  or  deceived  by  a graceless 
priesthood.  There  are  now  at  Bishop’s 
hill,  so  named  from  a town  in  Sweden, 
whence  many  of  them  emigrated,  about 
four  or  five  hundred  Swedes.  Accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Baird,  they  are  from  the  best 
citizens  in  Sweden.  About  four  hun- 
dred more  of  their  brethren  are  expect- 
ed to  join  them  in  this  prairie  land. 

Their  community  is  one  of  the  best 
regulated  that  was  ever  visited.  There 
is  among  them  no  lordly,  arbitrary  con- 
trol, sustained  by  a few  leaders  over  the 
many,  but  all  is  equality  and  brotherly 
love.  Everything  goes  on  among  them 
in  perfect  harmony  and  with  regularity, 
and  there  is  every  indication  of  indus- 
try and  happiness  in  their  little  village. 

In  a few  years — in  a country  so  abun- 
dantly fertile  as  this,  owners  as  they  are 
of  the  soil,  in  large  and  extensive  fields, 
composed  as  their  body  is  of  mechanics 
in  almost  every  branch  of  industry — 
they  can  soon  become  vastly  rich  if  they 
desire  it.  They  have  already  two  Eng- 
lish schools  among  them,  and  intend 
soon  the  establishment  of  a literary  in- 
stitution. They  need  men  among  them 
of  the  first  scientific  attainments,  to  take 
charge  of  such  an  institution,  as  well  as 
men  of  talent  and  energy,  conversant 
with  our  laws,  to  defend  their  rights 
when  infringed  upon. 

*1  he  general  intelligence  which  per- 
vades this  band  of  our  adopted  breth- 
ren, is  equal  to  that  of  the  people  of  any 
part  of  the  United  States.  Neatness, 
modesty,  and  sweetness  of  temper,  are 
the  characteristics  of  their  females  ; the 
women  all  seem  to  glory  in  doing  their 
part  of  the  labor  that  is  necessary  to 
earn  a livelihood. 

Their  houses  are  more  cleanly  and 
comfortable  for  winter  than  those  of 
most  new  settlers.  They  dress  well — 
not  a ragged  or  ill-dressed  person  is  to 
be  found  in  the  whole  community.  Their 
;ables  are  abundantly ‘supplied  with  a 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


551 


great  variety  of  wholesome  and  well- 
dressed  food,  to  which  is  added,  as  a 
beverage,  very  excellent  small  beer. 
Visiters  are  received  with  that  warmth, 
cordiality,  and  confidence,  which  at  once 
secure  respect. 

The  best  farmers  have  already  begun 
to  carrv  in  wool  and  flax  in  abundance, 
to  be  manufactured  by  their  superior 
skill,  and  to  obtain  the  fruits  of  their 
mechanical  labor,  which  is  performed 
with  the  greatest  faithfulness. 

In  their  religious  creed,  they  profess 
to  take  the  Bible  as  their  guide.  . They 
assemble  every  morning  and  evening  for 
divine  service,  when  they  have  prayer, 
singing,  preaching,  and  the  reading  of 
the° Scriptures.  Religion  among  them 
seems  to  be  in  a high  state  of  revival. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Jonson  and  their  other 
preachers  seem  to  be  eminently  pious, 
and  in  a few  months  more  will  probably 
be  able  to  preach  in  English.  The  in- 
fluence of  these  strangers  in  a republic 
like  ours,  where  the  people  govern, 
must  ultimately  be  very  considerable ; 
and,  from  what  we  can  see  and  learn,  we 
are  led  to  believe  that  their  influence 
will  always  be  found  operating  in  favor 
of  virtue  and  intelligence. 

Chicago. — This  is  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  towns  of  the  west,  of  the 
most  rapid  growth  and  flattering  pros- 
pects, as  it  enjoys  a situation  perhaps 
surpassed  by  none,  and  certainly  equalled 
by  few.  Lying  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  possessing  a good  har- 
bor, the  extent  of  its  trade,  even  for  a 
short  period,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
limit.  The  navigable  waters  which 
must  be  tributary  to  it  may  already  be 
estimated  at  thousands  of  miles,  and  the 
artificial  means  by  which  other  regions 
are  to  be  brought  into  near  relations 
with  it,  are  sufficient  to  double  the 
amount.  The  fertility  of  these  vast  re- 
gions, and  the  rapid  increase  of  their 
various  products,  which  they  annually 
pour  through  this  outlet,  secure  to  Chi- 
cago a rapid,  solid,  and  permanent  in- 
crease of  population  and  wealth. 

It  stands  on  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
almost  at  its  extreme  southwest  corner, 
and  on  the  borders  of  one  of  the  prairies 
which  constitute  so  large  and  important 


a part  of  this  and  the  adjacent  statos. 
The  view  of*  this  young  and  thriving 
town,  exhibited  in  our  accompanying  en- 
graving, is  taken  from  the  land  side,  at 
a short  distance  on  the  prairie,  whose 
level  surface  extends  far  and  wide,  on  a 
level  almost  as  unvarying  as  the  surface 
of  the  lake  at  whose  shore  it  terminates, 
and  a glimpse  of  which  is  seen  near  the 
extremity  of  the  picture,  on  the  right. 
The  accuracy  of  the  drawing  exhibits 
much  of  the  freshness  which  naturally 
marks  so  new  a town.  The  houses 
appear  small  and  scattering,  compared 
with  those  of  a city  in  an  older  part  of 
the  country  ; but  several  are  observa- 
ble of  larger  size,  and  the  number  of 
churches  and  other  public  buildings, 
with  the  numerous  masts  of  lake-vessels, 
and  the  smoke  of  steamboats  and  furna- 
ces, are  sufficient  indications  of  the  su- 
perior importance  of  the  place,  and  the 
extent  of  business  already  carried  on  in 
several  branches. 

The  population  of  Chicago  has  in- 
creased not  only  at  a great,  but  at  an 
astonishing  rate.  In  1846  it  was,  ac- 
cording to  a census  taken,  14,169.  That 
the  people  are  generally  industrious,  and 
possessed  of  property,  may  be  easily  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that,  at  the  same 
time,  the  assessments  on  the  tax-list 
amounted  to  four  millions  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  the  taxes  to  thirty- 
seven  thousand  dollars.  The  number 
of  inhabitants,  according  to  the  census 
of  1850,  was  28,269,  being  an  increase 
over  that  given  by  the  census  of  1840,  of 
23,790,  over  five  hundred  per  cent. 

Chicago  is  now  a large  city.  At  the 
close  ot  the  Black  Hawk  war,  not  more 
than  fourteen  years  ago,  the  site  now 
covered  by  a city  of  many  thousand  in- 
habitants, and  with  all  the  arts  and  ele- 
gancies, the  substance  and  the  comforts, 
of  long  civilization  and  settlements — 
was  a frontier  military  outpost,  which 
had  no  habitation  without  its  pickets, 
and  few  or  none  but  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  a small  garrison  within. 

Chicago  is  the  seaport  of  Illinois — the 
point  opposite  to  the  terminus , at  St.  Jo- 
seph’s, of  the  railroad  across  Michigan, 
and,  therefore,  in  a direct  line,  affords 
the  shortest  cut  from  the  Atlantic  sea- 


board  of  the  east  to  the  Mississippi  river, 
in  traversing  Lake  Erie,  the  peninsula 
of  Michigan,  and  the  fertile  state  of  Il- 
linois. 

The  Illinois  canal,  which  connects 
through  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  riv- 
ers, the  waters  of  the  lakes  with  those 
of  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  is  the  connecting 
link  of  an  unbroken  water-communica- 
tion, from  the  Atlantic  ocean  off  Sandy- 
Hook  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico  off  the 
Balize,  on  which  line  Chicago  is  a prin- 
cipal city.  This  canal,  which  has  been 
lately  finished,  is  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent works  ever  undertaken.  It  is 
sixty  feet  wide,  and  six  feet  deep.  It 
is  one  hundred  and  five  miles  in  length, 
and  cost  over  eight  millions  of  dollars. 
This  canal  is  described  at  greater  length 
on  a previous  page. 

The  town-plot  of  Chicago  is  a level 
plain,  the  prairie  pushing  up  to  the  lake  ; 
a broad  belt  of  wood  runs  alono-  the 
margin  of  the  lake,  and  marks  the  course 
of  the  Chicago  river,  as  it  comes  from 
the  interior. 

Chicago  is  built  on  the  dead  level  of 
the  prairie,  scarcely  elevated  above  the 
the  surface  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  is 
commanded  from  no  point  unless  from 
the  roof  of  some  edifice.  Its  harbor  is 
but  the  narrow,  bending  channel  of  an 
inconsiderable  creek,  and  greatly  needs 
extension  and  improvement.  Eastward, 
on  the  lake  shore,  is  the  most  airy, 
agreeable  section  of  the  city,  covered 
with  tasteful  dwellings. 

Rapid  as  the  growth  of  Chicago  has 
been,  large  as  it  now  is,  whoever  pro- 
ceeds westward  or  southward  across  the 
prairies,  and  notes  the  unequalled  ca- 
pacities of  the  soil,  its  universal  fertility, 
its  susceptibility  of  easy  culture,  and  the 
rapidity  of  its  transformation  from  a 
waste  to  a garden,  can  hardly  doubt  that 
it  will  increase  rapidly.  The  spacious 
Illinois  canal  will  also  add  immensely 
to  the  trade  of  its  northern  emporium; 
but  a railroad  to  Galena  has  also  fol- 
lowed, and  will  prove  even  more  benefi- 
cent and  remunerating.  The  very  de- 
ficiencies of  the  prairies — that  of  timber 
especially — renders  this  railroad  across 
them  more  productive,  supplying  an 
abundance  of  heavy  return  freight  to  the 


trains  which  convey  to  Chicago  the 
grain  of  the  interior.  The  expense  of 
grading  and  of  bridging  proved  very 
light.  The  energetic  and  enterprising 
character  of  the  population  of  Chicago 
and  northern  Illinois — in  great  part  com- 
posed of  emigrants  from  New  England 
and  New  York — is  an  element  not  to 
be  overlooked  in  estimating  the  produc- 
tiveness of  this  road,  by  which  the  lead 
of  Galena  and  very  much  of  the  trade 
of  the  upper  Mississippi  are  to  be  drawn 
to  New  York  and  Boston. 

Crossing  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan,  passengers  for  tiie  east 
are  landed  about  daylight  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Joseph.  A majestic  hotel, 
erected  in  the  year  1836,  stands  there 
in  desolation,  and  there  are  some  other 
monuments  to  the  vanity  of  human  cal- 
culations. The  late  decision  of  the 
directors  of  thef  sntral  railroad,  making 
New  Buffalo  inst  ead  (ff  this  place  their 
western  terminus,  wcuM  seem  to  seal  the 
doom  already  written  on  its  faded  walls. 

A stranger  might  not  be  very  favor- 
ably impressed  with  western  Michigan. 
The  stage-road  from  St.  Joseph  to  Kal- 
amazoo (fifty-five  miles)  does  not  pass 
through  a very  good  section  of  it.  It  is 
timbered  mainly  with  oak,  though  hick- 
ory appears  at  intervals,  with  very  large 
white  wood,  &c.,  on  some  of  the  streams. 
The  clearings  are  sparse  and  scanty. 
At  Pawpaw  (the  capital  of  Van  Buren 
county)  there  is  a good  water-power, 
well  improved,  and  a thriving  country 
village.  But,  throughout  all  this  region, 
there  is  ascarcity  of  springs  and  brooks. 
The  soil  seems  less  natural  to  grass  than 
to  grain. 

The  impression  of  Chicago,  as  seen 
fi  om  the  lake,  is,  on  the  whole,  unfavor- 
able to  the  beholder,  owing  to  the  level 
site,  which  gives  a character  of  same- 
ness to  its  aspect  not  observable  as 
viewed  from  the  land,  whence  you  per- 
ceive not  only  the  mere  outline  of  the 
city,  but  its  shipping,  churches,  and  oth- 
et  public  buildings,  which  impart  vari- 
ety and  animation  to  the  scene.  The 
harbor,  like  many  others  on  the  lake,  is 
an  artificial  one,  consisting  of  two  piers 
extending  in  parallel  lines  out  from  the 
Chicago  river  into  Lake  Michigan.  The 


View  of  Chicago,  from  the  Prairie. 


554  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 

difficulties  which  are  encountered  here, 
in  the  effort  to  overcome  by  art  the  defi- 
ciencies of  nature,  are  necessarily  very 
great.  To  say  nothing  of  the  danger  to 
which  the  harbor  is  subjected  from  the 
ice  and  storms  of  winter,  the  action  of 
the  winds  and  waves  accumulates  a de- 
posite  of  sand  which  forms  a bar  not 
only  across  the  mouth  of  the  channel, 
but  within  the  harbor  itself.  Yet  there 
is  no  place  on  the  lake  equal  in  adapta- 
tion or  advantages  for  the  cheap  and 
lasting  construction  of  harbors  of  this 
description.  So  recent  and  rapid  have 
been  the  settlement  and  growth  of  Chi- 
cago, that  the  mind  can  with  difficulty 
avoid  the  supposition  that  the  advanta- 
ges of  its  geographical  position  must 
have  been  long  overlooked.  But  these, 
like  those  of  St.  Louis,  were  apprecia- 
ted by  the  French,  who,  as  early  as  1673, 
explored  this  portion  of  our  country, 
but  without,  however,  establishing  any 
permanent  occupancy  of  it. 

Chicago  was  for  a long  time  the  hunt- 
ing-ground of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe 
of  Indians,  who,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  came  from  the  islands 
near  the  entrance  of  Green  bay,  and  ex- 
pelling the  Miamies,  occupied  the  best 
portions  of  northern  Illinois  and  Indiana. 
All  the  beautiful  tract  of  country  lying 
around  the  little  chain  of  lakes  in  Steu- 
ben and  other  counties  in  the  latter  state, 
was  the  chosen  abode  of  the  warriors 
and  hunters  of  this  tribe. 

As  recently  as  1830,  Chicago  consist- 
ed (exclusive  of  the  residents  required 
by*the  garrison,  which  government  had 
established),  of  only  three  frame  build- 
ings and  five  or  six  log  houses.  I£  has 
now  a population  of  28,000  ! The  num- 
ber of  new  buildings  erected  during  the 
past  year,  was  fifteen  hundred.  Up- 
ward of  two  thousand  vessels,  of  all 
classes  and  descriptions,  enter  and  leave 
the  harbor  during  each  month  of  the 
navigable  season.  Its  exports  are  sup- 
posed to  exceed  its  imports,  which  latter 
amount  to  upward  of  two  millions  of 
dollars  annually.  Upward  of  twenty 
churches,  of  different  denominations,  at- , 
test  the  religious  influences  at  work 
among  its  busy  population.  Of  these, 
the  baptists  have  two,  one  of  which,  the 

| first  baptist  church,  is  perhaps  tne 
i finest  edifice  in  the  city.  It  was  bunt  in 
1844,  of  brick,  and  is  fifty-five  by  eighty 
feet,  with  a handsome  portico,  columns, 
and  spire,  which  contains  a bell  and  a 
clock  with  five  dials. 

The  commercial  and  agricultural  in- 
terests of  all  the  states  bordering  upon 
the  lakes  are  indissolubly  associated  with 
Chicago,  as  a place  of  deposite  and 
transhipment.  Situated  at  the  head  of 
lake  navigation,  and  at  the  termination 
of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  by 
which  a continuous  water  route  has  late 
been  established  from  New  York  to 
New  Orleans,  she  grasps  in  her  embrace 
the  increasing  direct  trade  of  the  great 
'northwest,  and  stands  at  the  door  of  that 
granary,  where  a peaceful  commerce 
exchanges  and  discharges  the  produc- 
tions of  both  hemispheres.  That  the 
wonderful  rapidity  with  which  Chicago 
has  substituted,  for  the  miserable  huts 
of  a mere  trading  station,  the  comforta-  1 
ble  dwellings  and  busy  aspect  of  a com- 
mercial city,  is  attributable  mainly  to  the 
natural  advantages  of  its  position,  can 
not  be  denied.  But  much  is  due  to  the 
enterprise  and  intelligence  of  its  inhab- 
itants, evinced  in  their  very  emigration 
here,  and  also  in  their  appreciation  of 
the  advantages  with  which  a beneficent 
Providence  has  distinguished  them,  as 
well  as  in  the  efforts  which  they  are  con- 
stantly making  to  improve  and  extend 
them. 

A railroad,  for  which  subscriptions 
had  been  made,  is  completed  between 
Chicago  and  Galena,  by  which  inter- 
communication with  different  parts  of 
the  state  must  be  greaty  facilitated,  and 
the  mineral  riches  of  the  latter  place  j 
find  another  outlet  to  the  seaboard.  An- 
other railroad  is  already  in  successful  r 
operation  between  Detroit  and  New 
Buffalo,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  this  it  is  contemplated  to 
extend  round  the  head  of  the  lake  to  ' 
Chicago.  This,  in  connexion  with  the 
first  named,  would  bring  the  Mississippi 
within  a day’s  journey  of  Detroit. 

The  labor  of  the  husbandman  has  ad- 
ded to  the  riches  of  the  soil  in  every  di- 
rection in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  which 
is  generally  a prairie,  elevated  and  un- 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS.  555 


dulating,  and  as  productive  as  any  other 
portion  of  the  west. 

In  the  formation  of  society  in  Chica- 
go, levies  seem  to  have  been  made  upon 
every  nation  and  country.  Yet  this  di- 
versity is  unfriendly  to  the  growth  of 
prejudices,  which  acquire  such  rankness 
in  older*  communities,  while  it  releases 
the  hold  of  the  caste,  and  arbitrary  sys- 
tems. Man  comes  to  be  regarded  as 
man.  The  mind  is  disposed  to  receive 
readily,  and  to  appreciate,  fully,  great 
truths  in  morals  and  science,  and  this 
disposition  pervades  not  a part,  but  the 
whole  of  society.  “We  are  Illinois, ” 
was  proudly  said  by  the  aborigines,  to 
to  the  first  white  man  with  whom  they 
came  in  contact  upon  the  soil,  which 
meant  in  their  language,  “ We  are  men.” 
Those  who  now  occupy  their  places  par- 
take of  this  spirit. 

Springfield. — This  town,  the  capital 
of  Illinois,  is  ninety-five  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  and  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the 
state.  It  is  situated  four  miles  south  of 
Sangamon  river,  on  the  margin  of  a 
wide  and  fertile  prairie,  and  has  had  a 
rapid  growth  since  it  was  first  laid  out, 
in  the  year  1822.  But  thirty  families 
were  residing  on  the  spot  the  following 
year,  when  there  were  no  habitations 
better  than  log-cabins. 

It  is  now  a large,  handsome,  and 
flourishing  town,  containing  6,000  in- 
habitants, and  a fine,  large  statehouse, 
a courthouse,  market,  bank,  land-office, 
three  high -schools,  several  large  manu- 
factories, and  eight  churches.  Railcars 
run  daily  for  Meredosia,  and  three  stage- 
coaches go  to  Quincy.  Stage-routes  lie 
in  several  other  directions — for  St.  Lou- 
is, Chicago,  Lafayette  (Indiana),  Terre 
Haute,  Shawneetown,  Burlington  (Iowa), 
Lexington,  &c. 

Jacksonville.  — This  town,  thirty- 
three  miles  from  Springfield,  is  on  a 
beautiful  and  fertile  prairie,  and  con- 
tains a courthouse,  market,  lyceum,  me- 
chanics’ association,  two  academies,  sev- 
en churches,  and  a population  of  about 
3,500.  It  has  a daily  communication 
with  the  capital  and  Meredosia  by  the 
railroad. 

Illinois  College , situated  at  Jackson- 
ville, has  eight  professors  in  the  academi- 


cal and  medical  departments,  and  about 
one  hundred  students.  The  libraries 
of  the  institution  contain  two  thousand 
five  hundred  volumes,  and  the  philo- 
sophical and  chymical  apparatus  are 
complete  and  valuable.  The  commence- 
ment is  held  on  the  last  Thursday  of 
June. 

Alton  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  two  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  twenty- 
one  miles  below  that  of  the  Illinois.  It 
is  twenty  miles  distant  from  St.  Louis. 
The  town  is  regularly  laid  out,  the 
streets  are  broad  and  straight,  and  it 
contains  six  churches,  a lyceum,  a bank, 
mechanics’  association,  and  a population 
of  6,000.  The  place  is  one  of  the  best 
for  commercial  purposes  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, having  a good  landing-place, 
formed  by  a flat  rock,  with  a rich  coun- 
try around  it ; and  timber,  coal,  free- 
stone, and  limestone,  abound  in  the  vi- 
cinity. Steamboats  keep  up  a constant 
communication  with  the  towns  on  the 
Mississippi,  the  Illinois,  the  Missouri, 
and  the  Ohio ; and  stage-coaches  run 
to  Vincennes  and  Jacksonville. 

Kaskaskia,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river  of  that  name,  is  one  hundred  and 
forty-two  miles  from  Springfield,  and 
seven  from  the  Mississippi.  It  was  set- 
tled about  the  year  1683,  by  the  French, 
and  a large  portion  of  the  population  is 
of  that  orisfin.  It  contains  two  churches, 
a bank,  a land-office,  and  about  two 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  on  the  de- 
cline. 

Shawneetown,  about  two  hundred 
miles  flom  Springfield,  and  ten  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  stands  on 
the  Ohio,  on  an  acclivity,  but  not  high 
enough  to  be  safe,  from  the  highest 
floods  in  the  river.  It  was  laid  out  in 
1814,  and  is  one  of  the  best  places  for 
trade  in  that  part  of  the  state. 

Our  vignette  represents  a spot  well 
known  to  travellers  on  the  western  wa- 
ters. This  remarkable  natural  curios- 
ity is  situated  on  the  Ohio  river,  a few 
miles  below  Shawneetown.  The  ap- 
proach to  it,  as  you  descend  the  stream, 
is  picturesque.  Bold  bluffs  running  out 
into  the  current,  diversified  here  and 
there  with  green  valleys  opening  be- 


556  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tween,  afford  a constantly  varying  scene 
of  rock,  meadow,  and  midland.  Above 
and  below  the  cave  are  high  precipices 
of  limestone,  principally  covered  with 
cedars.  The  scenery  still  retains  much 
of  the  wild  aspect  it  wore  before  civil- 
ization had  intruded  on  it,  and  when 
nothing  broke  the  silence  of  the  travel- 
ler’s voyage  except  the  dip  of  his  oars, 
the  scream  of  the  eagle,  or  the  whoop 
of  the  hostile  savage. 

The  entrance  to  the  cave  is  nearly 
semicircular,  and  is  on  a level  with  the 
river  when  the  latter  is  high.  The  pas- 
sage is  about  twenty  feet  in  altitude, 
and,  a few  yards  from  the  mouth,  leads 
into  a spacious  apartment  about  twenty 
feet  in  height,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  length,  and  of  a breadth  nearly 
equal.  In  the  roof  is  seen  an  opening, 
which,  if  report  speaks  true,  leads  into 
an  upper  room,  remarkable  for  its  nat- 
ural ornaments.  The  passage  leading 
to  it  may  be  compared  to  a chimney; 
but  few  persons  have  enough  of  the 
spirit  of  adventure  to  attempt  an  en- 
trance. The  natural  fretwork  on  the 
walls  is  said  to  give  them  the  appear- 
ance of  Gothic  ornaments. 

At  one  end  of  the  cave  is  a deep  hole, 
which  has  never  been  explored  or  fath- 
omed to  its  termination.  Its  direction  is 
downward,  and  the  undertaking  of  a 
descent  would  be  hazardous.  Stones 
thrown  in  are  heard  to  strike  the  rocks 
far  below,  after  the  lapse  of  several 
seconds. 

About  the  close  of  the  last  century 
this  cave  was  the  habitation  of  a band 
of  robbers,  whose  leader,  named'M^son,* 
headed  them  in  attacks  upon  boats  and 
arks,  as  they  drifted  down  the  Ohio.  In 
some  cases  the  crews  were  not  only 
robbed  and  ill  treated,  but  even  mur- 
dered. The  criminals  and  their  retreat 
becoming  known,  however,'  the  gang 
were  attacked  in  the  year  1797,  and 
broken  up,  so  that  peaceful  navigators 
have  not  since  been  interrupted  in  that 
neighborhood. 

Vandalia,  on  the  right  bank  of  Kas- 
kaskia  river,  was  formerly  the  capital  of 
the  state.  The  streets  are  regular,  and 
the  place  has  a handsome  appearance. 
It  contains  two  churches,  a land-office, 


| and  several  manufactories.  The  popu- 
lation is  about  S00.  Here  is  the  termi- 
| nation  of  the  national  road.  Stage- 
coaches go  daily  to  St.  Louis  and  Cape 
Girardeau. 

Peoria,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Illi- 
nois river,  at  the  outlet  of  Peoria  lake, 
is  seventy  miles  from  Springfield.  The 
first  bank  of  the  river  is  from  six  to 
twelve  feet  above  high-water  mark,  and 
is  a quarter  of  a mile  wide.  Beyond  it 
rises  the  second  bank,  which  is  five  or 
six  feet  higher;  and  this  extends  to  the 
bluffs,  which  are  from  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet  high.  Here  are  six  churches, 
several  manufactories,  a courthouse,  and 
about  2,5*00  inhabitants. 

Galena. — This  town,  so  intimately 
connected  with  the  mining  and  trade  in 
lead,  is  situated  on  the  La  Fevrc,  or 
Bean  river,  six  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  miles 
from  Chicago.  Steamboats  of  the  lar- 
gest size  go  up  to  the  town  at  all 
seasons,  and  the  amount  of  exports  is 
annually  very  large,  especially  in  the 
staple  article,  lead.  It  contains  five 
churches,  and  a population  of  about 
8,000.  The  first  settlement  was  made 
in  the  year  1S26.  Stage-coaches  go  j 
daily  to  Chicago,  and  three  times  a 
week  to  several  other  places.  In  1S4G 
the  arrivals  of  steamboats  were  three  i 
hundred  and  thirty-three,  amounting  to  I 
fifty-eight  thousand,  five  hundred  and  j 
seventy-five  tons. 

The  exports,  in  1S50,  were  as  follows  : 
Lead,  G72,620  pigs,  worth  $2,225,000  ; 
copper,  $22,000  ; lumber,  $100,000  ; 
hides, $14, S00  ; wheat,  150,000  bushels. 

Rock  Island  City  is  a small  town  on 
the  Mississippi  river,  a little  above  the 
mouth  of  Rock  river.  The  population 
is  now  about  2,000. 

Belleville,  fourteen  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  St.  Clair 
county,  and  contains  three  large  flour-  I 
mills,  and  various  other  manufactories.  ! 
One  half  of  the  population  of  the  town  ' 
and  county  are  industrious  Germans. 
The  number  of  inhabitants  was  1,207  in 
1S40,  and  is  now  about  2,S00. 

Rock  Fort. — This  is  a prominent  bluff’ 
on  the  left  bank  of  Illinois  river,  and 
rendered  doubly  interesting  by  an  In- 


Rock  Fort,  on  the  Illinois  River. 


558 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


dian  tradition.  It  is  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high,  with  steep,  precipi- 
tous sides,  wholly  inaccessible  in  all 
parts  except  one,  and  presenting  a pe- 
culiar striped  appearance,  caused  by  a 
number  of  strata  of  sandstone,  of  differ- 
ent shades,  running  in  a horizontal  di- 
rection. With  the  wide  prairie  on  one 
side,  and  the  river,  flowing  through  it, 
on  another,  the  perpendicular  sides  of 
this  remarkable  eminence  rise  like  an 
immense  watchtower,  or  rather  castle — 
a work  of  gigantic  hands ; while,  at  the 
places  where  the  neighboring  range  of 
highland  is  connected  with  it  by  a nar- 
row ridge,  a little  path  conducts  the 
stranger  to  the  summit,  with  great  toil 
and  difficulty. 

There  he  finds  a level  Spot,  about 
three  fourths  of  an  acre  in  extent,  over- 
grown with  young  trees,  many  of  which 
stand  upon  an  ancient  ditch  and  a mound, 
which  appears  to  have  once  served  as  a 
breastwork  round  the' circuit  of  this  nat- 
ural fort.  In  the. soil  are  remains  of 
mussel-shells,  pottery,  and  stones,  that 
appear  to  have  been  heated ; and  the 
views  frpm  the  edge  of  the  precipice 
are  extensive  and  delightful. 

Strong  and  almost  inaccessible,  this 
natural  battlement  has  been  still  further 
fortified  by  the  Indians,  and  many  years 
ago  was  the  scene  of  a desperate  con- 
flict between  the  Pottawatomies  and  a 
band  of  the  Illinois  Indians.  The  latter 
fled  to  this  place  for  refuge  from  the 
fury  of  their  enemies.  The  post  could 
not  be  carried  by  assault,  and  tradition 
says  that  the  besiegers  finally  succeeded, 
after  many  repulses,  by  cutting  off  the 
supply  of  water;  to  procure  which,  the 
besieged  let  down  vessels,  attached  to 
ropes  of  bark,  from  a part  of  the  preci- 
pice which  overhangs  the  river;  but 
their  enemies  succeeded  in  cutting  off 
these  ropes  as  often  as*  they  were  let 
down.  The  consequence  was  a surren- 
der, whieh  was  followed  by  a total  ex- 
tirpation of  the  band. 

The  channel  of  the  Mississippi  is  con- 
stantly shifting,  and  the  only  safe  chart 
is  the  lead.  The  pilots,  most  of  them, 
know  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
river,  and  can  judge  by  the  surface  cur- 
rent when  the  channel  has  shifted.  The  I 


I cause  of  this  shifting  is  the  strong  cur- 
rent, nearly  four  miles  an  hour,  which 
wears  away  a point  of  land  here  and 
there,  washing  the  earth  and  trees  out 
into  the  old  channel  and  creating  a new 
one.  The  mosquitoes  at  the  “ wood- 
up”  stations  come  on  to  the  steamer  in 
swarms,  and  nothing  but  a strong  breeze 
will  drive  them  off.  But  little  land  has 
been  cleared  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. With  the  exception  of  Louisiana, 
which  is  pretty  generally  cultivated,  and 
a few  cities  and  towns  scattered  like 
guide-boards  to  civilization,  through  the 
wilderness,  there  is  nothing  but  forest 
for  over  twelve  hundred  miles.  Yet  the 
soil  looks  rich,  and  is  so,  and  only  needs 
the  axe  of  the  pioneer  to  make  the  whole 
country  a garden. 

The  river  navigation  of  the  great  west 
is  the  most  wonderful  on  the  globe,  and, 
since  the  application  of  steam-power  to 
the  propulsion  of  vessels,  possesses  the 
essential  qualities  of  open  navigation. 
Speed,  distance,  cheapness,  magnitude 
of  cargoes,  are  all  there,  and  without 
the  perils  of  the  sea  from  storms  and 
enemies.  The  steamboat  is  the  ship  of 
the  river,  and  finds  in  the  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries  the  amplest  theatre 
for  the  diffusion  of  its  use,  and  the  dis- 
play of  its  power.  Wonderful  river, 
connected  with  seas  by  the  head  and 
by  the  mouth — ^stretching  its  arms  tow- 
ard the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific — lying 
in  a valley,  which  is  a valley  from  the 
gulf  of  Mexico  to  Hudson’s  bay — draw- 
ing its  first  waters,  not  from  rugged 
mountains,  but  from  the  plateau  of  the 
lakes  in  the  centre  of  the  continent,  and 
in  communication  with  the  sources  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  streams  which 
take  their  course  north  to  Hudson’s  j 
bay — draining  the  largest  extent  of  the 
richest  land — collecting  the  products  of 
every  clime,  even  the  frigid,  to  bear  the 
whole  to  a genial  market  in  the  sunny 
south,  and  there  to  meet  the  products  of 
the  entire  world.  Such  is  the  Missis- 
sippi ! And  who  can  calculate  the  ag- 
gregate of  its  advantages,  and  the  mag- 
nitude of  its  future  commercial  results  '? 

Many  years  ago,  the  late  Governor 
Clark  and  others  undertook  to  calculate 
the  extent  of  the  boatable  water  in  the 


' DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  made  it 
about  fifty  thousand  miles,  of  which  thir- 
ty thousand  were  computed  to  unite 
above  St.  Louis,  and  twenty  thousand 
below.  Of  course  they  counted  all  the 
infant  streams  on  which  a flat,  a keel,  or 
a batteau,  could  be  floated — and  justly, 
for  every  tributary,  of  the  humblest  boat- 
able  character,  helps  to  swell  not  only 
the  volume  of  the  central  waters,  but  of 
the  commerce  upon  them.  Of  this  im- 
mense extent  of  river  navigation,  all 
combined  into  one  system  of  waters, 
St.  Louis  is  the  centre,  and  the  entrepot 
of  its  trade,  presenting  even  now,  in  its 
infancy,  an  astonishing  and  almost  in- 
credible amount  of  commerce,  destined 
to  increase  annually.  It  is  considered  an 
inland  town.  Counting  by  time  and 
money,  the  only  true  commercial  meas- 
ure of  distances,  and  St.  Louis  is  nearer 
to  the  sea  than  New  Orleans  was  before 
the  steam-towboat  abridged  the  distance 
between  that  city  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi.  St.  Louis  is  a seaport  as 
well  as  an  inland  city,  and  is  a port  of 
delivery  by  law,  and  has  collected  fifty 
thousand  dollars  of  duties  on  foreign 
imports  during  the  current  year;  and 
with  a liberal  custom  would  become  a 
great  entrepot  of  foreign  as  well  as  of 
domestic  commerce.  With  the  attri- 
butes and  characteristics  of  a seaport, 
she  is  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  one,  as 
fully  and  as  clearly  as  New  York  or  New 
Orleans. 

At  a distance  of  1,400  miles  from  the 
gulf  of  Mexico,  is  a new  starting  point 
for  a further  inland  navigation  to  the 
north,  of  1,000  miles  by  the  Mississip- 
pi ; to  the  west,  of  2,000  by  the  Mis- 
souri; to  the  northeast,  1,000  by  the 
Wisconsin,  and  400  by  the  Illinois  ; and 
to  the  east,  1,200  by  the  Ohio.  Through 
all  of  these  and  their  countless  tributa- 
ries, is  the  mighty  west  continually  pour- 
ing out  its  teeming  products  to  the  sea- 
board. Through  the  Mississippi  alone, 
only  one  of  the  outlets  of  this  valley,  there 
will  probably  be  transported  to  a mar- 
ket more  than  $100,000,000  in  the  sur- 
plus agricultural  products  of  last  season, 
and  that  not  an  abundant  one.  If  such 
are  the  results  of  a single  half  century’s 
enterprise,  by  the  surplus  progeny  of  a 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS.  559 


people  numbering  but  little  more  than 
3,000,000  at  its  commencement,  what 
must  be  the  results  of  future  centuries 
of  similar  enterprise,  with  the  accumu- 
lating ratio  of  our  skill  and  population  % 

In  going  up  the  Mississippi  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  we  take  a final 
leave  of  the  muddy  waters  that  mar  the 
beauty  of  the  stream,  the  whole  distance 
to  the  gulf.  The  Illinois  is  a miniature 
Mississippi,  especially  at  its  lower  ex- 
tremity ; while  higher  up,  its  numerous 
bluffs,  now  approaching  and  now  re- 
ceding from  the  banks,  remind  one  of 
the  bolder  scenery  between  its  mouth 
and  the  Ohio.  The  banks,  which  are 
generally  from  six  to  twelve  feet  above 
low  water,  are  frequently  overflowed 
through  a great  part  of  their  course. 
They  descend  from  the  edge  of  the  river 
to  lowland,  or  swamps,  in  their  rear, 
evidently  marking  this  valley  as  a delta 
formation.  The  conformation  of  the 
remote  or  primitive  banks  of  this  river, 
and  those  of  the  Aux-Plaines,  one  of  its 
principal  tributaries,  which  flows  within, 
eight  miles  of  Lake  Michigan,  indi- 
cate conclusively  that  they  formerly  dis- 
charged a vastly  larger  body  of  water 
than  they  now  contain.  It  is  conjec- 
tured, and  with  a good  deal  of  proba- 
bility, that  they  were  once  the  outlet  of 
one  or  more  of  the  large  northern  lakes, 
and  possibly  those  of  Michigan,  Huron, 
and  Superior.  If  this  were  the  case,  we 
can  conceive  of  no  adequate  cause  short 
of  the  upheaval  of  the  western  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,  which  should  have  sent 
the  waters  that  formerly  met  the  Atlan- 
tic at  Cape  Sable,  in  latitude  twenty- 
five  degrees,  through  the  gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, that  communicates  with  the  ocean 
at  its  northern  outlet  in  fifty-two  de- 
grees. 

Most  of  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  are 
densely  wooded  ; after  ascending  about 
one  hundred  miles  above  its  mouth,  how- 
ever, the  prairies  frequently  come  down# 
to  the  edge  of  the  water.  Peoria  is 
beautifully  situated  on  one  of  these,  two 
hundred  miles  from  the  outlet  of  the 
river,  whose  rolling  bank,  ascending  in- 
land, rises  twenty  feet  above  the  water, 
which  here  expands  to  a tiny  lake.  The 
town  of  Henry,  a few  miles  above  and 


560 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


on  the  same  western  bank,  is  similarly 
situated,  but  on  a higher  bank,  and  the 
prairie  stretches  off  sixty  miles  toward 
the  Mississippi. 

There  are  numerous  small  thriving 
towns  along  the  stream,  which  are  al- 
ready the  depots  for  immense  quantities 
of  corn,  wheat,  flour,  pork,  beef,  &c. 
Some  fifteen  or  twenty  small  steamboats 
are  employed  with  the  traffic  and  pas- 
sengers on  this  river,  besides  scows  and 
flatboats  that  are  used  in  freighting  the 
produce.  Two  of  the  latter,  each  capa- 
ble of  carrying  one  thousand  barrels  of 
flour,  were  loading  at  Hennepin,  some 
j three  hundred  miles  above  St.  Louis. 
There  are  numerous  steam  saw  and  flour- 
ing mills  on  the  banks,  by  which  lumber 
and  grain  are  largely  manufactured,  the 
latter  only  to  any  extent  for  exportation. 

From  Peru  to  Chicago,  one  hundred 
miles,  the  course  is  over  fertile  and  un- 
dulating prairies,  most  of  which,  though 
unoccupied  a dozen  years  ago,  are  now 
under  cultivation  and  thickly  studded 
with  tasteful  villages. 

Mount  Joliet. — Mr.  Schoolcraft,  in  his 
travels  in  the  central  portions  of  the 
Mississippi  valley,  gives  us  an  account 
of  his  visit  to  this  place.  It  is  a hill  or 
mound,  a few  miles  from  Fox  river,  and 
near  Lisbon,  on  an  immense  prairie.  It 
is  about  1,300  feet  long,  225  broad,  and 
60  high  ; oblong  at  the  base  ; and  covers 
500,000  square  feet.  It  is  far  from  any 
other  elevation,  and  is  conspicuous  from 
a great  distance  on  every  side,  com- 
manding views  in  all  directions  which 
are  bounded  only  by  the  horizon.  We 
give  an  extract  from  Mr.  S. : — 

“We  entered  the  strip  of  woods  which 
form  a margin  to  the  Aux  Sables,  one 
of  the  tributary  streams  of  the  Illinois, 
during  the  most  intense  heat  of  the  day, 
and  enjoyed  its  refreshing  shade  for  a 
few  moments.  Ten  miles  beyond  this 
pellucid  little  river,  we  halted,  and  dis- 
mounted in  the  plains,  and  made  a short 
excursion  on  foot  to  Mount  Joliet.  This 
monumental  elevation  takes  its  name 
from  Sieur  Joliet,  who  was  sent  by  M. 
Talon,  the  intendant  of  New  France,  to 
accompany  Father  Marquette,  in  his 
search  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  year : 
1673.  They  entered  this  stream  through  J 


the  Wisconsin,  and  then  followed,  its 
current.  It  is  not  certain  how  far  they 
descended,  but  it  is  evident  they  passed 
the  junction  of  the  Missouri,  and  some 
assert  that  they  went  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Arkansas.  On  their  return  to  Can- 
ada, they  followed  up  the  Illinois,  and 
have  left  us  the  first  notice  of  this  mound, 
which  they  ascended. 

“ Any  prominent  swell  in  the  surface 
of  the  soil  would  appear  interesting  and 
remarkable  in  so  flat  a country,  but  this 
would  be  considered  a very  striking  ob- 
ject of  curiosity  in  a region  of  inequali- 
ties. It  is,  strictly  speaking,  neither  a 
mountain  nor  a hill,  but  rather  a mound, 
and  the  first  impression  made  by  its  reg- 
ular and  well-preserved  outlines  is  that 
of  a work  of  art.  This  alluvial  struc- 
ture is  seated  on  the  plains,  about  six 
hundred  yards  west  of  the  present  chan- 
nel of  the  river  Des  Plaines,  but  imme- 
diately upon  what  appears  to  have  been 
the  former  bank  of  this  river.  Its  figure, 
as  seen  at  a distance,  is  that  of  a cone 
truncated  by  a plane  parallel  to  the  base, 
but  we  find,  on  approaching,  its  base  de- 
scribes an  ellipsis.  Its  height  we  com- 
puted to  be  sixty  feet.  Its  length  is 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and 
its  width  seventy-five  yards.  These 
measurements  have  relation  only  to  the 
top.  Its  base  is  of  course  much  larger. 
The  sides  have  a gradual  and  regular 
slope,  but  the  acclivity  is  so  great  that 
we  found  the  ascent  laborious.  There 
are  a few  shrubby  oak-trees  on  the  west- 
ern side;  but  every  other  part,  like  the 
plain  in  which  it  stands,  is  covered  with 
grass.  The  materials  of  this  extraor- 
dinary mound  are,  to  all  appearance, 
wholly  alluvial,  and  not  to  be  distin- 
guished from  those  of  the  contiguous 
country  from  which,  it  would  appear, 
they  have  been  scooped  out.  It  is  firmly 
seated  on  a horizontal  stratum  of  sec- 
ondary limestone.  The  view  from  this 
eminence  is  charming  and  diversified. 
The  forests  are  sufficiently  near  to  serve 
as  a relief  to  the  prairies.  Clumps  of 
oaks  are  scattered  over  the  country. 
The  lake  Joliet,  fifteen  miles  long:  and 
about  a quarter  of  a mile  wide,  lies  in 
front.  There  is  not  perhaps  a more  no- 
ble and  picturesque  spot  for  a private 


Mount  Joliet,  near  the  Des  Moines  River. 


36 


562 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


| mansion  in  all  America.  Few  persons 
I will  choose  to  pass  it  without  devoting 
an  hour  to  its  examination  ; and  few 
will,  perhaps,  leave  it  without  feeling  a 
conviction  that  it  is  the  work  of  human 
hands.  It  has  been  remarked  by  Dr. 
Beck,  that  this  is  probably  the  largest 
mound  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States.” 

Emigration. — We  have  introduced 
here  two  illustrations,  exhibiting  a fam- 
ily emigrating  to  the  west.  The  one 
opposite  is  a day  scene,  in  which  is  seen 
the  emigrant,  with  a gun  upon  his  shoul- 
der, and  his  faithful  dog  by  his  side, 
leading  the  way,  followed  by  a single 
horse  and  wagon,  bearing  his  family, 
and  perhaps  all  his  earthly  possessions. 
It  is  a picture  of  but  one  among  thou- 
sands who  leave  the  endearments  of 
home,  the  luxuries  of  cultivated  and 
commercial  regions,  teeming  with  pop- 
ulation, for  the  wilds  of  the  west.  The 
rough  road,  the  umbrageous  forest,  the 
gushing  stream,  and  the  treeless  prairie, 
are  no  impediments  to  deter  him  from 
his  purpose  of  finding  some  eligible 
spot  where  he  may  pitch  his  tent,  rear 
his  cabin,  sow  his  seeds,  and  reap  rich 
harvests,  thus  forming  a nucleus  for  a 
thriving  community  and  finally  a new 
state  to  be  added  to  the  confederacy — a 
new  star  to  our  national  banner.  How 
many,  very  many,  in  humble  life,  have 
thus  left  the  Atlantic  stales,  where  they 
were  scarcely  known  amid  the  multi- 
tude, pitched  their  tents  upon  the  virgin 
soil  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  where  the 
foot  of  the  white  man  had  never  before 
trodden,  and  in  a few  years  found  them- 
selves surrounded  with  all  the  comforts 
of  life,  called  upon  to  take  an  active 
part  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  state 
. or  territory  wherein  they  had  settled, 
and  frequently  again  sent  eastward  to 
sit  in  the  national  council.  There  are 
many,  very  many,  who  “ go  to  the  west,” 
with  high  anticipations  of  making  speedy 
fortunes,  without  counting  the  cost.  In 
their  estimate  of  results  they  omit  the 
many  privations  to  which  they  will  be 
exposed,  and  value  too  lightly  the  les- 
sons of  experience  read  to  them  by 
predecessors.  They  forget,  in  their  day- 
dreams of  gain,  that  they  are  about  to 


exchange  a pleasant  mansion  for  a 
cheerless  log-cabin ; the  privileges  of 
social  intercourse  and  religious  associa- 
tion, for  almost  utter  solitude;  and  a 
life  of  (»'omparative  ease  for  the  most  ar- 
duous physical  labor.  They  look  upon 
the  bright  tints  of  the  picture,  and  sel- 
dom glance  at  the  umber  to  which 
the  finger  of  experience  would  point 
them.  These  are  they  who  return  from 
the  west  sadly  disappointed  in  their 
hopes  and  expectations,  and  are  for  ever 
croaking  about  its  unhealthy  climate, 
barren  soil,  and  other  equally  grievous 
complaints.  But  he  who  goes  with  the 
expectation  of  laboring  hard,  living  pru- 
dently, managing  wisely,  and  selects  his 
locality  with  judgment,  may  be  sure  of 
receiving  a bountiful  return  for  his  sac- 
rifices. 

There  are  millions  of  acres  of  land  in 
our  western  states  and  territories,  with 
a garden-like  soil,  that  yet  remain  un- 
touched by  implements  of  culture,  which 
may  be  purchased  at  the  government 
price  (one  dollar  and  a quarter  per  acre), 
where  no  greater  objections  to  the  cli- 
mate can  be  made  than  against  any  other 
sections  of  the  Union ; and  far  better 
would  it  be  for  the  individuals  and  the 
public,  if  the  floating  population  of 
our  cities  would  act  wisely  and  suffer 
themselves  to  drift  westward  with  what 
little  pecuniary  means  they  may  have. 
Many  foreigners  will  land  upon  our 
shores  with  sufficient  ready  money  to 
purchase  land  enough  to  yield  them  a 
comfortable  subsistence ; but  instead  of 
availing  themselves  of  this  advantage, 
they  unwisely  seek  employment  in  our 
cities,  soon  spend  their  small  means,  and 
live  year  after  year  amid  the  miseries  of 
hopeless  poverty. 

The  cost  of  transition  from  the  Atlan- 
tic states  to  the  fertile  regions  of  the 
western  states,  is  now  quite  trifling  for 
so  great  a distance,  and  hence  emigrants 
who  come  with  some  money  in  their 
pockets,  have  no  excuse  for  enduring 
the  miseries  of  obtaining  a precarious 
existence  in  our  cities. 

The  second  illustration,  on  page  565, 
represents  the  halt  of  the  emigrant  fam- . 
ily  for  the  night.  They  may  be  seen 
preparing  their  frugal  meal,  and  arrang- 


564 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ing  themselves  for  rest,  to  be  ready  at 
break  of  day  to  start  again  on  their 
journey,  cheered  amid  the  privations  and 
vicissitudes  to  which  they  are  subject 
on  their  toilsome  way,  by  the  conscious- 
ness that  each  day  lessens  the  distance 
between  them  and  the  land  of  promise, 
and  that  the  fertile  soil  of  the  west  will 
recompense  them  for  all  their  troubles. 

Growth  of  the  West. — The  following 
remarks  on  this  subject  were  made  by 
a former  resident  of  the  west,  now  es- 
tablished in  the  profession  of  law  in 
Portsmouth  (N.  If.),  at  a public  meet- 
ing in  Boston  to  take  measures  in  rela- 
tion to  the  late  Chicago  convention  : — 

“ I say  you  can  not  have  been  indif- 
ferent to  the  political  strength  of  the 
west ; but  have  you,  until  quite  recently, 
comprehended  the  vast  commercial  re- 
sources of  that  region  1 

“ Of  these  you  are  now  compelled  to 
take  notice.  Every  paper  that  comes 
to  us,  tells  of  the  mighty  energies  of  the 
west.  One  speaks  of  a line  of  canal- 
boats  fifty-three  miles  in  length  ; another 
tells  us  a ship  has  just  left  Chicago, 
spreading  its  white  sails  to  the  western 
breeze,  and  that  it  is  to  find  no  rest  for 
its  keel  until  the  flag  of  our  country  shall 
wave  in  the  port  of  a foreign  land ; an- 
other tells  us  that  there  are  at  this  mo- 
ment ten  millions  of  people  in  the  great 
valley  of  the  Mississippi.  How  can  it  be  ] 
we  exclaim.  Fifty-five  years  ago  the 
first  settler  of  Ohio  (in  the  person  of  Dr. 
Cutler,  of  Beverly,  Mass,)  bade  adieu 
to  his  friends  here,  to  go  to  a place  upon 
which  at  present  is  built  Marietta,  a 
town  which  is  now  engaged  largely  in 
shipbuilding,  for  the  commerce  of  the 
ocean.  Michigan,  thirty-five  years  ago, 
had  scarcely  an  inhabitant;  now,  more 
than  three  hundred  thousand  warm  hearts 
are  beating  upon  her  soil ; and  her  sons 
count  up  the  profits  of  their  ample  fields 
in  the  year  that  is  past,  in  eight  millions 
of  bushels  of  wheat.  Such  has  been  the 
growth  of  the  whole  west.  A few  years 
since,  in  a birchen  canoe,  I was  paddled 
all  along  the  shores  of  Wisconsin,  from 
Chicago  to  Green  bay — a distance  of 
several  hundred  miles — seeing  scarcely 
a white  man.  Last  year  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  go  along  the  same  shore,  and 


over  the  same  waters,  and  I passed  the 
large  towns  of  Sheboygan,  Southport, 
and  Racine ; and  when  far  off,  on  the 
waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  I beheld  the 
city  of  Milwaukie,  looking  like  a sea- 
sybil  with  its  ‘tiara  of  proud  towers.’ 
But  I can  not,  in  the  brief  time  allowed 
me,  describe  the  change  that  has  taken 
place  in  the  lakes.  The  traveller  may 
leave  Buffalo  to-day,  in  one  of  the  lake 
steamers,  and  in  seventy-two  hours  the 
keel  of  his  noble  vessel  shall  scrape 
the  golden  sands  of  Illinois — nearly  one 
thousand  one  hundred  miles  to  the  west- 
ward. His  eye  will  have  gazed  upon  the 
soil  of  five  of  the  states  of  this  Union, 
as  well  as  upon  the  possessions  of  Queen 
Victoria. 

“ In  1818  appeared  the  first  steamboat 
upon  the  lakes  ; now  there  are  more 
than  one  hundred  of  the  largest  class; 
and  the  Griffin,  a vessel  of  seventy  tons, 
launched  by  the  daring  La  Salle,  in  1769, 
has  multiplied,  until  now  the  lakes  are 
white  with  sails,  and  literally  murmur 
with  the  rush  of  keels.  The  commerce 
of  the  lakes  at  this  time  may  be  safely 
estimated  as  worth  one  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  dollars  per  annum,  re- 
quiring the  constant  employment  of  over 
three  thousand  sailors,  as  brave  as  ever 
dwelt  on  the  ocean,  and  who  would  be 
as  efficient  if  summoned  to  the  gun- 
deck.  The  cities  of  Detroit  and  Buffalo 
have  more  tons  of  shipping  afloat  than 
are  owned  in  the  four  planting  states  of 
North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
Alabama ; and  these  are  but  two  of  the 
seven  cities  along  the  lakes.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  on  the  western  wa- 
ters eight  hundred  and  fifty  steamboats, 
and  that  13,440  persons  are  engaged 
in  navigation.  These  are  some  of  the 
random  statistics  that  occur  to  me  ; but 
we  must  remember  that  the  statistics 
of  1844  will  not  serve  as  a basis  of  cal- 
culation in  1847.  The  growth  of  that 
region  far  outstrips  the  wildest  imagina- 
tion of  the  poet,  who  has  said  : — 

“ ‘ A thousand  years  scarce  serve  to  form  a state.’ 

“ We  behold  them  in  our  day  leap- 
ing from  our  western  forests  into  the 
bosom  of  this  confederacy,  almost  be- 
fore we  can  give  them  a ‘ habitation  and 
a name.’  ” 


Emigration — Encampment  for  the  Night. 


Missouri  is  one  of  the  largest 
states  in  the  Union,  covering  an  area 
of  69,100  square  miles;  some  com- 
pute it  as  high  as  70,000.  It  extends 
from  36°  to  40°  30/  north  latitude, 
and  from  11°  4 5'  to  17°  30'  west  lon- 
gitude. To  form  some  idea  of  its 
extent,  we  have  only  to  reflect  that 
the  Mississippi  washes  five  hundred 
miles  of  its  eastern  boundary,  while 
the  Missouri  runs  more  than  five 
hundred  miles  along  its  western  bor- 
through  its-  centre.  It  is 
bounded  north  by  Iowa,  south  by 
Arkansas,  and  west  by  Indian  territory.  The  banks  of  each  of  these  rivers  are 
dotted  all  along  with  towns,  rapidly  growing  into  importance  by  the  commerce  of 
its  waters.  Besides  these  great  highways  of  trade,  there  are  the  Osage,  Gasco- 
nade, and  Grand  rivers,  navigable  for  one  or  two  hundred  miles  within  its  borders.  | 
The  great  prairie,  which  extends  over  Indiana  and  Illinois,  stretches  through  Mis- 
souri on  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  interspersed,  in  this  state,  with  heavy  bodies  of 
timber  along  its  numerous  water-courses.  The  soil,  climate,  and  productions,  are 
like  those  of  most  of  the  western  states. 

Generally,  where  the  country  is  too  rough  and  barren  to  be  cultivated,  there  are 
inexhaustible  mines  of  lead,  copper,  and  iron.  In  connexion  with  these  mineral 
ores,  there  are  vast  beds  of  coal,  the  great  moving  power  of  the  world,  the  indis- 
putable index  of  approaching  greatness.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  within  a 
few  miles  of  the  eastern  border  of  Missouri  is  the  first  place  west  of  Wheeling 
where  this  article  is  found  in  large  bodies.  All  along  the  Missouri,  on  both  sides, 
it  is  found  in  abundance. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 


The  sickness  of  Missouri  is  a promi- 
nent hinderance  to  its  growth.  Although 
there  have  been  prevailing  sicknesses,  the 
number  of  deaths  by  no  means  corre- 
sponds to  the  extent  of  the  disease.  In- 
termittent fever,  the  almost  universal 
form  of  sickness,  is  little  understood  by 
the  scientific,  and  is  cured  by  specifics 
whose  “ modus  operandi”  is  still  shroud- 
ed in  mystery.  Nearly  all  who  emigrate 
to  this  state  have  to  undergo  acclima- 
tion. Congestion  sometimes  supervenes, 
and  the  disease  in  this  stage  often  proves 
fatal.  Young  men  seldom  suffer  from 
this  stage,  unless  they  have  been  very 
imprudent  in  exposing  themselves  to  its 
causes.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is 
often  the'  means  of  removing  chronic 
complaints  and  establishing  the  health 
%)f  the  patient.  And  after  enduring  a 
thorough  seasoning,  they  are  seldom 
attacked  again. 

The  importance  of  Missouri,  from  its 
agricultural  resources,  and  vast  mineral 
wealth,  the  large  population  it  is  calcu- 
lated  to  sustain,  from  its  peculiar  advan- 
tageous commercial  situation,  is  beyond 
calculation.  Situated  at  the  confluence 
of  two  of  the  mightiest  rivers  that  wa- 
ter any  continent,  draining  more  than 
half  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States 
— how  vast  the  resources  of  this  region 
when  peopled  by  teeming  millions ! 
Where  is  the  centre  that  is  to  have  the 
greatest  influence  in  this  great  valley  1 
The  Roman  catholic  bishop  of  St.  Louis 
has  more  ecclesiastics  under  his  control 
than  any  other  in  the  country.  The 
only  university  they  have  within  the 
United  States  is  at  St.  Louis. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  the  southwest 
is  greater  than  many  would  imagine. 
Capital  and  skill,  properly  applied,  will 
develop  resources  of  wealth  undiscovered 
and  now  slumbering  in  unknown  beds. 
It  may  not  be  generally  known  that 
Murphy  and  M'Clurg  have  now  a smelt- 
ing establishment  in  full  and  successful 
operation,  where  they  are  enabled  to 
supply  any  demand  for  lead  which  the 
country  can  possibly  require. 

Lead  abounds  in  various  parts  of  the 
southwest,  but  particularly  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  those  waters  which  are  tributary 
to  White  river.  Much  capital  might  be 


STATE  OF  MISSOURI.  567 


profitably  employed  in  opening  and 
working  these  mines.  But  the  great 
misfortune  is  the  obstruction  in  the  nav- 
igation of  the  rivers.  There  are  the  Os- 
age on  the  north,  White  river  on  the 
southeast,  and  the  Neosho  or  Grand 
river  on  the  west,  draining  an  extensive, 
rich,  and  fertile  country,  with  but  few 
equals  in  mineral  and  agricultural  wealth. 
These  streams,  with  the  improvement 
of  which  they  are  susceptible,  would 
open  an  outlet  to  market  at  seasons  of 
the  year  when  the  more ‘northern  out- 
lets are  closed. 

Missouri  has  increased  rapidly  in  pop- 
ulation, improvements,  and  wealth.  Its 
tobacco,*  which  is  one  of  its  staples,  is 
quoted  at  the  highest  rates  in  the  Euro- 
pean markets.  Hemp  is  an  article  of  in- 
creasing growth  and  of  the  first  quality. 

The  population  of  Missouri  in  1771 
(by  Hutchings),  was  850  ; in  1804  (by 
Stoddard),  10,340  ; in  1810  (including 
Arkansas),  19,833  ; in  1820,  66,586  ; in 
1830,  140,074 ; in  1840,  383,702  ; in 
1850,  684,132. 

Towns  and  cities  along  the  waters  of 
the  Missouri,  above  “ Boone’s  LRk” 
settlement,  are  increasing.  The  state  is 
subdivided  into  101  counties. 

The  River  Missouri. — The  Missouri 
is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  America, 
so  famous  for  the  greatness  of  its  streams. 
Its  principal  branch  rises  in  the  Rocky 
mountains,  in  about  the  latitude  of  forty- 
three  degrees  and  thirty  minutes  north, 
and  the  one  hundred  and  twelfth  degree 
of  western  longitude  : its  head  spring  is 
said  to  be  not  more  than  one  mile  dis- 
tant from* the  source  of  another  great 
river — the  Columbia — which  flows  in  a 
contrary  direction  into  the  Pacific  ocean. 
This  branch  has  been  termed  by  the 
American  travellers,  Captains  Lewis  and 
Clarke  (who  explored  the  whole  course 
of  the  Missouri),  Jefferson's  river, m com- 
pliment to  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  was  then 
president  of  the  United  States  ; and  three 
of  its  tributaries  have,  in  the  same  spirit, 
been  dignified  with  the  appellations  of 
Philosophy,  Philanthropy,  and  Wisdom. 
When  Jefferson’s  river  has  run  a course 
of  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles, 
it  is  joined  by  two  others,  called  Galla- 
tin’s and  Madison’s,  after  the  statesmen 


568 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI 


so  named  ; and  their  united  waters  flow 
together  for  nearly  three  thousand  miles, 
under  the  name  of  Missouri,  until  they 
pour  themselves  into  the  channel  of  the 
Mississippi. 

At  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  from  this  junction — or 
of  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the 
source  of  the  Jefferson  branch — the  river 
escapes  from  among  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, and  loses  the  character  which,  till 
shortly  previous,  it  had  borne  through- 
out, of  a foaming  torrent.  The  spot  at 
which  it  emerges,  is  remarkable  for  the 
sublimity  of  its  scenery;  for  nearly  six 
miles,  precipitous  masses  of  rock  rise 
perpendicularly  from  the  water’s  edge, 
to  the  height  of  nearly  twelve  hundred 
feet.  “ They  are  composed,”  says  the 
official  narrative  of  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
“ of  a black  granite  near  its  base,  but 
from  its  lighter  color  above,  and  from 
its  fragments,  we  suppose  the  upper 
part  to  be  flints  of  a yellowish  brown 
and  cream  color.  Nothing  can  be  ima- 
gined more  tremendous  than  the  frown- 
ing darkness  of  those  rocks,  which  pro- 
ject over  the  river,  and  menace  us  with 
destruction.  The  river,  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  in  width,  seems  to 
have  forced  its  channel  down  this  solid 
mass,  but  so  reluctantly  has  it  given  way, 
that  during  the  whole  distance  the  water 
is  very  deep,  even  at  the  edges,  and  for 
the  first  three  miles  there  is  not  a spot, 
except  one  of  a few  yards,  in  which  a 
man  can  stand  between  the  water  and  the 
towering  perpendicular  of  the  mountain. 
The  convulsion  of  the  passage  must  have 
been  terrible,  since  at  its  outlet  there 
are  vast  columns  of  rock  torn  from  the 
mountain,  which  are  strewed  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  the  trophies,  as  it 
were,  of  the  victory.  Several  fine  springs 
burst  out  from  the  chasms  of  the  rock, 
and  contribute  to  increase  the  river, 
which  has  now  a strong  current ; but 
very  fortunately  we  are  able  to  over- 
come it  with  our  oars,  since  it  would  be 
impossible  to  use  either  the  cord  or  the 
pole.  This  extraordinary  range  of  rocks 
we  called  the  Gates  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.” 

About  one  hundred  and  ten  miles 
from  this  tremeudous  chasm,  the  “ Falls 


of  the  Missouri”  occur;  and  for  the 
space  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  miles,  the 
river  presents  a succession  of  rapids  &nd 
cataracts.  At  the  “ Great  fall,”  as  the 
largest  of  these  is  termed,  it  is  three 
hundred  yards  wide  ; and  for  about  a 
third  of  this  breadth,  the  water  rolls  in 
one  smooth,  even  sheet,  over  a precipice 
of  nearly  ninety  feet  in  height.  The 
remaining  portion  of  the  stream  precipi- 
tates itself  with  a more  rapid  current, 
and  being  broken  in  its  fall  by  project- 
ing rocks,  “ forms  a splendid  prospect 
of  perfectly  white  foam,  two  hundred 
yards  in  length,”  with  “ all  that  glory  of 
refracted  light,  and  everlasting  sound, 
and  infinity  of  motion,  which,”  to  use 
the  words  of  a modern  writer,  “make  a 
great  waterfall  the  most,  magnificent  of 
all  earthly  objects.”  The  fall  which  is< 
next  in  height,  is  perhaps  a more  re- 
markable object  still.  It  extends  com- 
pletely across  the  river,  where  its  width 
is  at  least  a quarter  of  a mile  ; “ the 
whole  Missouri,”  says  the  narrative  of 
Lewis  and  Clarke,  “ is  suddenly  stopped 
by  one  shelving  rock,  without  a single 
niche,  and  with  an  edge  as  straight  and 
regular  as  if  formed  by  art,”  over  which 
the  volume  of  its  waters  is  precipitated 
“ in  one  even,  uninterrupted  sheet,  to 
thef  perpendicular  height  of  fifty  feet, 
whence,  dashing  against  the  rocky  bot- 
tom, it  rushes  rapidly  down,  leaving  be- 
hind it  a spray  of  the  purest  foam.  The 
scene  which  it  presented  was,  indeed, 
singularly  beautiful,  since,  without  any 
of  the  ^v;!d,  irregular  sublimity  of  the 
lower  falls,  it  combined  all  the  regular 
elegances  which  the  fancy  of  a painter 
would  select,  to  form  a beautiful  water- 
fall.” 

From  the  falls  down  to  the  very 
mouth  of  the  Missouri — a distance  of 
more  than  two  thousand  five  hundred 
miles — there  is  no  obstacle  to  the  navi- 
gation of  this  river,  but  what  arises  from 
the  rapidity  of  its  current.  In  this  long 
course,  its  waters  are  increased  by  the 
junction  of  many  other  streams,  both 
great  and  small : among  the  largest  are 
the  Yellow  Stone,  La  F latte,  Kansas, 
and  Osage,  the  first  of  which  is  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty,  and 
the  last  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI. 


569 


miles  above  the  union  with  the  Missis- 
sippi. It  would  be  difficult  to  comprise 
in  any  general  description,  the  charac- 
teristics of  a river  so  extensive  in  its 
course,  and  fed  by  so  many  various 
streams  ; still,  the  Missouri  is  sufficiently 
powerful  to  give  to  all  its  waters  some- 
thing of  a uniform  character — and  one 
extre,mely  remarkable.  Its  prodigious 
length,  its  uncommon  turbidness,  its  im- 
petuous and  wild  character,  and  the  sin- 
gular country  through  which  it  runs,  im- 
part to  it  a natural  grandeur  belonging 
to  the  sublime.  “We  have  never  crossed 
it,”  says  Mr.  Flint,  “without  experien- 
cing a feeling  of  this  sort,  nor  without  a 
stretch  of  the  imagination,  to  trace  it 
along  its  immense  distance,  through  its 
distant  regions,  to  the  lonely  and  stu- 
pendous mountains  from  which  it 
springs.” 

The  Mississippi  is  remarkable  lor  the 
clearness  of  its  waters,  which  are  of  a 
light  blue,  not  unlike  the  hue  of  the  deep 
sea,  or  of  the  Rhone  at  Geneva.  The 
Missouri,  on  the  other  hand,  is  described 
as  being  “ nearly  as  thick  as  pea-soup,” 
and  of  a dirty  muddy-whitish  color.  A 
glassful  of  the  former  appears  as  clear 
as  any  spring-water ; one  of  the  latter 
is  perfectly  turbid,  “ worse  than  the 
rain-puddles  on  a highway-road,”  and  in 
a few  minutes  deposites  a stratum  of 
mud ; yet  this  turbid  water,  according 
to  Mr.  Flint,  after  the  settlement  of  the 
whitish  earth,  which  soon  falls  down,  is 
remarkably  pure,  pleasant,  and  healthy  ; 
and  another  American  geographer  says, 
that  it  is  more  easily  preserved  cool,  and 
fit  to  drink,  than  other  waters  are.  The 
surface  of  the  Mississippi,  above  the 
junction,  is  generally  clear  of  drift-wood, 
while  that  of  the  Missouri  is  all  covered 
with  naif-burnt  logs,  trees  with  their 
branches  torn  off,  and  great  rafts  or 
floating  islands  of  timber,  drifted  from 
the  interior,  sweeping  and  whirling 
along  at  a furious  rate. 

The  Missouri  enters  the  Mississippi 
from  the  westward,  nearly  at  right  an- 
gles to  it ; and  such,  says  Captain  Hall, 
is  the  impetuosity  of  its  current,  that  it 
fairly  divides  the  Mississippi  even  to  the 
left  or  eastern  bank.  “ There  were  lit- 
erally,” he  says,  “not  above  ten  or 

i 


twelve  yards  of  clear  water  on  that  side 
of  the  river,  while  all  the  rest  was  mud- 
dy. The  line  of  actual  contact  was  par- 
ticularly interesting  ; it  seemed  as  if  the 
dirty  Missouri  had  insinuated  itself  un- 
der the  clear  Mississippi,  for  we  saw  it 
boiling  up  at  a hundred  places.  First, 
a small  curdling  white  spot,  not  bigger 
than  a man’s  hand,  made  its  appearance 
near  the  surface;  this  rapidly  swelled 
and  boiled  about,  till,  in  a few  seconds, 
it  suddenly  became  as  large  as  a steam- 
boat, spreading  itself  on  all  sides  in  gi- 
gantic eddies  or  whirlpools,  in  a man- 
ner that  I hardly  know  how  to  describe, 
but  which  was  amazingly  striking.  At 
other  places  the  two  currents  ran  along, 
side  by  side,  without  the  least  intermix- 
ture, like  oil  and  water  ; but  this  sepa- 
ration never  continued  long,  and  the 
contaminating  Missouri  soon  conquered 
the  beautiful  Mississippi — indeed,  the 
stain  is  never  got  rid  of  for  one  moment, 
during  the  twelve  hundred  miles  that 
the  united  stream  runs  over,  before  it 
falls  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico.” 

The  Missouri  carries  down  a great 
quantity  of  sand ; this,  with  the  aid  of 
what  is  derived  from  the  neighboring 
banks,  forms  sand-bars  (as  they  are 
called),  projecting  into  the  river.  By 
forcing  the  stream  toward  the  oppo- 
site bank,  these  sand-bars  aid  materially 
in  the  process  of  undermining  its  loose 
texture,  yet  they  are  themselves  con- 
stantly removing.  Travellers  mention 
an  instance  in  which  this  shifting  char- 
acter was  likely  to  have  produced  seri- 
ous results.  A party  had  encamped 
upon  one  of  these  sand-bars,  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  the  sergeant  on 
| guard  alarmed  them  by  crying  that  it 
was  sinking.  “We  jumped  up,”  say 
they,  “ and  found  that  . both  above  and 
below  our  camp  the  sand  was  under- 
mined and  falling  in  very  fast;  we  had 
scarcely  got  into  the  boats  and  pushe  l 
off,  when  the  bank  under  which  we  had 
been  lying  fell  in,  and  would  certainly 
have  sunk  the  two  perioques  (open 
oared  boats),  if  they  had  remained  there. 
By  the  time  we  reached  the  opposite  | 
shore,  the  ground  of  our  encampment  > 
sunk  also.”  This  incident  occurred  as 
they  were  making  the  circuit  of  the 


570 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI. 


Great  Bend.  From  the  shifting  of  these 
sand-bars  the  bed  of  the  Missouri  is  con- 
stantly changing;  a chart  of  the  river  as 
it'  runs  this  year,  says  Mr.  Flint,  gives 
little  ground  for  calculation  in  naviga- 
ting it  the  next.  The  change,  however, 
is  not  confined  to  its  bed;  the  rapid  and 
sweeping  current  of  this  river  is  con- 
stantly undermining  its  banks,  large 
masses  of  which  frequently  fall  in.  The 
soil  through  which  it  flows  is  of  a very 
loose  texture,  and  the  waters  are  per- 
petually scooping  away  the  banks  at  one 
place,  and  depositing  mud  and  drift- 
wood at  others.  , Lewis  and  Clarke 
mention  two  spots,  at  some  distance 
lower  down  than  the  junction  with  the 
Platte,  at  which  a portion  of  the  cliff  or 
hill,  in  each  instance  nearly  three  quar- 
ters of  a mile  in  length,  and  in  one  two 
hundred  feet  in  height,  had  fallen  com- 
pletely into  the  stream.  “ We  reach,” 
they  say,  in  another  passage,  “ a very 
narrow  part  of  the  river,  where  the 
channel  is  confined  within  a space  of 
two  hundred  yards,  by  a sand  point  on 
the  north  and  a bend  on  the  south,  the 
banks  in  the  neighborhood  washing 
away,  the  trees  falling  in,  and  the  chan- 
nel filled  with  buried  logs.”  Only  a 
short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri,  as  they  were  passing  near  the 
southern  shore,  the  bank  fell  in  so  fast 
as  to  oblige  them  to  cross  the  river  in- 
stantly, between  the  northern  side  and 
a sand-bar  which  was  continually  mo- 
ving with  the  violence  of  the  current; 
the  boat  struck  on  it,  and  would  have 
upset  immediately,  if  the  men  had  not 
jumped  into  the  water  and  held  her  till 
the  sand  washed  from  under  her. 

It  has  been  contended  by  some,  that 
from  the  length  of  the  Missouri,  the  vol- 
ume of  its  waters,  and  the  circumstance 
of  its  communicating  its  own  character 
in  every  respect,  to  the  Mississippi  be- 
low the  junction,  it  ought  to  be  consid- 
ered as  the  main  river,  and  to  impart  its 
name  to  the  united  stream  during  its 
course  to  the  sea.  Malte  Brun  states  it 
to  be  now  known  that  the  Missouri  is 
the  principal  branch,  and  has  the  better 
claim  to  the  magnificent  title  of  “Father 
of  Waters,”  which  the  Indians  have 
conferred  upon  the  smaller  one  ; and 


Balbi,  a still  more  recent  authority,  has 
a similar  remark.  An  American  geog- 
rapher, however,  Mr.  T.  Flint,  remarks, 
in  opposition  to  this  claim,  that  the 
valley  of  the  Missouri  seems  in  the 
grand  scale  of  conformation  to  be  sec- 
ondary to  the  Mississippi — that  the  Mis- 
souri has  not  the  general  direction  of  the 
lower  portion  of  the  Mississippi,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  joins  it  at  nearly  right  an- 
gles that  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
is  wider  than  that  of  the  Missouri,  and 
the  river  broader — and  that  the  course 
of  the  river,  and  the  direction  of  the  val- 
ley, are  the  same  above  and  below  the 
junction.  “From  these,”  he  says,  “ and 
many  other  considerations,  the  ‘ Father 
of  Waters’  seems  fairly  entitled  to  his 
name.”  Captain  Hall  also  supports  the 
claim  of  the  more  direct  river  of  the 
two,  to  give  its  name  to  the  joint  cur- 
rent. 

Missouri  has  every  description  of  soil 
and  of  surface,  from  mountainous  and 
rocky  ridges,  dense  and  rolling  forests, 
beautiful  undulating  prairies,  extensive 
tracts  of  inferior  rugged  soil,  and  low 
inundated  swamps.  Extensive  districts 
in  the  counties  of  Jefferson,  Franklin, 
Washington,  St.  Francis,  Madison,  Craw- 
ford, and  the  adjacent  regions,  are  vast 
mineral  regions,  and  abound  in  lead, 
iron,  copper,  and  a variety  of  other 
minerals. 

St.  Genevieve  is  the  oldest  town  and 
permanent  settlement  in  Missouri.  The 
village  church  was  situated  two  miles 
from  the  river  (with  its  extensive  “ com- 
mon field”  of  several  thousand  acres  in 
front  ori  the. river,  extending  along  its 
rich  bottom  land),  and  was  commenced 
about  1754.  On  the  arrival  of  Laclede, 
in  1763,  “it  was  a town  of  some  note,” 
and  the  point  to  which  the  lead  was 
brought  from  the  mines  in  the  interior 
on  deposite.  The  landing  on  the  river 
was  at  a rocky  bluff  two  miles  above. 

The  lead  mines  of  Missouri  were  dis- 
covered by  Philip  Francis  Renault  and 
M.  de  la  Motte,  agents  under  a branch 
of  the  “Company  of  the  West.”  La 
Motte  discovered  the  mines  that  go  by 
his  name,  on  the  waters  of  the  St.  Fran- 
cis. Renault  left  France  in  1719,  with 
two  hundred  artificers  and  miners,  to  ex- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI.  571 

plore  the  Illinois,  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
try on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi. 

Jefferson  City,  the  capital  of  the 
state,  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Missouri  river,  on  elevated  and  uneven 
ground,  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
miles  from  St.  Louis.  It  contains  the 
statehouse,  penitentiary,  an  academy, 
and  about  four  thousand  inhabitants. 

Government. — The  constitution  of 
this  state  was  formed  by  a convention 
at  St.  Louis,  in  June,  1820.  • In  Janua- 
ry, 1846,  a new  constitution  was  formed 
by  a state  convention  at  Jefferson  ; which 
was  submitted  to  the  people  on  the  first 
Monday  of  August  in  the  latter  year,  and 
rejected.  The  constitulion  adopted  in 
1S20,  is  therefore  still  in  force,  and  the 
outlines  thereof  are  as  follows  : — 

The  legislative  power  is  vested  in  a 
senate  and  house  of  representatives, 
styled  together  the  General  Assembly. 
The  senators,  in  number  not  fewer  than 
fourteen, nor  more  than  thirty-three, shall 
be  thirty  years  old,  have  the  qualifica- 
tion of  representatives,  be  inhabitants  of 
the  state  for  four  years,  and  shall  be 
chosen  by  districts,  for  four  years,  one 
half  every  second  year.  The  represent- 
atives, in  number  not  more  than  one 
hundred,  shall  be  chosen  in  counties 
every  second  year;  they  must  be  free 
white  male  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
twenty-four  years  old,  inhabitants  of  the 
state  for  two  years  and  of  the  county  for 
one  year  next  before  the  election.  Ev- 
ery free  white  male  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  twenty-one  years  old,  resident  in 
the  state  one  year  before  the  election, 
'and  three  months  in  the  place  where  he 
offers  his  vote,  may  vote  at  elections. 

The  elections  are  held  biennially,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  August.  The  legis- 
lature. meets  every  second  year,  on  the 
first  Monday  in  November,  at  the  city 
of  Jefferson. 

The  executive  power  is  vested  in  a 
governor,  who  is  elected  by  the  people, 
for  a term  of  four  years,  and  is  ineligible 
for  the  next  four  years.  A lieutenant- 
governor  is  also  chosen,  for  the  same 
term,  who  is,  ex  officio,  president  of 
the  senate.  They  must  be  thirty-five 
years  old,  natives  of  the  United  States, 
or  citizens  thereof  at  the  adoption  of  the 

constitution.  The  governor  may  veto  a 
bill,  but  a majority  of  both  houses  may 
pass  it,  notwithstanding  his  veto.  If  the 
office  of  governor  be  vacant,  it  shall  be 
filled  by  the  lieutenant-governor,  and 
after  him  by  the  president  of  the  senate 
pro  tem. 

The  supreme  court  consists  of  three 
judges,  appointed  by  the  governor  and 
senale,  and  has  appellate  jurisdiction 
only.  Circuit  courts  have  exclusive 
criminal  jurisdiction,  unless  deprived  of 
it  by  law,  and  hear  all  civil  cases  not 
cognizable  by  a justice  of  the  peace. 
The  equity  jurisdiction  is  divided  be- 
tween the  circuit  and  supreme  courts. 
Judges  of  the  supreme  court  must  be 
thirty  years  old,  may  hold  office  until 
sixty-five,  and  may  be  removed  upon 
address  of  two  thirds  of  both  house^of 
the  legislature. 

One  bank,  and  no  more,  may  be  es- 
tablished, with  not  more  than  five  branch- 
es, and  a toial  capital  of  not  more  than 
five  millions  of  dollars,  one  half,  at  least, 
reserved  to  the  state. 

The  general  assembly,  by  a vote  of 
two  thirds  of  the  members,  may  propose 
amendments  to  the  constitution,  and  if, 
at  the  first  session  thereafter,  they  are 
confirmed  by  a vote  of  two  thirds  of  the 
membets,  they  become  part  of  the  con- 
stitution. 

St.  Louis  was  founded  by  Laclede, 
Maxam,  & Co.,  Feb.  15,  1764.  Laclede 
obtained  from  M.  D’Abadie,  “ director- 
general,  and  civil  and  military  com- 
mandant of  the  province  of  Louisiana,” 
under  the  French  government,  a grant, 
in  1762,  for  the  exclusive  privilege  to 
trade  with  the  Indians  in  Missouri,  and 
those  west  of  the  Mississippi  above  the 
Missouri,  as  far  north  as  the  St.  Peter’s. 
He  fitted  out  an  expedition  and  started 
from  New  Orleans  August  3,  1763,  and 
on  the  third  day  of  November,  after  a 
three  months’  voyage  in  keel-boats, 
reached  St.  Genevieve.  He  proceeded 
to  Fort  Chartres,  stored  his  goods,  and 
remained  for  the  winter  in  that  vicinity. 
Laclede  was  associated  with  Madame 
Choteau,  the  wife  of  a Frenchman  in 
New  Orleans,  and  had  her  two  sons, 
Auguste  and  Pierre,  young  lads,  with 
him.  In  February,  1764,  Laclede  with 

the  young  Choteaus  and  others,  started 
to  search  out  a spot  for  their  projected 
trading  post.  St.  Louis,  eighteen  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  was 
the  spot  selected  and  named.  Several 
families  of  Cahokia  accompanied  La- 
clede. The  first  trading-house  and  cab- 
ins were  erected  near  the  river,  on  the 
spot  of  the  centre  market-house.  A skirt 
of  timber,  tall  oaks  without  under-brush, 
beautiful  as  an  English  park,  skirted  the 
river,  while  immediaiely  in  the  rear  an 
undulating  prairie  extended  into  the 
country  for  ten  miles.  The  soil  at  the 
river  was  based  on  stra:ified  limestone, 
forming  a rock  formation  for  four  miles 
in  extent.  The  ground  ascended  in  a 
gradual  slope  for  three  or  four  hun- 
dred yards;  when  at  an  elevation  of 
sixty  or  eighty  feet,  it  continued  in  an 
undulating  form  for  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
into  the  interior.  Springs  broke  out  in 
various  places,  affording  delicious  wa- 
ter. Nature  never  formed  a plateau  of 
ground  more  admirably  adapted  to  the 
site  of  an  immense  city.  The  river  op- 
posite, now  one  and  one  third  of  a mile 
in  width,  from  the  washing  away  of  the 
deep  alluvion  that  forms  the  Illinois 
shore,  was  then  so  narrow  that  persons 
could  be  heard  distinctly  from  bank  to 
bank.  Such  was  the  site  of  St.  Louis 
eighty-seven  years  gone  by.  Pierre 
Choteau,  one  of  the  boys  who  accom- 
panied Laclede,  was  still  living,  and  at 
the  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years, 
presided  at  the  great  meeting  held  in 
February,  1847,  in  honor  of  the  found- 
ing of  the  city. 

The  transfer  of  the  Illinois  country 
from  the  French  to  the  British  govern- 
ment, by  the  treaty  of  1763,  which  was 
consummated  by  a change  of  govern- 
ment in  1765,  caused  many  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia,  and 
Fort  Chartres,  to  remove  to  the  new 
village  west  of  the  great  river.  A secret 
treaty  had  conveyed  Louisiana  to  Spain, 
but  a transfer  of  government  did  not 
take  place  till  1769.  During  this  time 
St.  Louis  grew  fast. 

In  April,  1785,  the  Mississippi  rose 
to  the  height"  of  thirty  feet  above  the 
highest  water  mark  then  known,  over- 
flowed the  whole  of  the  American  bot- 


tom, deluged  the  villages  of  Cahokia  and 
Kaskaskia,  destroyed  a considerable  por- 
tion of  the  walls  of  Fort  Chartres,  and 
was  never  equalled  except  by  the  great 
flood  of  1844.  St.  Louis  (except  at  the 
landing)  is  at  least  fifty  feet  above  these 
highest  floods.  The  year  1785  is  styled 
by  the  old  French  people.  “ L' Annee  des 
grandes  eaux”— the  year  of  the  great 
waters. 

From  1769,  or  rather  1770,  St.  Louis, 
with  the  whole  province  of  upper  and 
lower  Louisiana,  was  under  the  govern- 
ment of  Spain,  though  French  customs, 
language,  and  population,  prevailed. 

By  the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso,  Octo- 
ber 1,  1800,  under  stipulated  conditions, 
Spain  retroceded  Louisiana  to  France, 
and  in  December  following,  the  transfer 
was  made  by  the  proclamation  of  M. 
Laussat.  April  30,  1803,  Louisiana  was 
sold  by  the  French  government  to  the 
United  States,  for  fifteen  millions  of  dol- 
lars, and  on  the  ninth  of  March,  1804, 
Major  Amos  Stoddard  took  possession 
of  Upper  Louisiana,  and  hoisted  the 
American  flag  at  St.  Louis. 

The  first  newspaper  printed  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  was  ihe  “Missouri  Ga- 
zette,” by  ihe  late  Joseph  Chaross.  It 
was  on  a sheet  of  “ cap”  paper,  and 
dated  July  12,  1808.  A book  of  laws 
of  the  territory  was  printed  the  same 
year.  The  Missouri  Gazette  was  the 
progenitor  of  the  Missouri  Republican, 
now  published  daily,  tri-weekly,  and 
weekly. 

The  second  paper  was  staited  by  a 
company  of  gentlemen  in  1815.  It  was 
called  “ The  Western  Emigrant,”  and 
in  1818,  the  St.  Louis  Enquirer,  and  for 
several  years  edited  by  Colonel  Thomas 
H.  Benton,  late  of  the  United  States 
senate. 

The  first  steamboat  that  ever  ascend- 
ed the  Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio,  and  reached  St.  Louis,  was  a 
small  boat  called  the  “ General  Pike,” 
which  reached  St.  Louis,  August  2,  1S17, 
commanded  by  Captain  Jacob  Reed. 
The  second  steamboat  was  the  “ Con- 
stitution,” commanded  by  Captain  R. 
P.  Guyard,  which  arrived  October  3d, 
the  same  year. 

The  “ Western  Engineer,”  a keel- 


View  of  St.  Louia. 


574 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI. 


boat  with  a steam-engine  and  stern- 
wheel,  was  the  first  steamboat  to  ascend 
the  Missouri  river,  in*  April,  1819.  It 
accompanied  the  scientific  expedition 
under  Major  S.  H.  Long.  The  next 
steamboat  that  ascended  the  Missouri 
was  the  “Independence,”  Captain  Nel- 
son, that  reached.Frauklin,  in  the  Boon’s 
Lick  country,  May  19,  1819.  This  was 
followed  by  the  “ Calhoun,”  and  the 
“ President,”  two  other  steamers,  which 
attempted  to  take  troops  and  military 
stores  to  the  “ Council  Bluffs,”  estab- 
lished that  year.  Neither  boat  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Kansas. 

A voyage  from  New  Orleans  to  St. 
Louis  in  keel-boats,  before  the  introduc- 
tion of  steam,  was  from  three  to  four 
months.  In  1S19,  a voyage  by  steam- 
boats wTas  from  twemy-five  to  thirty 
days.  Of  late  it  has  been  run  in  less 
than  four  days! — usually  from  six  to 
ten  days. 

The  city  of  St.  Louis  is  the  base  of 
navigation  of  all  the  upper  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries,  the  Missouri  and  its 
tributaries,  and  the  head  of  navigation 
for  the  larger  boats  from  the  Ohio  and 
the  lower  Mississippi.  Here  are  now 
concentrated  the  trade  of  ihe  upper  Mis- 
sissippi, the  Missouri,  and  the  Illinois 
rivers,  and  a large  portion  of  that  of  the 
Ohio  and  the  lower  Mississippi.  From 
a mere  fur-trader’s  post,  it  has  grown 
to  be  the  second  commercial  city  in  the 
great  central  valley.  It  is  now  the 
greatest  steamboat  port,  next  to  New  Or- 
leans, in  the  world.  In  capital,  com- 
merce, and  active  business,  it  is  in  ad- 
vance of  any  city  on  the  Ohio  river. 

The  government  business,  and  various 
extra  bl  anches  of  trade  in  St.  Louis,  are 
greater  than  in  any  other  city  in  the  Uni- 
ted States — as  the  military  and  contract 
department — the  Indian  agency  business 
— the  Indian  and  Spanish  trade  (before 
the  war) — the  trapping  business  to  the 
Bocky  mountains — the  fur  trade,  &c.,  See. 

The  United  States  government  has  an 
arsenal  two  miles  south  of  the  city,  which 
consists  of  stone  buildings  and  extensive 
stone  walls,  of  great  value  and  durability. 
Jefferson  barracks  are  twelve  miles  south 
of  the  city,  and  constantly  occupied  by 
United  States  troops  whether  in  war  or 


peace,  capable  of  accommodating  two 
regiments.  The  two  comprise  a govern- 
ment property  equal  to  $1,750,000,  and 
the  permanent  improvements  are  on  the 
increase  and  will  be  for  many  years  to 
come,  as  from  this  point  all  the  military 
stores  and  forces  must  go  out  to  the 
wide  regions  of  the  west,  southwest,  and 
northwest.  During  the  Mexican  war, 
there  were  manufactured  at  the  arsenal, 
gunpowder,  munitions,  and  other  ord- 
nance stores,  amounting  to  over  twelve 
hundred  tons,  and  at  a cost  of  several 
millions  of  dollars;  between  four  hun- 
dred and  five  hundred  tons  of  shells  and 
shot — about  seven  millions  of  cartridges 
for  small  arms;  all  which  furnished  em- 
ployment to  about  six  hundred  hands. 

St.  Louis  has  a United  States  sub- 
treasury, superintendency  of  Indian  af- 
fairs, surveyor-general’s  office,  and  cus- 
tomhouse, and  is  the  general  military 
depot  for  all  the  vast  region  of  the  west. 

Population. — On  this  subject  there 
has  been  a most  serious  mistake  in  all 
the  published  statistics  since  1840.  At 
that  time  the  chartered  limits  of  the  city 
did  not  extend  over  one  third  of  its 
■present  area.  Nearly  half  of  the  popu- 
lation lived  out  of  the  chartered  limits, 
.and  the  population  of  this  portion,  in 
the  United  States  census,  w,as  placed 
under  the  head  of  the  county.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  chartered  limits  was  only 
16,469 — but  the  population  then  within 
the  present  chartered  limits  would  have 
equalled  26,000. 


The  following  table  shows  the  popu 
lation  at  various  periods  : — 

Year. 

Pop  n. 

Year. 

Pop’n. 

1804, 

800 

1835, 

10,500 

1S10, 

1,400 

1837, 

15,300 

1S15, 

1,800 

1840, 

26,000 

1S20, 

4,598 

1844, 

34,140 

182S, 

5,000 

1845, 

36,255 

1830, 

5,853 

1846, 

47,833 

1833, 

.8,397 

1850, 

82,744 

The  discrepancies  between  the  year 
1840  and  the  United  States  census  are 
explained  above.  The  number  for  1S50, 
is  by  the  United  States  census. 

Lots  in  the  business  part  of  the  city 
sell  from  $300  to  $500  per  linear  foot, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI.  575 


in  front — toward  the  suburbs,  from  $5 
to  $60  per  linear  foot. 

There  are  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
about  fifty  churches,  a courthouse,  two 
hospitals,  two  orphan  asylums,  several 
brass  and  iron  foundries,  two  universities, 
two  medical  colleges,  many  splendid 
hotels  (one  of  which,  the  “ Planter’s 
blouse,”  is  not  exceeded  by  any  in  the 
United  States),  and  public  and  private 
schools  and  academies.  And  here  we 
may  incidentally  remark,  that  its  public 
schools  are  hardly  exceeded  by  those  of 
any  city  in  the  Union.  Among  the 
public  buildings  the  catholic  cathedral, 
with  a fine  peal  of  six  bells,  and  the  court- 
house, are  the  most  noticeable.  There 
are  also  in  the  city  an  elegant  theatre 
and  a concerr-hall. 

The  courthouse,  though  incomplete, 
is  not  exceeded  in  the  west,  and  is  situ- 
ated on  the  most  elevated  ground,  and 
commands  one  of  the  finest  prospects, 
from  its  immense  cupola.  The  city  is 
supplied  with  water  from  the  river,  which 
is  elevated  by  steam  to  a reservoir  con- 
structed on  an  immense  ancient  mound, 
and  situated  above  the  highest  build- 
ings ; and  should  its  population  (destined 
as  it  is,  to  become  one  of  the  largest  cit- 
ies in  the  United  States)  require  it,  Mer- 
itnac  river,  larger  than  four  Croton  riv- 
ers, of  pure,  delicious  water,  can  be 
brought  from  the  distance  of  twenty 
miles,  to  an  unlimited  extent,  for  all 
purposes,  including  that  of  manufactures, 
on  an  immense  scale. 

There  is  a floating  dock,  and  a rail- 
way for  the  repair  of  steamboats.  From 
forty  to  fifty  steamboats  are  daily  moored 
to  the  wharves,  and  many  of  them  of 
the  largest  size. 

Edina,  the  county  seat  of  Knox  coun- 
ty, is  located  in  a rich  and  beautiful 
section  of  country,  about  forty  miles 
from  Tully  and  Canton. 

Memphis,  the  county  seat  of  Scotland 
county,  is  one  of  the  loveliest  locations 
for  an  inland  town  in  Missouri.  It  is 
located  in  a rich  prairie,  surrounded 
by  beautiful  groves  of  forest  trees,  the 
most  attractiT#j  of  which  is  a while-oak 
in  the  town,  the  top  of  which  resembles 
in  shape  the  top  of  an  umbrella : it  is 
not  high,  and  the  top  measures  up- 


ward of  three  hundred  feet  in  circum- 
ference. 

Bethel,  is  the  name  of  a village  five 
or  six  miles  north  of  Shelbyville,  in 
Shelby  county.  It  is  located  on  North 
river,  and  populated  by  a body  of  Ger- 
mans, who  live  together  on  the  common 
stock  system.  They  have  a splendid 
steam-mill  in  operation  (which  grinds 
and  saws  extensively),  a tanyard,  and 
workshops  of  various  kinds  ; the  build- 
ings are  neat,  and  comfortably  ar- 
ranged. 

They  have  a farm  of  several  hundred 
acres  in  a superior  state  of  cultivation. 
The  body  consists  of  several  hundred 
persons,  all  Germans,  who  appear  to  be 
comfortable  and  happy. 

Tully  and  Canton.  — These  two 
towns  are  located  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  about  forty  miles  above 
Hannibal,  in  a beautiful  prairie  bottom, 
three  quarters  of  a ifiile  in  width,  and 
rich  beyond  description.  They  are 
within  half  a mile  of  each  other.  Six  or 
eight  counties  in  Missouri,  and  a large 
scope  of  country  on  the  Illinois  side  of 
the  river,  trade  at  that  point. 

St. Charles,  twenty  miles  west  from 
St.  Louis,  occupies  a commanding  situa- 
tion, on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missouri,  at 
a place  where  a rocky  shore  gives  place 
to  a low  alluvial  region  just  below.  The 
appearance  of  the  town  from  the  water 
is  imposing,  as  it  extends  about  a mile 
and  a half  along  the  bank  of  the  river. 
The  principal  buildings  are  the  court- 
house, market,  nunnery,  and  two  church- 
es. The  population  amounts  to  about 
1,000.  Stage-coaches  start  every  day  for 
St.  Louis  and  Jefferson  City,  and  three 
times  a week  for  Burlington,  Illinois, 
through  New  London. 

St.  Charles  College. — This  is  a meth- 
odist  institution,  founded  in  1839.  It 
has  about  one  hundred  students. 

Palmyra,  eight  miles  from  Missouri 
river,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
miles  distant  from  St.  Louis,  and  has 
1,200  inhabitants.  There  are  three 
churches,  built  of  brick,,  a courthouse, 
and  a land  office.  Stage-coaches  go  to 
St.  Louis  three  times  a week. 

Masonic  colleger  an  institution  found- 
ed in  1831.  It  is  situated  twelve  miles 


576  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI. 


frim  Palmyra,  and  has  about  fifty  stu- 
dents. 

Fulton. — This  town  stands  on  Ri- 
viere aux  Vases,  twenty-two  miles  east 
of  Jefferson  City,  and  twelve  north  of 
the  Missouri.  It  has  about  800  inhab- 
itants, with  two  academies,  two  churches, 
and  a courthouse. 

Columbia  is  a town  of  about  2,000 
inhabitants,  on  a branch  of  the  Missouri. 

Missouri  university  situated  in  Co- 
lumbia, was  founded  in  1840,  and  has 
three  professors  and  about  fifty  students. 

Boone  ville,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  miles  from  St.  Louis,  is  situated 
on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri,  on  a founda- 
tion of  limestone  rock,  and  contains  a 
population  of  about  1,800.  Cattle  and 
provisions  are  here  supplied  in  consid- 
erable quantities,  and  the  trade  of  the 
place  is  active.  A communication  by 
land  with  Jefferson  City,  Independence, 
and  Columbia,  is’ maintained  by  stage- 
coaches, which  run  three  times  a week. 

Glasgow. — This  town,  situated  one 
hundred  and  seventy-two  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  contains  800  inhabitants,  several 
large  stores,  and  two  churches. 

Independence,  six  miles  distant  from 
the  Missouri,  is  two  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-two from  St.  Louis,  and  contains 
about  900  inhabitants.  The  place  is 
important  as  the  point  from  which  the 
overland  emigrants  to  California  start, 
with  their  long  trains  of  wagons.  Of 
course  it  is  often  the  scene  of  much 
business. 

Liberty  is  a town  about  three  times 
the  size  of  Independence,  two  hundred 
and  seventy-six  miles  from  St.  Louis. 
It  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri, 
and  has  five  churches,  a courthouse,  and 
two  academies.  Daily  coaches  run  to 
St.  Louis,  passing  through  Glasgpw, 
Columbia,  and  Fulton.  Others  go  three 
times  b,  week  to  St.  Joseph. 

St.  Joseph,  four  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-eight miles  from  St.  Louis,  contains 
2,000  inhabitants,  and  is  a place  of  con- 
siderable trade,  with  large  storehouses, 
&c.  It  stands  on  the  Missouri,  and, 
like  the  other  towns  so  situated,  is  vis- 
ited by  steamboats. 

The  town  commences  at  the  foot  of  a 
high  bluff,  just  at  the  upper  extremity  of  j 


the  Seven-mile  prairie  bottom,  which 
lies  between  the  range  of  the  “ Black 
Snake  hills”  and  the  river.  One  of  the 
said  ranges  of  hills  lies  in  about  the 
centre  of  the  town  plat,  and  is  about 
seventy-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
river.  They  are  mostly  destitute  of 
trees,  but  covered  with  grass.  From 
their  base  gushes  forth  the  purest  water. 
The  country  around  this  thriving  village 
is  equal  to  any  in  Missouri. 

Springfield,  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  miles  from  St.  Louis,  stands  on 
the  head  streams  of  James’s  fork  of 
White  river.  The  population  is  about 
500.  There  is  a land-office  here. 

Cape  Girardeau,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-four  miles  below  St.  Louis,  is  one 
of  the  river  towns,  standing  on  the  right 
bank  of'the  Missouri. 

St.  Mary's  college , founded  here  in 
1830,  has  five  professors,  and  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  volumes  in  its 
libraries.  The  commencement  is  held 
on  the  last  Thursday  of  August. 

New  Madrid,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Missouri,  is  two  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  miles  below  St.  Louis,  at  a bend 
of  the  river,  where  the  ground  is  eleva- 
ted, but  gradually  undermined  by  the 
stream.  The  population  is  about  800. 
By  land,  a stage  communication  is  kept 
up  three  times  a week  with  Cape  Gi- 
rardeau. 

Hannibal. — This  place  is  situated 
north  of  St.  Louis,  at  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  miles,  and  con- 
tains several  manufactories,  as  well  as 
stores,  of  considerable  size,  and  a popu- 
lation of  1,20(. 

Potosi  is  another  small  but  busy 
town,  lower  down,  sixty-seven  miles 
from  St.  Louis.  It  stands  in  the  rich 
mining  district  in  that  part  of  the  state, 
and  an  active  business  is  done  in  iron, 
lead,  and  copper.  It  has  900  inhabitants, 
with  four  churches,  &c. 

Lexington,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  miles  from  Jefferson  City,  is  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Missouri,  and  has  about 
2,000  inhabitants.  There  are  three 
churches,  a land-office,  anc^an  academy. 
Stage-coaches  start  three  times  a week 
for  St.  Louis,  passing  through  Jefferson 
City. 


...  — - ■'  " -=7t 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI.  577  I 


Bujjalocs  and  Elks. — The  accompa- 
nying engraving  affprds  a fine  view  of 
such  a scene  as  is  very  common  on  our 
extensive  uninhabited  western  regions. 
Extending  his  migrations  to  the  north- 
ward, as  the  summer  advances,  the  buf- 
falo (or  bison,  as  he  is  more  correctly 
named)  passes  successfully  over  the 
hunting-grounds  of  several  different  na- 
tions of  Indians,  all  on  the  alert  to  dis- 
cover, pursue,  and  slaughter  him  for  his 
valuable  skin,  as  well  as  to  make  food 
of  his  flesh. 

The  buffalo  is  a very  timid  animal, 
and  shuns  the  vicinity  of  man  with  the 
keenest  sagacity;  yet,  when  overtaken, 
and  harassed  or  wounded,  turns  upon 
its  assailants  with  the  utmost  fury,  who 
have  only  to  seek  safety  in  flight.  In 
their  desperate  resistance  the  finest  hor- 
ses are  often  destroyed  ; but  the  Indian, 
with  his  superior  sagacity  and  dexterity, 
generally  finds  some  effective  mode  of 
escape. 

During  the  season  of  the  year  while 
the  calves  are  young,  the  male  seems  to 
stroll  about  by  the  side  of  the  dam,  as 
if  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the 
young,  at  which  time  it  is  exceedingly 
hazardous  to  attack  them,  as  they  are 
sure  to  turn  upon  their  pursuers,  who 
often  have  to  fly  to  each  other’s  assist- 
ance. The  buffalo-calf,  during  the  first 
six  months,  is  red,  and  has  so  much  the 
appearance  of  a red  calf  in  cultivated 
fields,  that  it  could  easily  be  mingled 
and  mistaken  among  them.  In  the  fall, 
when  it  changes  its  hair,  it  takes  a 
brown  coat  for  the  winter,  which  it  al- 
ways retains.  In  pursuing  a large  herd 
of  buffaloes  at  the  season  when  their 
calves  are  but  a few  weeks  old,  the 
hunter  is  often  exceedingly  amused  with 
the  curious  manoeuvres  of  these  shy  lit- 
tle things.  Amid  the  thundering  con- 
fusion of  a throng  of  several  hundreds  or 
several  thousands  of  these  animals,  there 
will  be  many  of  the  calves  that  lose  sight 
of  their  dams,  and  being  left  behind  by 
the  throng  and  the  swift-passing  hunters, 
they  endeavor  to  secrete  themselves, 
when  they  are  exceedingly  put  to  it  on 
a level  prairie,  where  naught  can  be 
seen  but  the  short  grass  of  six  or  eight 
inches  in  height,  save  an  occasional  bunch 


of  wild  sage,  a few  inches  higher,  to 
which  the  poor  affrighted  things  will  run, 
and,  dropping  on  their  knees,  will  push 
their  noses  under  it,  and  into  the  grass, 
where  they  will  stand  for  hours,  with 
their  eyes  shut,  imagining  themselves 
securely  hid,  while  they  are  standing  up 
quite  straight  upon  their  hind  feet,  and 
can  easily  be  seen  at  several  miles’  dis- 
tance. It  is  a familiar  amusement  for 
those  accustomed  to  these  scenes,  to  re- 
treat back  over  the  ground  where  they 
have  just  escorted  the  herd,  and  ap- 
proach these  little  trembling  things, 
which  stubbornly  maintain  their  posi- 
tions, with  their  noses  pushed  under  the 
grass,  and  their  eyes  strained  upon  their 
pursuers,  as  they  dismount  from  their 
horses  and  pass  around  them.  From  thft 
fixed  position  they  are  sure  not  to  move 
until  hands  are  placed  upon  them,  and 
then  for  the  shins  of  a novice  we  can 
extend  our  sympathy  ; for  if  he  can  pre- 
serve the  skin  on  his  bones  from  the 
furious  buttings  of  its  head,  we  know 
how  to  congratulate  him  on  his  signal 
success  and  good  luck.  In  these  des- 
perate struggles,  for  a moment,  the  lit- 
tle thing  is  conquered,  and  makes  no 
further  resistance.  “ I have  often,”  says 
a writer,  “in  concurrence  with  a known 
custom  of  the  country,  held  my  hands 
over  the  eyes  of  the  calf,  and  breathed 
a few  strong  breaths  into  his  nostrils; 
after  which  1 have,  with  my  hunting 
companions,  rode  several  miles  to  our 
encampment,  with  the  little  prisoner 
busily  following  the  heels  of  my  horse 
the  whole  way,  as  closely  and  as  affec- 
tionately as  its  instinct  would  attach  it 
to  the  company  of  its  dam.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  things  that  I 
have  met  with  in  the  habits  of  this  wild 
country.” 

The  elk  was  one  of  the  most  useful 
animals  to  the  Indians,  in  those  regions 
where  it  abounds.  It  is  a large,  and 
sometimes  a rather  formidable  animal, 
though  its  first  impulse  is  to  escape, 
when  it  discovers  the  approach  of  man. 
Elks  abounded  in  New  England  at  the 
first  settlement ; and  they  have  been 
hunted  within  half  a century,  or  a little 
more,  among  the  White  hills  of  New 
Hampshire.  It  is  the  largest  of  the 


deer  tribe ; but  fossil  animals  of  the 
kind,  found  in  the  earth  in  several  pla- 
ces in  Europe,  far  exceed  it  in  size. 
The  form  is  far  from  graceful,  and  the 
gait  in  running  is  remarkably  awkward, 
owing,  apparently,  to  the  great  weight 
of  the  horns.  The  head  is  carried  in  a 
horizontal  position,  the  neck  is  stretched 
out  straight  forward,  and  the  pace  or 
trot  throws  the  body  from  side  to  side 
with  a rolling  motion.  When  brought 
to  bay,  it  sometimes  makes  dangerous 
blows  with  its  heavy  and  projecting 
horns. 

The  flesh  of  the  elk  is  esteemed  for 
food,  but  is  less  common  in  the  west 
than  buffalo  meat. 

Huntwtg  the  Buffalo. — There  are  sev- 
eral modes  and  several  different  weap- 
ons by  which  the  buffalo  is  slain  by  the 
Indians  of  different  tribes,  and  at  differ- 
ent seasons.  The  gun  is  not,  however, 
preferred,  so  generally,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, nor  so  extensively  adopted  as  it 
might  be.  Several  of  the  nations  in  the 
western  plains  are  excellent  bowmen, 
and  are  furnished  with  bows  and  arrows, 
which  serve  them  admirably  against 
these  swift  and  powerful  animals.  It 
is  a well-established  fact,  that  an  arrow 
sent  by  a strong  and  dexterous  hand, 
and  striking  at  a favorable  instant  be- 
tween the  ribs,  occasionally  passes 
through  the  body  of  the  buffalo,  and 
falls  to  the  ground  beyond  him.  When, 
therefore,  we  recollect  the  shortness  and 
lightness  of  the  bow  (the  best  of  which 
are  only  three  or  four  feet  in  length), 
and  rapidity  with  which,  arrows  can  be 
thrown  (sometimes  an  Indian  in  sport 
will  keep  ten  arrows  in  the  air  at  a 
time),  we  may  perceive  that  the  use  of 
this  simple  weapon  is  not  retained  with- 
out reason. 

The  Camanches,  on  the  borders  of 
Texas,  often  prefer  their  lances,  in  the 
chase  as  in  war;  riding  up  by  the  buf- 
falo’s side,  and  with  a sudden,  sidelong 
thrust,  penetrating  his  heart.  Passing 
on,  another  and  another  is  thus  mortally 
wounded,  and  several  are  seen  dying  at 
once,  from  blows  inflicted  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, by  one  weapon. 

The  lasso  is  used  by  some  tribes  in 
certain  circumstances  ; and,  when  not 


in  immediate  use,  the  long  cord  is  some- 
times allowed  to  drag  behind  on  the 
ground,  so  that  if  the  horseman  is  acci- 
dentally dismounted,  he  may  seize  it 
and  recover  his  steed  and  his  seat. 

Mr.  Gatlin  gives  the  following  de- 
scription of  other  methods  sometimes 
practised  : — 

In  the  dead  of  winter,  which  is  very 
long  and  severely  cold  in  this  country, 
where  horses  can  not  be  brought  into 
the  chase  with  any  avail,  the  Indian  runs 
upon  the  surface  of  the  snow  by  the  aid 
of  his  snow-shoes,  which  buoy  him  up, 
while  the  great  weight  of  the  buffaloes, 
sinks  them  down  to  the  middle  of  their 
sides,  and,  completely  stopping  their 
progress,  insures  them  certain  and  easy 
victims  to  the  bow  or  lance  of  their  pur- 
suers. The  snow  in  these  regions  often 
lies,  during  the  winter,  to  the  depth  of 
three  or  four  feet,  being  blown  away 
from  the  tops  and  sides  of  the  hills  in 
many  places,  which  are  left  bare  for  the 
buffaloes  to  graze  upon,  while  it  is  drift- 
ed in  the  hollows  and  ravines  to  a very 
great  depth,  and  rendered  almost  entirely 
impassable  to  all  these  huge  animals, 
which,  when  closely  pursued  by  their 
enemies,  endeavor  to  plunge  through  it, 
but  are  soon  wedged  in  and  almost  una- 
ble  to  move,  where  they  fall  an  easy 
prey  to  the  Indian,  who  runs  up  lightly 
upon  his  show-shoes  and  drives  his  lance 
to  their  hearts.  The  skins  are  then 
stripped  off,  to  be  sold  to  the  fur-traders, 
and  the  carcasses  left  to  be  devoured  by 
the  wolves.  This  is  the  season  in  which 
the  greatest  number  of  these  animals  is 
destroyed  for  their  robes — they  are  ea- 
sily killed  at  this  time,  and  their  hair  or 
fur  being1  longer  and  more  abundant, 
give  greater  value  to  the  robe. 

The  Indians  generally  kill  and  dry 
meat  enough  in  the  fall,  when  it  is  fat 
and  juicy,  to  last  them  all  winter;  so 
that  they  have  little  other  object  for  this 
unlimited  slaughter,  amid  the  drifts  of 
snow,  than  that  of  procuring  their  robes 
l for  traffic  with  the  traders.  The  snow- 
shoes  are  made  in  a great  many  forms, 
of  two  and  three  feet  in  length,  and  one 
foot  or  more  in  width,  of  a hoop  or  hoops 
bent  around  for  the  frame,  with  a net- 
ting of  web  woven  across  with  strings 


Buffalo  Huntin; 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  MISSOURI.  581 

of  raw  hide,  on  which  the  feet  rest,  and 
to  which  they  are  fastened  with  straps 
somewhat  like  a skate.  With  these  the 
Indian  will  glide  over  the  snow  with 
astonishing  quickness,  without  sinking 
down,  or  scarcely  leaving  his  track 
where  he  has  gone. 

The  poor  buffaloes  have  their  enemy, 
man , besetting  and  besieging  them  at 
all  times  of  the  year,  and  in  all  the 
modes  that  man  in  his  superior  wisdom  | 
has  been  able  to  devise  for  their  destruc- 
tion. They  struggle  in  vain  to  evade 
his  deadly  shafts,  when  he  dashes  among 
them  over  the  plains  on  the  wild  horse 
— they  plunge  into  the  snow-drifts  where 
they  yield  themselves  an  easy  prey  to 
their  destroyers,  and  they  also  stand 
unwittingly  and  behold  him,  unsuspect- 
ed under  the  skin  of  a white  wolf,  in- 
sinuating himself  and  his  fatal  weapons 
into  close  company,  when  they  are 
peaceably  grazing  on  the  level  prairies, 
and  shot  down  before  they  are  aware  of 
their  danger. 

The  Elkhorn  Pyramid. — This  re- 
markable object,  represented  in  the 
vignette  at  the  head  of  the  description 
of  this  state,  is  to  be  seen  on  Two-Thou- 
sand-Mile river,  one  of  the  branches  of 
the  Missouri,  so  named  by  Lewis  and 
Clarke,  at  that  distance  from  its  mouth 
in  the  Mississippi.  The  surrounding 
country  is  an  extensive  level,  called  the 
Prairie  a la  Come  de  Cerf.  The  numer- 
ous paths  made  in  all  directions  through 
the  artemisia  bushes,  indicate  an  abun- 
dance of  elk  and  deer,  which  roam  free- 
ly through  the  broad  and  fertile  pas- 
tures there  offered  them  by  nature. 

It  has  long  been  the  practice  with  the 
Indians,  to  collect  some  of  the  cast-off 
horns  of  those  animals  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  spot,  and  add  them  to  a heap, 
which  was  commenced  at  some  unknown 
period.  A few  buffalo-horns  are  min- 
gled with  the  rest.  Mr.  Bodmer,  who 
visited  and  examined  it,  describes  the 
heap  as  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  in 
height,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  in  diameter, 
and  probably  containing  about  twelve 
or  fifteen  hundred  horns.  He  found 
great  difficulty  in  disentangling  a large 
horn  with  fourteen  antlers,  so  compactly 
are  all  parts  of  this  fabric  laid  together. 

He  made  a drawing  of  the  pyramid  be- 
fore leaving  the  spot,  from  which  that  in 
the  vignette  has  been  reduced.  Every 
hunting  and  war  party  that  passes  near 
the  spot  makes  an  addition  to  the  heap, 
probably  under  some  superstitious  idea. 

Missouri  Iron  Mountains. — There  are 
two  or  three  iron  mountains,  situated 
not  far  distant  from  each  other,  and 
forty  or  fifty  miles  West  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. One  of  them  is  seven  hundred, 
and  the  other  over  three  hundred,  feet  in 
height,  above  the  surrounding  plain. 

The  iron  with  which  they  abound  is  a 
peroxydc , consisting  of  twenty  parts 
iron,  and  fourteen  parts  oxygen — thus  . 
constituting  a very  rich  ore  of  iron.  As 
you  approach  either  of  these  mount-  , 
ains,  and  before  you  get  to  it,  you  find 
lumps  and  masses  of  this  form  of  iron, 
scattered  much  like  the  stones  of  New 
England.  Advancing,  you  find  the  mas- 
ses in  larger  numbers  and  greater  size  ; 
and  so  on  up  the  mountains,  till  you  ap- 
proach their  summits,  where  you  find 
one  vast  capping  to  the  mountain  of 
these  iron  rocks  and  stones,  whose 
depths  have  never  been  explored. 

Of  course,  how  far  they  go  down  we 
do  not  know,  nor  what  proportion  of  the 
substance  of  these  mountains  is  iron, 
but  we  perceive  the  quantity  there  to 
be  immense,  almost  beyond  calculation  ; 
enough  to  supply  the  whole  human  race, 
even  under  the  present  vast  consump- 
tion of  iron,  with  the  metal  for  ages  to 
come  ! The  base  and  sides  of  the 
mountains  are  thickly  and  beautifully 
wooded ; even  after  you  come  to  the 
immense  cappings  with  which  the 
mountains  are  rounded  off,  you  find  the 
trees  everywhere  shoot  up  among  those 
iron  rocks,  although  you  can  discover 
scarce  a trace  of  soil. 

These  vast  deposites  of  ore,  so  long 
discredited,  although  repeatedly  asserted 
to  exist,  are  doubtless  destined  to  con- 
tribute a large  share  of  that  material,  so 
important  to  every  branch  of  art,  and  so 
indispensable  an  article  to  civilization. 
Distance,  the  thinness  of  the  population, 
and  other  circumstances,  have  hitherto 
prevented  the  extensive  reduction  of  the 
ore.  But  the  increase  of  inhabitants 
will  make  a rapid  change. 

582 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  IOWA. 


Iowa  is  bounded  north  by  the 
Minnesota  territory,  east  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  which  separates  it  from 
Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  south  by 
Missouri,  and  west  by  Missouri  riv- 
er, which  separates  it  from  Nebras- 
ka. It  lies  between  40°  20'  and  43° 
north  latitude,  and  90°  20'  and  96° 
50'  west  longitude,  with  a length  of 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty-six 
miles,  a medium  breadth  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-eight,  and  an  area  | 
of  about  fifty  thousand  nine  hundred 
square  miles. 

The  state  is  well  watered  by  numerous  navigable  rivers  and  streamlets  flowing  I 
into  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  which  bound  the  state.  The  principal  J 
of  these  are  the  Red  Cedar  and  Iowa,  and  the  Des  Moines,  which  empty  into  the 
Mississippi.  The, rivers  falling  into  the  Missouri  are  comparatively  unimportant. 

Up  to  the  year  1836,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  as  well  as  Michigan,  were  embraced 
in  the  territory  of  Michigan. 

Iowa  was  Indian  territory  as  lately  as  in  1832,  except  a claim  at  Du  Buque’s 
mines.  About  five  hundred  persons,  chiefly  miners,  had  entered  and  labored  on  the 
Dubuque  tract  two  or  three  years  previously.  The  first  emigrants  who  made 
farms  in  this  now  growing  state,  entered  the  territory  in  February,  1833,  in  the 
settlement  a few  miles  back  of  Burlington.  The  first  Christian  church  gathered 
was  a baptist  one,  in  1834. 

The  growth  of  Iowa  has  been  more  rapid  than  that  of  any  other  western  state. 
Its  population  now  equals  200,000.  It  will  soon  be  one  of  the  great  states  of  the 
west  No  country  on  the  globe  is  better  situated  for  farming  purposes. 




DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  IOWA.  583 

Iowa.  City,  the  capital  of  Iowa,  on  j 
the  left  hank  of  the  river  of  the  same 
name,  at  the  head  of  navigation,  is  thir- 
ty-one  miles  from  Muscatine,  and  en- 
joys a pleasant  situation.  The  number 
of  inhabitants  is  about  3,000.  The  pub- 
lic buildings  are  the  capitol,  couithouse, 
and  several  churches.  Stage-coaches 
go  three  times  a week  to  Burlington  and 
Rock  Island,  Indiana. 

The  capitol  is  a fine  building,  chiefly 
in  the  Doric  style,  with  a dome  rising 
from  the  centre  on  twenty-two  Corin- 
thian columns. 

Burlington. — This  flourishing  town 
stands  on  the  Mississippi,  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two  miles  above  St.  Louis. 
The  situation  is  pleasant  and  pictu- 
resque, on  a rising  ground,  stretching  up 
toward  a range  of  hills  which  almost 
surround  it.  The  streets  run  at  equal 
distances  and  at  right  angles.  The 
population  is  about  6,000.  Daily  com- 
munication is  had  by  steamboats  with 
near  and  distant  river  towns  above  and 
below,  and  by  stage-coaches  three  times 
a week  with  Dubuque,  &c.  Burlington 
was  originally  the  capital  of  Iowa,  and 
contains  many  fine  public  buildings. 
The  site  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Flint-halls,  an  old  Indian  trading  post, 
and  was  the  residence  of  the  celebrated 
Indian  chief  Black  Hawk,  whose  re- 
mains are  buried  here. 

Muscatine  (formerly  Bloomington) 
ninely-six  miles  south  of  Dubuque,  is 
one  of  the  most  thriving  towns  in  the 
state..  Population,  at  the  present  time, 
about  4,000. 

Keokuk,  a few  miles  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  is  becoming 
rapidly  a.  place  of  importance,  and  has, 
11  of  late  years,  increased  in  population 
and  wealth,  perhaps  more  than  any  other 
town  in  the  state.  It  has  a large  com- 
merce, and  many  advantages  in  situation 
and  topography,  which  must  ultimately 
make  it  a most  flourishing  mart.  The 
present  population  is  about  5,000. 

Some  years  ago  an  ancient  wall  of 
large  dimensions  was  discovered,  at 
what  is  now  called  Azatlan,  in  Wiscon- 
sin, between  the  Four  lakes  and  Mil- 
waukie.  The  antiquarian  may  now  find 
an  additional  field  for  his  researches  in 

Iowa.  In  Lee  county,  about  ten  miles 
from  Burlington,  a stone  wall  was  acci- 
dentally discovered  on  the  farm  of  Mr. 
William  Heiter,  while  he  was  sinking 
posls  for  a fence. 

It  is  about  two  feet  wide,  two  feet 
deep,  and  laid  regularly,  the  stone  lap- 
ped after  the  fashion  of  foundation 
walls.  It  appears  to  have  been  the 
foundation  of  some  ancient  building  or 
superstructure  of  square  dimensions, 
about  twenty-two  feet  either  way.  It  is 
on  the  highest  point  of  the  prairie,  the 
ground  receding  from  it  in  every  direc- 
tion. Not  a stone  or  a pebble  except 
those  in  the  wall,  can  be  found  in  half  a 
mile  of  the  place.  Most  of  it  is  now 
uncovered,  and  a part  of  the  northern  j 
wall  removed.  There  is  a middle  or 
partition  wall.  Many  of  the  stones  are 
greatly  decayed. 

Dubuque  is  also  a river-town,  and  is 
four  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles  from 

St.  Louis,  and  three  hundred  and  six 
from  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  is  elevated  and 
level  for  several  miles  above  and  below 
Dubuque,  forming  an  advantageous  po- 
sition for  a town.  There  are  about 
5,500  inhabitants.  The  public  build- 
ings are  five  churches,  a land-office,  a 
bank,  &c. 

Janesville. — In  this  fine  town,  the 
county  seat  of  Rock  county,  numerous 
evidences  of  rapid  and  prosperous  growth 
everywhere  meet  the  eye.  On  both 
sides  of  the  river  many  buildings  are 
going  up  ; the  streets  are  crowded  with 
teams  ; business  of  all  kinds  appears 
brisk,  and  there  is  an  air  of  enterprise, 
activity,  and  advancement,  pervading  the 
whole  town,  which  must  impress  and 
surprise  the  most  indifferent  observer. 
Conspicuous  among  the  buildings  is  a 
large  flour-mill  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river.  . This  substantial  structure  is 
eighty  feet  by  fifty,  five  stories  high, 
seventy  feet  from  the  ridge  to  the  water- 
line, and  rests  upon  solid  stone-walls  five 
* and  a half  feet  in  thickness,  designed  for 
six  run  of  stone.  No  expense  has  been 
spared  in  making  this  mill  equal  to  any 
in  the  western  county.  The  total  cost 
can  not  be  f°r  Lorn  forty-five  thousand 
i | dollars.  ji<ven  in  a dry  season  there  is 

584 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  IOWA. 


abundance  of  water,  in  the  rock,  at 
Janesville,  to  keep  all  the  wheels  of  this 
mill  in  constant  motion. 

One  significant  circumstance  in  the 
growth  of  Janesville  (and  this  is  equally 
true  of  almost  all  the  towns  and  village 
in  the  territory)  is,  that  the  surrounding 
country  has  grown  even  more  rapidly 
than  the  town.  On  Rock  prairie  some 
two  years  since,  for  a distance  of  ten  or 
twelve  miles,  the  improvements  were 
slight  and  the  houses  scarce.  Now,  the 
roads  are  fenced  in  nearly  their  entire 
length,  and  bordered  by  improved  farms 
under  skilful  cultivation,  with  comforts 
ble  tenements,  and  every  appearance  of 
an  industrious  and  thriving  population. 
This  is  it  which  renders  the  growth  of 
Janesville  substantial  as  well  as  rapid, 
and  which  makes  the  increase  and  rapid 
improvement  of  the  state  a marvel  in 
the  history  of  civilized  settlements. 

A Log  Cabin  and  Saw-Mill. — One 
of  the  most  useful  of  all  “improve- 
ments” that  can  be'  introduced  into  a 
new  district  where  timber  is  to  be 
found,  is  a saw-mill ; and  many  an  ex- 
tensive region  has  long  suffered  from 
the  want  of  one.  The  deficiency  is  more 
frequently  supplied,  however,  of  late 
years,  since  settlements  have  been  more 
frequently  undertaken  by  companies  of 
capitalists.  Under  their  care  many 
conveniences  are  at  once  introduced, 
not  within  the  reach  of  single  emigrants 
or  of  a few  poor  families,  whose  pecu- 
niary means  are  apt  to  be  exhausted 
before  they  reach  their  new  homes,  or 
who  at  least  can  not  transport  to  so 
great  a distance  anything  more  than  the 
most  simple  necessaries. 

But  where  capital  is  furnished,  and 
preparatory  measures  taken,  for  the  oc- 
cupation of  a new  point  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  the  founding  of  a new  town, 
the  explorers  first  report  all’ the  neces- 
sary steps  to  be  made,  and  plans  are 
laid,  tools,  materials,  and  workmen,  sent 
out,  and  constructions  commenced  be- 
fore the  settlers  arrive.  And  then  one 
of  the  very  first  points  secured  is  a mill- 
site,  where  a saw  may  be  set  in  motion, 
and  the  neighboring  forest-trees  cut  up 
into  timber,  plank,  and  boards.  For 
this  end  a rapid  stream  must  be  found  ; 


and,  in  extensive  regions  in  our  western 
prairies,  this  is  not  to  be  had.  Such 
favored  spots,  therefore,  in  their  neigh- 
borhood, as  possess  water-power,  are 
rendered  doubly  important  by  the  ex- 
tensive demand. 

The  saw-mill,  simple  as  it  is,  is  inval- 
uable to  a new  settlement.  Without  it 
not  a plank,  board,  timber,  or  other  piece 
of  wood,  can  be  obtained,  for  any  purpose, 
except  by  the  laborious  process  of  sawing 
by  hand,  or  the  still  more  laborious  one 
of  hewing,  more  commonly  resorted  to. 
Many  a table  has  been  made,  by  slowly 
cutting  a broad  plank  out  of  the  middle 
of  a log,  with  the  axe  alone ; and  the 
extreme  difficulty  of  procuring  wood  in 
convenient  forms,  has  long  delayed  the 
advance  of  society  from  the  rudest  state 
to  a grade  of  comfort  worthy  of  the 
name  of  civilization. 

How  different  a state  of  things  is  im- 
mediately introduced  by  the  busy  mo- 
tion of  the  saw-mill!  The  shapeless 
logs,  felled  in  the  neighboring  forest,  or 
brought  down  by  the  current  of  the  riv- 
er, take  every  form  desired;  and  the 
tight  frame-house  rises,  with  all  its  su- 
perior advantages  of  floors,  partitions, 
second  stories,  good  doors,  stairs,  and 
furniture.  In  short,  the  saw  alone 
adapts  the  rude  trees  of  the  woods  to 
the  convenient  use  of  man. 

Description  of  a Prairie  in  Iowa. 

“When  for  the  first  time,”  says  -a 
writer,  “ I stood  upon  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  upon  which  I now  reside,  it  was 
about  noon  of  a beautiful  October  day. 
We  emerged  from  the  wood,  and  for 
miles  around  saw  stretched  forth  one 
broad  expanse  of  clear,  open  land.  I 
stood  alone,  wrapt  up  in  that  peculiar 
sensation  that  man  only  feels  when  be- 
holding a broad,  rolling  prairie  for  the 
first  time — an  indescribable,  delightful 
feeling.  0,  what  a rich  mine  of  wealth 
lay  outstretched  before  me ! 

“ No  plough  or  spade  has  broken  the 
sod  for  ages  ; no  magician  has  appeared 
with  the  husbandman’s  magic  wand,  and 
said  to  the  coarse  and  useless  grass 
that  has  grown  for  centuries,  ‘ Be  gone  ; 
give  place  to  the  lovely  Ceres  with  her 
golden  sheaves.’ 

“ Little  does  one  know  or  think,  as 


Log-Cabins  and  Sawmill  at  the  West. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  IOWA. 

be  digs  in  the  corn  among  the  stones  of 
New  England,  what  vast  quantities  of 
such  land  lie  waste  in  the  west,  and 
how  few  are  there  to  improve  them ; 
and  what  is  worse,  how  indolent  a great 
portion  of  that  few  are.  Talk  of  the 
country  being  sickly  ! why,  the  worst 
epidemic  that  ever  raged  in  any  country 
is  that  idleness  which  fixes  itself,  incu- 
bus-like, upon  the  whole  population  of 
an  extraordinary  fertile  soil. 

“ But  who  that  ever  undertook,  ever 
satisfied  his  inquirers  as  to  how  a prai- 
rie looks  while  in  a state  of  nature?  The 
reason  is  that  there  is  nothing  analo- 
gous, to  which  one  can  compare  it,  in 
a thickly-settled  country.  But  let  the 
reader  fancy  the  country  with  which  he 
is  best  acquainted  in  an  old  settled 
region,  entirely  destitute  of  buildings 
or  fences,  or,  in  fact,  any  mark  of  civili- 
zation, with  all  the  hills  reduced  so  as 
to  make  a gently-rolling  surface,  the 
woodland  to  remain  as  it  is,  and  the  en- 
tire surface  of  cleared  land  covered  with 
grass,  that  upon  the  upland  thick  and 
short,  in  the  low  lands  one  or  two  feet 
high,  and  in  the  swamps  four  or  five 
feet,  and  he  may  have  a very  faint  idea 
how  a prairie  looks. 

“ Gently  undulating,  applies  to  all 
prairie  countries  within  my  knowledge. 
Sometimes,  though  rarely,  hills  occur 
that  are  too  steep  to  cultivate  conveni- 
ently, and  sometimes  rocky  bluffs.  But 
a general  characteristic  is  destitution  of 
stone. 

“ The  streams  have  generally  muddy 
bottoms.  The  timber  in  the  groves  or 
islands  that  abound  throughout  this  sea 
of  grass,  is  most  commonly  short,  and 
grows  thin  upon  the  ground,  without 
. underbrush,  except  at  the  edges,  where 
the  hazel-bush  seems  to  be  the  advanced 
guard,  and  is  constantly  encroaching 
upon  the  prairie.  There  are  large 
tracts  of  timber  land  called  * barrens,’ 
which  are  about  half  way  between  prai- 
, rie  and  timber  land — the  trees  standing 
" apart  like  an  orchard,  and  the  ground 
covered  with  grass,  the  sod  of  which  is 
much  less  tough  than  that  on  the 
prairie. 

“One  very  prominent  feature  of  a 
prairie  is  the  constant  and  ever-varying 

succession  of  flowers  from  sprint  till 
' fall.”  ^ ° 

The  whole  valley  of  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi was  almost  wholly  unknown  to 
American  geographers  twenty  years  ago, 
though  the  French  Jesuits  and  “ cou- 
reurs  des  hois”  were  acquainted  with  it 
for  a century  and  a half  before.  Brad- 
foi  d lemarks  that  the  whole  region  be- 
tween the  mouths  of  the  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  and  Lake  Michigan  and  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  and  further  west,  is  one  vast 
plain,  slightly  sloping  to  the  south  and 
east.  The  land  between  the  Mississippi 
and  the  lake  is  only  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Atlantic.  Among 
the  best  portions  of  the  upper  Mississip- 
pi, is  reckoned  the  whole  of  Iowa,  the 
northern  part  of  which,  by  reason  of  an 
admixture  of  sand,  is  rendered  more 
moist  and  later  in  forwarding  crops  than 
the  climate  would  lead  us  to  expect. 
Carbonate  of  lime  exists  in  the  prairie 
soils,  from  twenty  to  forty  per  cent., 
but  in  much  smaller  proportion  in  the 
‘timber  lands.  Forests  grow  up  sponta- 
neously on  the  prairies,  when  fire  is  kept 
out.  St.  Louis  county  was  changed  from 
an  open  prairie  to  a thick  forest  in  this 
way,  in  thirteen  years. 

The  following  general  geological  stra- 
ta are  found  in  the  whole  of  the  eastern 
upper  Mississippi  country,  as  truly  as  in 
Iowa : 1st,  vegetable  mould,  eight  to 
thirty  inches  ; 2d,  pure  yellow  clay,  three 
to  eight  feet ; 3d,  gra  velly  clay  with  peb- 
bles, four  to  ten  feet ; 4th,  limestone,  two 
to  twelve  feet;  5th,  shale;  6th,  bitumi- 
nous coal;  7th,  soapstone;  Sth,  sand- 
stone. The  limestone  exists  every- 
where. Every  well  and  other  excava- 
tion, which  penetrates  deep  enough, 
discloses  it,  and  it  is  exposed  by  many 
streams. 

The  western  part  of  Iowa  is  chiefly 
mountain  limestone,  with  strata  of  fossil 
chalk  formations,  wholly  or  chiefly  of 
shells.  Such  is  the  summit  of  the  bluff 
at  Burlington,  and  of  this  is  formed  the 
fine  whitish  marble  of  Iowa  City.  In 
the  south,  between  the  Des  Moines  and 
Iowa  rivers,  are  several  varieties  of  mar- 
ble, some  of  them  black,  variegated,  &c. 
Agates  and  cornelians  are  washed  out  ou 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  in  abundance. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 


58' 


Prairie  on  Fire. 


WISCONSIN, 


The  state  of  Wisconsin  is  bound- 
ed north  b^  Lake  Superior  and  the 
northern  peninsula  of  Michigan  ; east 
by  Lake  Michigan  ; souih  by  Illinois  ; 
and  west  by  Iowa  and  the  territory  of 
Minnesota.  It  lies  between  42°  30/ 
and  47°  north  latitude,  and  87°  and 
92°  30'  west  longitude.  The  length 
is  about  three  hundred  miles,  and 
the  breadth  two  hundred,  containing 
about  fifty-four  thousand  square  miles. 
The  population  in  1840,  was  30,945, 
and  in  1850,  304,121.  Those  parts  of 
the  state  that  lie  south  of  Green  Bay, 
Fox  river,  and  the  Wisconsin,  present  a variety  of  prairie  and  timber  land,,  with 
some  swamps  and  wet  prairies,  and  a rich  soil,  varying  from  one  foot  to  ten  feet  m 
depth.  The  north'  part  is  mountainous,  declining  into  hills  and  a swelling  surface, 
which  terminates  at  Wisconsin  river.  The  streams  in  that  part  of  the  state  are 
often  wild,  and  much  broken  by  falls  and  rapids.  That  part  t>f  the  state  m which 
some  of  the  head  streams  of  the  Mississippi  have  their  origin,  is  an  elevated  table- 
land, abounding  in  swamps,  which  produce  wild  rice,  and  ponds  well  stocked 
with  fish.  The  forests  are  extensive  and  thick  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
and  Wisconsin  rivers,  the  land  being  rich.  . . 

The  rivers  are  large.  The  Mississippi  lines  the  west  border.  Ihe  Wisconsin  is 
five  hundred  miles  long,  and  the  Chippeway  is  further  north.  Rock  river  is  also 
a lartre  stream.  The  Neenah,  or  Fox  river,  flows  near  the  Wisconsin,  through  land 
in  some  places  so  low,  that  boats  may  pass  between  them  in  times  of  light  floods. 
The  former  is  navigable  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  boats. 

Black  river  rises  in  the  interior  of  Wisconsin,  and  after  running  a southwesterly 


588 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 


course  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  flows  into  the  Mississippi  about 
eighty-five  miles  above  Prairie  du  Chien. 
Below  the  falls,  which  are  about  ninety 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the 
country  is  mostly  a hilly  prairie.  The 
predominating  rock,  which  is  the  base 
of  hills  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  rises  in  ran- 
ges of  hills,  or  single  bluffs,  of  all  shapes, 
and  running  in  every  direction  ; varying 
in  height  from  one  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  plain.  The  soil, 
which  appears  to  be  formed  by  the 
gradual  denudation  of  these  hills  is  light 
and  sandy,  and,  for  the  most  part,  pos- 
sesses but  little  fertility.  The  alluvial 
deposites  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  how- 
ever, are  rich  natural  meadows,  covered 
with  a most  luxuriant  growth  of  grass. 
These  meadows  appear  to  be  entirely 
undisturbed  by  the  foot  of  man  or  beast, 
and  the  traveller  is  almost  led  to  ima- 
gine that  they  must  be  under  the  pro- 
tection of  an  owner,  who  is  cultivating 
hay  on  a large  scale,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  an  extensive  hay-pressing  es- 
tablishment  would  appear  almost  as  a 
thing  of  course. 

On  the  prairie  berries  and  a variety 
of  flowers  grow  in  profusion.  The 
strawberries  are  small.  Among  the 
flowers  is  a species  of  phlox , exceeding 
in  splendor  any  of  the  family  in  an 
uncultivated  state.  The  large  yellow 
moccasin-flower,  or  ladies’  slipper,  is 
Very  common,  and  gives  quite  a variety 
of  color  to  the  prairies.  In  addition  to 
their  rich  and  varied  coloring,  most  of 
these  possess  fragrance.  There  -is  an 
occasional  grove  to  be  seen,  and  the 
streams  are  generally  skirted  with  tim- 
ber, among  which  are  several  species  of 
oak,  white  and  black  birch,  maple,  pop- 
lar, &c.,  but  as  a whole,  this  part  of  the 
country  is  deficient' in  fencing  material, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  the  choice 
situations,  must,  for  farming  purposes, 
remain  unoccupied  for  many  years.  For 
a distance  of  ninety  miles  there  is  but 
one  house  near  the  river,  and  this  is  at 
a mill-site  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  the 
numerous  streams  which  flow  into  it. 
This  being  about  forty- five  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  an  equal 
distance  below  the  falls  is  a stopping- 


place  for  raftsmen,  and  those  persons 
visiting  the  upper  country  in  search  of 
employment  or  to  make  claims.  About 
five  miles  distant  from  this  house,  and 
settled  by  the  same  family  (Douglass 
and  sons),  is  a farm  of  fertile  land  under 
a good  state  of  cultivation,  though  it  is 
but  two  or  three  years  since  the°settle- 
ment  was  made.  The  road  through  this  I 
part  of  the  country  is  still  a very  primi- 
tive one,  and  is  travelled  only  by  foot- 
men and  horses;  no  vehicle  of  any 
description  except  such  as  were  merely 
for  transportation  to  the  upper  country, 
having  as  yet  found  their  way  along  it. 
The  mode  of  ferrying  is  equally  primi- 
tive; passengers  and  their  baggage  be- 
ing taken  across  in  a canoe  at  a dime  a 
head,  while  the  horses  are  allowed  to 
swim  beside  it.  From  the  mouth  to  the 
falls,  small  flat-bottomed  boats  are  used 
to  transport  provisions,  but  even  this 
sort  of  navigation  is  frequently  suspend- 
ed during  the  low  water  in  summer,  on 
account  of  the  numerous  sand-bars  with 
which  the  river  abounds. 

F rom  latitude  forty-five  degrees  north 
to  near  Lake  Superior,  and  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  St.  Croix  to  those  of  the 
streams  flowing  into  Green  bay,  about 
one  hundred  miles  in  length  arrd  breadth, 
the  whole  country  may  be  regarded  as 
a series  of  swamps,  lakes,  and  rivers, 
with  just  sufficient  dry  land  interspersed 
to  serve  for  the  summer  residence  of  a 
few  hundred  Indians,  who  still  hold  it 
as  their  hunting-ground.  Seven  eighths 
of  the  entire  country  north  of  forty-five 
degrees  is  one  immense  swamp,  inter- 
spersed with  narrow  sandy  ridges  ; and 
not  over  one  tenth  of  it  suitable  for 
cultivation.  Some  of  this  swampy  land 
may  ultimately  become  valuable  for  the 
timber  it  affords,  being  covered  with  a 
beautiful  growth  of  cedar , very  straight 
and  tall,  and  from  one  to  two  feet  in  di- 
ameter. The  tamer ack,  if  it  were  near 
the  coast,  might  be  in  demand  for  masts 
and  spars,  being  superior  to  any  other 
species  of  pine  in  height  as  compared 
with  size,  and  in  the  firmness,  elasticity 
and  durability  of  its  timber;  but  this 
central  region  of  eternal  swamp  has  no 
navigable  rivers  to  float  it  out.  Hem- 
lock, fir,  and  spruce,  are  the  growth  of 


description  of  the  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 


a portion  of  the 
ibe  of  Indians 
esidence  around 
gest  of  which  is 
.ambeau,”  situa 


perhaps  the  greater  part  of  this  low, 
wet  tract  of  country.  Many  of  these 
swamps  have  in  their  middle  lakes  ot 
from  half  a mile  to  several  miles  in  ex- 
tent ; some  of  these  are  connected  with 
streams  of  water,  forming  chains  for 
many  miles  in  length.  Comparative  y 
few  among  the  Indians,  and  scarcely 
any  of  the  whites,  have  ever  penetrated 
these  gloomy  water-courses  so  as  to 
have  become  at  all  familiar  with  their 
outlets. 

For  many  years  pas 
Chippewa  or  Ojibwa 
have  had  their  summe. 
a chain  of  lakes,  the  1 
known  as  “ Lake  de  b 
ted  about  the  middle  of  this  low  flat 
country;  they  have  drawn  their  sum- 
mer subsistence  from  the  waters,  and  in 
winter  have  spread  over  the  frozen  sur- 
face of  the  forest  and  marsh,  in  search  of 
bear,  deer,  fox,  beaver,  otter,  marten, 
and  other  valuable  peltries  and  furs, 
which  find  a ready  market  at  the  vaii- 
ous  trading  posts  on  the  Mississippi  and 
its  lakes. 

Swamps  form  a very  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  territory  of  northern  Wiscon- 
sin. Frorp  these  sources  flow  the  head- 
waters of  the  numerous  sti earns  with 
which  the  whole  country  is  abundantly 
supplied,  and*  which,  uniting,  form  the  j 
tributaries  of  the  rivers  which  flow  into 
the  Mississippi  on  the  west,  and  the  great  | 
lakes  on  the  northeast. 

Of  those  most  difficult  to  pass,  the  al- 
der-swamps are  perhaps  the  most  com- 
mon, such  having  nothing  larger  than 
the  alder  growing  in  them.  Most  of 
these  are  exceedingly  miry,  and  many 
of  them  for  horses  quite  impassable.  On 
foot  and  without  a load,  a man  may  ea- 
sily step  from  clump  to  clump  of  the  al- 
ders, and  thus  get  safely  across  ; but  a 
misstep  may  let  him  into  the  mud  to  the 
depth  of  several  feet.  It  is  fortunate  for 
the  traveller  that  these  are  the  smallest 
in  size  of  any,  for  though  frequently  ma- 
ny miles  in  length,  they  are  seldom  over 
half  a mile  wide. 

When  absolutely  necessary  to  get  pack- 
horses  across  these  morasses,  the  most 
favorable  crossing-place  is  selected,  and 
a road  made  by  cutting  away  the  alders, 


I which  are  sometimes  so  disposed  across 
l the  worst  places  as  to  form  some  support 
j for  the  foot.  The  Indian  ponies  used  for 
! packing  soon  get  accustomed  to  these 
1 matcers,  and  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
the  caution  and  willingness  with  which 
they  encounter  difficulties  of  tbs  kind. 
When  the  path  is  prepared,  me  of  the 


horses  is  led  over.  On  e»  cering  the 
swamp,  he  places  his  foo’  with  great 
care,  moving  it  a few  inones  at  a time, 
until  he  feels  that  his  footing  is  sufficient- 
ly firm  to  bear  him  up,  when  another  loot 
is  advanced  in  a similar  manner.  If, 
however,  despite  his  care,  he  sinks  into 
the  mire  beyond  the  power  of  extrica- 
ting himself,  he  takes  it  as  coolly  as  can 
be°imagined,  remaining  perfectly  quiet 
until  all  arrangements  a±e  made  for  his 
assistance,  and  then,  at  a word,  using  the 
greatest  possible  exertions  to  second  the 
efforts  of  those  endeavoring  to  extricate 
him.  When  the  horses  are  all  over,  their 
packs  are  carried  across,  and  they  are  re- 
loaded as  before. 

The  black-ash  swamps  are  also  very 
miry,  and  differ  from  those  already  de- 
scribed, in  having  that  species  of  tree 
thinly  scattered  through  them,  while  the 
alder  is  merely  an  undergrowth. 

Those  swamps  in  which  the  cedar  pre- 
dominates, however,  are  the  most  formi- 
dable, and  are  quite  impassable  for  a 
horse,  which  must  either  meander,  or 
turn  back.  The  fallen  but  undecayed 
1 trunks  of  the  trees,  some  of  them  per- 
haps the  growth  of  four  ages,  lie  across 
each  other  in  every  direction.  As  these 
become  covered  wi'ffi  moss,  young  trees 
commence  growing  on  the  tops  of  the 
trunks,  sending  their  roots  down  the  sides 
and  into  the  ground,  thus  sometimes  form- 
ing the  novel  sight  of  a large  tree  stand- 
ing erect  over  the  trunk  of  perhaps  its 
fallen  ancestor.  The  undergrowth  is  en- 
tirely of  cedar,  and  is  so  dense,  that  an 
unencumbered  man  would  be  obliged,  in 
addition  to  climbing  the  logs,  to  cut  neai- 
ly  his  whole  way  through  this  bristling 
underbrush,  in  order  to  cross  it.  dhey 
are  not  miry,  but  are  often  miles  in  width, 
with  water  under  the  roots  of  the  trees 
as  clear  as  crystal  and  very  cold. 

The  tamarack,  a species  of  pine,  is  a 
very  common  production.  The  swamps 


590 


description  of  the  state  of  WISCONSIN. 


producing  this  are  sometimes  miry,  in 
which  case  they  have  an  undergrowth  of 
alder.  In  other  instances  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  ground  is  covered  with  an 
aquatic  plant  resembling  moss,  which 
grows  to  the  height  of  from  eight  to 
twelve  inches,  holds  water  equal  to  a 
sponge,  and  though  no  water  appears 
upon  the  surface,  the  foot  of  the  travel- 
ler sinks  into  the  soft,  yielding,  sponge- 
like moss  so  as  to  bring,  it  around  his  an- 
kles and  frequently  higher. 

The  hemlock,  fir,  larch,  and  spruce 
swamps  have  little  to  distinguish  them, 
other  than  the  species  of  tree  which  they 
produce.  Many  of  them  have  lakes  in 
the  middle,  the  water  being  of  a reddish- 
brown  color,  and  not  the  most  palatable. 
They  may  all  be  penetrated  during  the 
dry  summer-months;  all  are  mud  during 
wet  weather,  and  all  abound  in  musqui- 
toes  and  other  pestiferous  insects. 

Racine,  the  capital  of  Racine  county, 
is  a thriving  town,  situated  on  Lake 
Michigan,  at  the  mouth  of  Root  river. 
It  is  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles  from 
Madison,  and  seven  hundred  and  eighty 
from  Washington.  It  contains  a court- 
house and  jail.  There  are  here  two 
academies,  with  about  one  hundred  stu- 
dents. The  population  is  increasing 
very  rapidly,  at  present  numbering  nearly 
6,000.  There  are  about  $200,000  in- 
vested in  trade  and  manufactures. 

Madison,  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
miles  from  Chicago,  is  the  capital  of 
Wisconsin.  It  stands  on  a peninsula 
between  two  lakes.  The  situation  is 
very  favorable,  the  ground  rising  gradu- 
ally from  the  water  on  both  sides  to  a 
model  ate  elevation  in  the  middle,  where 
a spacious  square  is  laid  out,  the  site  of 
the  statehouse.  This  is  a large  building 
of  stone,  with  a fine  dome  rising  from  the 
centre.  The  population  is  over  1,200; 
and  there  are  several  churches  of  differ- 
ent denominations.  Stage-coaches  run 
to  Milwaukie,  Rockfort  (Illinois),  Gale- 
na, and  Fort  Winnebago,  three  times  a 
week. 

The  city  of  Milwaukie  commences 
about  a mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  riv- 
er of  that  name,  at  a place  called  Walk- 
er’s Point,  and  extends  about  a mile  and 
a half  along  the  river.  Below  Walker’s 


Point  the  river  is  bordered  by  impassa- 
ble marshes.  The  ground  occupied  by 
the  town  is  uneven,  rising  from  the  riv- 
er to  the  height  of  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet,  thus  affording  very  beautiful 
situations  for  residences,  commanding  a 
full  view  of  the  town  and  bay,  with  its 
shipping.  But  few  of  these  sites  have 
yet  been  occupied  and  improved  as  their 
gieat  importance  and  interesting  views 
would  lead  us  to  expect.  Along  the  base 
and  front  of  these  hills  are  a great  num- 
ber  of  springs  of  pure  water,  sufficient, 
if  collected  into  a reservoir,  to  supply 
the  wants  of  a considerable  population. 
The  river  is  sufficiently  wide  and  deep 
to  accommodate  a large  amount  of  ship- 
ping, and  continues  so  for  some  distance 
above  the  city.,  At  the  head  of  this  navi- 
gable portion  of  the  river,  a dam  has 
been  built  by  the  “ Milwaukie  and  Rock 
River  Canal-Company,”  which  raises  the 
water  twelve  feet  above  high  water,  and 
causes  a slack-water  navigation  extend- 
ing two  miles  further  up  the  stream.  A 
canal  of  one  mile  and  a quarter  brings 
this  water  into  the  town  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  and  creates  there  a water- 
power which  is  estimated  to  be  equal  to 
about  one  hundred  runs  of  millstones  ; 
and  the  canal  has  a width  and  depth  suf- 
ficient to  pass  almost  the  whole  body  of 
water  into  the  river.  The  manufactories 
elected  on  this  canal  have  the  advantage 
of  being  located  on  the  immediate  bank 
of  the  river,  and  may  be  approached  by 
the  largest  steamboats  navigating  the 
gieat  lakes.:  thus  affording  advantages 
not  usually  found  associated  in  the  west-  , 
em  country.  The  city  is  ninety-seven  ) 
miles  from  Chicago. 

-The  settlement  of  Milwaukie  was  com- 
menced in  1835.  The  village  was  laid 
out  the  same  year.  In  less  than  fifteen 
months  its  population  amounted  to  1200. 

A land-office  was  opened  there  in  1836, 
at  which  the  amount  of  money  received  « 
in  ten  years  was  $2,221,359  73.  This, 
it  is  stated  in  “ Lapham’s  Wisconsin,” 
was  about  two  thirds  of  the  whole  pro- 
ceeds of  sales  of  public  lands  during  that 
time  in  the  territory.  Till  the  season  of 
1835  the  waters  of  Milwaukie  bay  were 
undisturbed  by  any  craft  save  the  In- 
dian s canoe*  or  perhaps  the  rudely-con- 


592  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 

structed  boat  of  a fur-trader  or  fisher- 
man. Now  more  than  a thousand  en- 
trances are  made  there  annually  by  ves- 
sels and  steamboats.  The  amount  of 
merchandise,  flour,  pork,  wheat,  lard, 
furs,  lead,  copper,  &c.,  shipped  from 
year  to  year,  is  immense,  and  is  rapidly 
increasing. 

The  present  population  of  Milwaukie 
is  supposed  to  be  between  twenty  and 
thirty  thousand,  and  was  never  multi- 
plying faster.  Almost  every  water-craft 
from  the  east  that  enters  that  port,  has 
one  or  more  new  settlers  on  board.  The 
number  of  buildings  now  going  up  would 
indicate  thrift  and  prosperity.  And  here 
we  might  mention  that  a large  part  of 
the  houses  and  blocks  are  built  of  brick, 
which,  in  this  place,  is  of  a light  cream 
color  (owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  absence 
of  iron),  and  presents  a strikingly-beau- 
tiful  appearance.  It  draws  the  attention 
| and  excites  the  admiration  of  all  stran- 
gers. 

Prairie  du  Chien,  on  the  Mississippi, 
is  the  most  prominent  point  on  that  river. 
It  is  situated  a few  miles  north  of  the 
Wisconsin  river,  and  has  its  name  from 
the  beautiful  prairie  on  which  it  is  loca- 
ted. It  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements 
in  the  west,  and  has  been  the  scene  of 
many  battles.  Population  about  3,000. 

Sheboygan  is  well  situated,  on  the 
Wisconsin  side  of  the  lake,  and  exhibits 
a vigorous,  and,  to  all  appearance,  a per- 
manent growth.  Everything  is  new;  the 
site  is  elevated  and  pleasant.  The  coun- 
try back  of  it  is  well  adapted  to  produce 
wheat,  and  the  rapids  in  the  river,  a few 
miles  out,  afford  a cheap  power  to  con- 
vert it  into  flour. 

The  harbors  of  both  these  cities  (Mil- 
waukie and  Sheboygan)  require  appro- 
priations, to  remove  obstructions,  and  to 
render  access  to  them  easy.  A few  thou-  i 
sand  dollars  applied  to  the  construction  1 i 
of  piers  will  effect  the  object.  1 1 

Southport. — This  is  a town  of  so  ■ ' 
'recent  a date,  that,  as  in  the  case  of  1 
some  others,  it  is  impossible  to  find  a < 
description  of  it  even  in  the  latest  publi-  i 
cations,  geographical  or  topographical,  t 
It  stands  on  the  border  of  a prairie  of  i 
great  extent,  and  its  position  gives  it  j 
important  commercial  advantages,  al-  1 1 

though  the  harbor  is  too  shallow  near 
■ the  shore  for  the  access  of  vessels.  Two 
• long  piers  of  timber  have  therefore  been 
constructed,  extending  far  into  the  wa- 
ter, where  vessels  must  load  and  dis- 
charge.. The  town  is  already  large, 
busy,  and  prosperous,  considering  its 
recent  date,  and  has  every,  prospecfof  a 
rapid  and  continued  increase.  P.  3000. 

Fond  du  Lac. — In  1844  there  were 
but  two  houses  on  this  spot ; but  so  rap- 
id has  been  its  growth,  that  it  now  looks 
much  like  a New-England  village.  The 
scenery  about  Fond  du  Lac  is  very  fine, 
and  the  site  of  the  village  is  beautiful  : it 
is  on  the  western  edge  of  a prairie,  in  the 
sunset  shade  of  a narrow  strip  of  timber- 
land  which  separates  it  from  another 
prairie. 

The  prairie  on  which  the  village  is 
situated  extends#eastward  four  and  a half 
or  five  miles,  and  is  nearly  the  same  dis- 
tance in  width.  On  the  east  and  south 
it  is  hemmed  with  timber-lands  and  oak 
openings,  on  the  west  by  the  strip  of 
timber-land  above  mentioned,  and  on  the 
north  lie  the  clear  blue  waters  of  the 
Winnebago  lake.  The  people  are  gen- 
erally the  enterprising,  intelligent  de- 
scendants of  the  eastern  states. 

Aztalan  is  a small  town,  of  about 
two  hundred  inhabitants,  situated  upon 
the  east  bank  of  the  Crawfish,  and  about 
twelve  miles  southwest  from  Water-  1 
town.  It  has  acquired  some  notoriety 
from  being  on  the  site  of  the  “ ancient 
city,”  as  it  is  called  throughout  the  state. 

It  is  true,  that  there  is  enough  to  be 
seen  here  to  satisfy  any  one  that  the 
country  has  once  been  inhabited,  and 
that,  too,  anterior  to  the  present  race  of 
Indians,  by  a race  that  had  made  some 
progress  in  the  arts;  but  there  is  noth- 
ing to  show  any  considerable  civiliza- 
tion or  knowledge  of  science.  The  re- 
mains of  a brick  wall,  enclosing  about 
twenty-five  acres,  are  distinctly  visible. 

The  enclosure  is  upon  the  west  bank  of 
the  river,  and  the  west  waif  is  seventy 
^r  eighty  rods  long.  At  the  northr  end 
t forms  a right  angle,  and  runs  perhaps 
-wenty  or  twenty-five  rods  to  the  river; 
t then  follows  down  the  river  immedi- 
ately upon  the  bank,  for  about  forty  j 
•ods,  and  there  disappears.  Near  the  ! 

View  of  Southport. 


38 


south  end  of  the  west  wall,  it  makes  an 
angle  to  the  west  of  ten  or  fifteen  de- 
grees, and  pursues  this  course  a few 
rods,  and  then  makes  an  obtuse  angle 
toward  the  river,  and,  before  it  reaches 
it,  makes  another  angle,  so  that  the 
south  wall  approaches  the  river  nearly 
paiallel  with  the  north.  The  remains  j 
of  the  wall  are  about  four,  and  in  some 
places  six  feet  high.  The  bricks  are  of 
red  clay,  and  burnt,  and  in  some  places 
the  clay  of  which  they  are  composed  isf 
mixed  with  straw,  only  fragments  of 
bricks  having  been  found.  Without  as 
well  as  within  the  wall,  may  be  seen 
regular  and  irregular  formations  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground — some  appearing 
like  cellars,  and  some  are  elevations. 
These  appearances  are  visible  nearly 
the  whole  length  of  the  wall.  There 
are  only  three  or  four  elevations  that 
may  be  called  mounds,  within  the  enclo- 
sure, and  the  most  prominent  of  these 
is  in  the  northwest  corner,  and  is  about 
ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  On  the  bank 
of  the  river,  without  the  wall,  and  nearly 
at  the  water’s  edge,  are  the  remains  of 
what  appears  to  have  been  the  end  of  a 
sewer,  or  an  under-ground  drain,  to  the 
enclosure.  It  is  of  limestone,  and  regu- 
larly arched. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  enclosure  are 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  mounds, 
varying  in  height  from  six  to  forty  feet. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  mounds  are 
arranged  in  a line,  nearly  parallel  with 
the  west  wall  of  the  enclosure,  and 
about  thirty  rods  west  of  it,  and  ex- 
tend at  least  fifty  rods  further  north  than 
the  wall  does.  The  mounds  that  are 
thus  arranged  touch  at  their  bases,  and 
are  conical — some  having  a base  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  circumference, 
and  some  not  more  than  one  hundred 
feet.  Around  the  northwest  angle  of 
the  enclosure,  and  at  a distance  from  it, 
is  a curved  line  of  mounds,  and  so  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  enclosure. 
Besides  these,  are  other  mounds,  irregu- 
larly located  on  different  eminences,  at 
a great  distance  from  the  wall.  One,  in 
particular,  is  very  prominent,  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  rods  southwest  from 
the  wall,  and  it  is  different  in  formation 


from  the  others,  having  a crater  formed  I 


in  the  top.  Many  of  these  mounds  have 
been  opened,  and  in  some  a regular 
stone  structure  has  been  found,  in  form 
like  an  oven— the  stone  cemented  sol- 
idly together,  having  a perfectly  smooth 
surface  within  and  without.  In  one  of 
these  vaults  was  found  a copper  coin, 
with  an  impression  upon  one  side,  of  two 
birds,  and  upon  the  other  were  unin- 
telligible hieroglyphics.  Metallic  hatch- 
ets, axes,  and  knives,  have  been  found, 
and  pieces  of  cord  and  coarse  cloth,  and 
fragments  of  pottery. 

Upon  some  of  these  mounds  are  trees 
a hundred  years  old.  The  present  race 
of  Indians  have  been  using  the  enclo- 
sure for  a planting  ground,  as  the  corn 
hills  are  very  plain  to  be  seen.  The  en- 
closure is  upon  a level  piece  of  ground 
elevated  about  eighteen  feet  above  the 
river,  and  the  mounds  are  upon  ground 
fifty  feet  higher  than  the  enclosure.  The 
mounds  and  enclosure  were  most  un- 
doubtedly the  work  of  the  same  people. 
Here  is  to  be  found  evidence  of  a prog- 
less  in  the  arts,  tjiat  no  American  Indian, 
of  which  we  have  any  account,  ever 
made.  Mounds  north  of  Fox  lake,  also 
upon  the  borders  of  Highland  prairie,  in 
Dodge  county,  are  very  similar  in  their 
formation  and  appearance  to  these. 

At  Summit,  in  Waukesha  county,  are 
^ diffeient  class  of  mounds.  They  are 
formed  like  a house-roof,  are  about  two 
rods  long,  and  five  or  six  feet  high,  and 
are  scattered  about  over  the  plains  in 
groups,  resembling  military  companies 
in  the  different  movements  of  marchino- 
by  platoon,  echelon,  and  in  file. 

Other  antiquities  of  interest  have  been 
recently  discovered  in  Fond  du  Lac, 
that  are  represented  as  being  nearly  as 
extensive  as  these  of  Aztalan. 

A Clearing  and  Log  Cabin. — This  is 
a faithful  representation  of  the  dwelling 
of  every  settler  in  our  western  regions^ 
and  humble  dwellings  of  this  form  and 
size  now  shelter  the  heads  of  thousands, 
whose  families  will  be  among  the  most 
wealthy  of  our  citizens  in  a single  gene- 
ration. A log-cabin,  in  a new  territory, 
may  be  regarded  as  a most  striking  em- 
blem of  enterprise  well  directed.  Econ- 
omy and  industry,  sound  calculation  and 
manly  resolution,  are  expressed  by  its 


A Clearing  and  Log-Cabin. 


596 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 


small  size  and  rude  aspect ; for  it  is  the 
cheapest  dwelling-place  which  ingenu- 
ity can  invent,  in  a country  where  wood 
abounds ; and,  when  constructed  with 
sufficient  pains,  is  warm  in  winter  and 
cool  in  summer. 

The  custom  generally  prevails  among 
settlers  to  aid  each  new-comer  in  the 
erection  of  a house  ; and  the  simple  plan 
of  a log-cabin  enables  every  one  to  be- 
come a competent  builder,  after  a little 
practice.  Where  logs  are  not  to  be 
had,  poles  are  sometimes  used  ; and 
then  the  fabric  is  frail  and  loose,  so  that 
it  is  difficult  to  make  the  walls  tight, 
even  with  all  the  clay,  moss,  &c.,  with 
which  the  interstices  can  be  stuffed. 
When  round  logs  are  used,  such  means 
are  generally  effectual,  if  carefully  ap- 
plied and  often  renewed. 

The  first  furniture  usually  introduced 
into  a dwelling  of  this  kind,  is  a table, 
made  of  four  stakes  driven  into  the 
ground,  a bedstead  of  the  rudest  kind, 
and  a few  blocks  cut  from  the  ends  of 
logs  for  seats ; while'  the  utensils  are 
such  as  the  family  have  brought  in  their 
wagon. 

With  such  a roof  over  him  as  the  en- 
graving represents,  and  such,  food  as  he 
can  procure  in  the  forest,  the  settler 
proceeds  with  cheerfulness  to  the  clear- 
ing of  a little  land,  and  the  planting  of 
his  first  crop,  which  is  usually  the  har- 
binger of  a series  of  fruitful  seasons,  and 
a course  of  continued  and  increasing 
prosperity. 

A Prairie  on  fire  is  a scene  of  an 
impressive  character,  and  sometimes  ter- 
rific, dangerous,  and  destructive.  It  has 
been  the  practice  of  the  Indians,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  North  America,  from 
time  immemorial,  to  set  fire  to  the  dry 
grass  on  the  prairies,  meadows,  and 
other  fertile  grounds  fitted  for  pasture  ; 
and  the  same  custom  has  prevailed  in 
some  other  parts  of  the  world.  Accord- 
ing to  Leichhart,  the  first  explorer  of 
Australia,  it  is  common  in  the  interior 
of  that  vast  island,  or  continent.  The* 
object  is  usually  twofold,  so  far  as  the 
motives  of  the  American  Indians  can  be 
ascertained,  viz.,  to  prevent  the  growth 
of  young  trees,  and  to  enrich  the  pas- 
tures with  the  ashes  of  the  burnt  crop, 


that  it  may  prove  most  attractive  to  the 
deer  or  other  game  in  the  succeeding 
warm  season. 

The  fire,  however,  sometimes  spreads 
much  further  than  is  desired,  and  for- 
ests of  great  extent,  with  houses,  and 
even  cattle  and  men,  are  sometimes  de- 
stroyed. A strong  wind,  aided  by  a 
dry  season,  or  accident  in  firing  a field 
at  a wrong  time,  thus  occasionally 
proves  disastrous.  Wild  animals,  which 
have  been  sheltered  by  the  high  grass, 
are  often  driven  precipitately  from  their 
lair,  and  Indians  or  travellers  have  some- 
times been  surprised  by  a conflagration, 
from  which  they  have  not  escaped  with- 
out the  greatest  difficulty.  The  wind 
not  unfrequently  spreads  the  flames  fast- 
er than  a man  or  even  a horse  can  run, 
and  then  the  safest  way  is,  when  possi- 
ble, to  plunge  through  the  burning  mass, 
and  get  to  windward. 

The  Maiden's  Rock. — This  bold  bluff 
rises  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi, 
at  a point  near  the  middle  of  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  Wisconsin,  where  it 
extends  its  breadth  to  two  and  a half 
miles,  and  bears  the  name  of  Lake  Pe- 
pin. This  rock  is  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  the  upper 
part  forms  a precipice  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty.  A tragical  tale  is  connected 
with  it  in  an  Indian  tradition,  from 
which  it  has  received  its  name.  The 
following  is  an  abridgment  of  the  story, 
as  related  to  Major  Long  : — 

In  the  village  of  Keoxa,  in  the  tribe 
of  Wapasha,  once  lived  a young  Indian 
woman  named  Winona,  between  whom 
and  a young  hunter  existed  an  ardent 
attachment.  Her  parents  opposed  hei 
wishes,  having  fixed  their  choice  upon 
a warrior,  whom  they  urged  her  to 
marry.  Her  brothers,  however,  resolved 
that  she  should  not  be  treated  with 
harshness,  and  endeavored  to  remove 
her  objections  to  the  warrior,  by  giving 
him  valuable  presents,  which  would  en- 
able him  to  make  provision  for  his  wife, 
if  he  should  be  absent  on  an  excursion 
against  his  enemies.  This  encourage- 
ment from  the  family  of  Winona  induced 
him  to  renew  his  suit : but  she  was  as 
resolute  as  before,  which  provoked  her 
parents  to  threaten  her. 


Maiden’s  Rock,  on  the  Mississippi 


598 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Ihe  hunter  had  already  been  driven 
into  the  forest,  and  she  despaired  of  be- 
ing allowed  to  lead  a single  life,  and 
climbing  to  the  summit  of  the  bluff, 
seated  herself  upon  the  awful  brink, 
and  began  to  sing  her  death-song.  Ter- 
rified at  the  prospect  of  her  suicide,  and 
repenting  of  their  cruelty,  the  parents 
now  strove  to  prevent  her  from  perform- 
ing her  intention,  and  were  seconded 
by  their  friends.  Some  climbed  the 
rock  to  seize  the  desperate  maiden,  and 
the  others  took  their  stations  at  the 
foot  of  the  precipice  ; but  no  exertions, 
protestations,  or  promises,  would  avail ; 
and,  throwing  herself  from  the  summit, 
she  was  killed  by  the  fall. 

The  scenery  between  Lake  Pepin 
and  the  St.  Uioix  is  not  as  lofty  nor  as 
picturesque  as  that  below;  but  its  in- 
terest is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  greater 
number  of  Indians.  Tlie  Red  wing  vil- 
lage is  nearly  midway  between  the  two 
lakes  mentioned,  and  contains  about  six 
hundred  souls.  A short  distance  from 
this  village  are  two  isolated  mountains, 
where  may  be  seen  a most  magnificent 
panorama  of  the  wilderness.  These 
mountains,  from  time  immemorial,  have 
been  used  as  altars  where  Indian  war 
parties  have  offered  up  their  sacrifices, 
previous  to  going  to  battle.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  their  only  inhabi- 
tants are  rattlesnakes. 

Lake  St.  Croix  empties  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  its  principal  inlet  is  a river 
°f  . .e  same  name,  which  rises  -in  the 
vicinity  of  Lake  Superior.  This  is  the 
valley  through  which  the  traders  and 
Indians  have  been  in  the  habit  of  pass- 
ing, for  a century  past,  on  their  way 
from  the  western  prairies  to  Lake  Su- 
perior, and  from  the  lake  back  again  to 
the  prairies.  The  river  is  only  distin- 
guished for  one  waterfall  of  uncommon 
beauty.  The  lake  is  about  twenty-five 


miles  long,  from  two- to  five  wide,  and 
surrounded  with  charming  scenery.  The 
water  is  clear,  but  of  a rich  brown  color, 
and  well  supplied  with  fish,  of  which 
the  trout  is  the  most  abundant. 

From  St.  Croix  to  St.  Peter's,  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  are  steep  but 
only  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
height.  The  river  is  here  studded  with 


islands,  whose  shadowy  recesses  are 
cool  during  the  hottest  weather— and  a 
more  delightful  region  for  the  botanist 
to  ramble  can  not  be  found  elsewhere 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  water  is 
clear  as  crystal,  and  its  bosom  is  gener- 
ally covered  with  waterfowl,  from  the 
graceful  snow-white  swan  to  the  mallard 
and  wood-duck.  Isolated  Indian  wig- 
wams are  frequently  seen  here,  pitched 
on  the  margin  of  the  stream  and  at  the 
foot  of  vine-covered  precipices. 

The  Mines  of  Lake  Superior. — Isle 
Royale  is  a portion  of  the  territory  ce- 
ded by  the  Chippewa  Indians  to  the 
United  States,  by  the  treaty  of  October, 
1842.  So  imperfectly  known  was  the 
region  thus  acquired,  that  it  was  repre- 
sented, in  the  instructions  of  the  govern- 
ment to  the  first  mineral  agent,  in  the 
spring  of  1843,  as  an  “unexplored  re- 
gion— a newly-acquired  country.”  This 
island  had  long  been  known  to  the  In- 
dians and  fur-traders,  as  being  rich  in 
minerals,  yet  it  was  ceded  by  name,  al- 
though clearly  included  in  the  general 
description.  The  consequence  was,  that 
after  mineral  locations  had  been  made 
upon  the  island,  in  1843,  by  Professor 
Locke,  of  Cincinnati,  a portion  of  the 
Chippewas  insisted  that  Isle  Royale  was 
not  ceded  by  the  treaty  of  1842.  The 
Indians  were  instigated  to  assert  this 
pretended  claim,  by  the  “traders  and 
designing  men”  who  had  obtained  some 
knowledge  of  its  great  mineral  riches. 
This  pretended  claim  caused  the  sus- 
pension of  mining  operations  on  the 
island,  and  another  treaty  was  made  in 
1844,  whereby  the  Indians  solemnly  ac- 
knowledge the  cession  of  the  island  by 
the  treaty  of  1842. 

The  owners  of  the  locations  on  the 
island,  after  various  delays,  obtained  the 
recognition  of  their  rights,  from  the  gov- 
ernment, and  in  the  spring  of  1846,  as- 
sociated themselves  together  under  the 
name  of  the  Isle  Royale  and  Ohio  mi - 
ning  company , and* proceeded  at  once  to 
the  island  with  an  efficient  force  for  mi- 
ning operations. 

Isle  Royale  is  in  the  northwest  part 
of  Lake  Superior,  in  forty-eight  degrees 
north  latitude,  and  eighty-nine  degrees 
west  longitude,  extending  northeast  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WISCONSIN.  599* 

southwest  forty-five  miles,  and  varies 
from  three  to  five  and  eight  miles  in 
width.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  in  circumference,  and 
has  a greater  number  of  harbors — lar- 
ger, safer,  of  much  easier  access,  and  far 
more  beautiful — than  is  within  all  the 
remaining  territorial  limits  of  the  United 
States  upon  the  lake.  Rock  harbor, 
upon  the  southeast  coast  of  the  island,  is 
fifteen  miles  long,  and  from  half  a mile 
to  a mile  wide.  Between  the  main  land 
and  the  lake  is  a chain  of  islands  for 
ten  miles,  between  which  are  channels 
of  deep  water  from  the  harbor  to  the 
lake.  These  islands  are  irregular  ele-. 
vations  of  rock  covered  with  evergreens. 
Resting  upon  the  transparent  waters  of 
the  harbor,  they  present  the  most  at- 
tractive feature 'in  one  of  Nature’s  most 
enchanting  pictures. 

The  next  harbor  of  importance  is  at 
“ Siskowit  bay,”  eighteen  miles  south- 
west from  Rock  harbor.  This  harbor 
would  afford  safe  anchorage  for  all  the 
vessels  of  the  upper  lakes,  and  is  at  all 
times  accessible  through  “ Medary’s  en- 
trance.” Washington  harbor  comes 
next,  at  the  west  end  of  the  island,  ex- 
tending inland  about  three  miles.  Then 
comes  Todd’s  harbor,  and  M‘Cargo’s 
cove,  on  the  north  and  northeast  coast — 
both  safe  and  beautiful  harbors  for  ves- 
sels of  any  burden.  Besides  these,  there 
are  numerous  inlets  and  indentations 
along  the  coast,  except  on  the  northwest 
shore,  where  perpendicular  cliffs  extend 
for  fifteen  miles.  The  northeast  end  of 
the  island  resembles  a man’s  hand — the 
thumb  being  the  point  at  the  entrance 
into  Rock  harbor,  and  the  -fingers  the 
four  elevated  ridges  extending  into  the 
lake,  with  deep  bays  or  inlets  inter- 
vening, two,  four,  and  six  miles  in 
length. 

The  lake  around  the  northeast  end  of 
the  island  is  thickly  dotted  with  small 
islands  of  rock,  from  forty  to  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  *high,  covered  with 
evergreens  and  white  birch. 

There  are  numerous  beautiful  lakes 
of  pure  water  upon  the  island,  from  one 
to  three  miles  in  length,  abounding  in 
fish,  furnishing  streams  of  sufficient  vol- 
ume for  saw-mills  and  all  mining  pur- 

poses.  There  are  also  many  small  prai- 
ries producing  wild  grass. 

Isle  Royale  may  be  described  as  a “ 
mighty  “ up-heave”  of  irregular  cliffs, 
bluffs,  and  mountains  of  rock — the  ele- 
vation in  many  places  being  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  lake.  The  mount- 
ain ranges  run  nearly  parallel  with  the 
island.  There  are  also  innumerable 
deep  ravines  or  gutters,  which  are  here 
called  dikes,  running  parallel  through  the 
island,  at  the  bottom  of  which  metallife- 
rous veins  are  invariably  found,  and  to 
which  the  intervening  veins  or  feeders 
usually  lead. 

The  prevailing  character  of  the  rock 
on  the  different  portions  of  the  island  is 
altered  sand  rock,  underlaid  with  the 
true  red  sand-stone  and  conglomerate, 
which  makes  its  appearance  near  Rock 
harbor,  and  continues  along  the  southern 
coast.  Green  stone  also  shows  itself 
frequently.  On  the  northern  coast,  green 
stone,  amygdaloid,  sienite,  and  sienitic 
porphyry  prevail ; the  mountain  ranges 
are  generally  green  stone  also. 

The  island  is  thickly  wooded,  ever- 
greens of  small  growth  prevailing.  The 
varieties  are  balsam,  spruce,  yellow  and 
white  cedar,  white  pine,  tamerack,  white 
birch,  several  kinds  of  poplar,  black  al- 
der, mountain  oak,  a few  black  ash  and 
maples,  juniper  bushes,  and  dwarf  cher- 
ries. The  pine  and  spruce  are  sufficient 
in  number  and  size  for  boards  and  tim- 
ber for  the  uife  of  the  island.  The  fruit 
consists  of  blue-berries,  raspberries,  wild 
strawberries,'  thimble-berries,  and  cran- 
berries. 

The  animals  are  rabbits,  red  and  gray 
squirrels,  lynx,  and  carriboos  (a  species 
of  deer).  The  fowls  are  ducks,  loons, 
gulls,  partridges,  pigeons,  night-hawks, 
jay-birds,  owls,  bats,  &c.  The  fish  are 
speckled  trout,  Mackinac  trout,  Siskowit 
trout,  white-fish,  mullet,  pickerel,  and 
herring. 

During  the  summer  months  the  cli- 
mate is  mild,  healthful,  and  rejuvena- 
ting ; the  days  not  too  hot  for  comforta- 
ble labor,  and  the  nights  just  cool  enough 
for  refreshing  sleep.  In  the  winter  the 
snow  falls  from  two  to  four  feet  deep, 
and  the  weather  is  cold,  without  sudden 
changes. 

The  Great  American  Lakes. — We 
can  n , perhaps,  close  the  description 
of  the  latest  cismontain  state  added  to 
the  confederation,  more  appropriately 
than  by  the  following  brief  record  of  the 
depth,  and  width,  and  average  extent  of 
the  great  American  lakes,  two  of  which 
lave  its  borders.  It  is  from  the  recent 
official  report  of  the  chief  of  the  topo- 
graphical bureau,  and  therefore  may  be 
relied  upon. 

“ The  great  lakes  of  our  country, 
which  may  justly  be  considered  inland 
seas,  are  the  following  : Champlain,  On- 
tario, Erie,  St.  Clair,  Huron,  Michigan, 
and  Superior.  These  lakes  are  of  great 
depth,  as  well  as  of  great  extent.  The 
entire  line  of  lake  coast  embraces  about 
5,000  miles,  2,000  miles  of  which  con- 
stitute the  coast  of  a foreign  power. 


Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 

Lake 

Its 

Its 


Champlain  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 

Ontario  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 

Erie  is 

greatest  width 
average  width 

St.  Clair  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 

Huron  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 

Michigan  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 

Superior  is 
greatest  width 
average  width 


105  miles  long. 
12  miles. 

8 miles. 

108  miles  long. 
52  miles. 

40  miles. 

240  miles  long. 

57  miles. 

38  miles. 

1 8 miles  long. 
25  miles. 

12  miles. 

^0  miles  long. 
104  miles.* 

.70  miles. 

340  miles  long. 
83  miles. 

58  miles. 

420  miles  long. 
135  miles. 

100  miles. 


“ These  lakes  may  be  considered  as 
connected  throughout  their  whole  ex- 
tent. Lake  Champlain  connects  with 
Lake  Ontario  by  means  of  the  river 
Richelieu ; the  lock  and  dam  navigation 
of  St.  Lawrence  river;  the  Ottawa  riv- 
er and  Rideau  canal  through  Canada; 
and  the  Champlain  and  Erie  canals  of 

* This  does  not  include  the  extensive  bay  of 
Georgian,  itself  120  miles  long,  and  average  45  wide. 


New  York.  Lake  Ontario  is  connected 
with  Lake  Erie  by  means  of  the  Wel- 
land canal  through  Canada,  and  by 
means  of  Oswego  and  Erie  canals 
through  the  state  of  New  York.  Lake 
Erie  is  connected  with  Lake  St.  Clair  by 
the  deep  and  navigable  strait  of  Detroit, 

| twenty-five  miles  long.  Lake  St.  Clair  is 
connected  with  Lake  Huron  by  the  deep 
and  navigable  strait  of  St.  Clair,  thirty- 
two  miles  long.  Lake  Huron  is  connect- 
ed with  Lake  Michigan  by  the  deep  and 
wide  strait  of  Mackinaw,  and  with  Lake 
Superior  by  strait  of  St.  Mary’s,  forty- 
six  miles  long.  This  strait  is  navigable 
throughout  except  for  about  one  mile  of 
its  length,  immediately  adjacent  to  Lake 
Superior,  where  from  rocks  and  the  ex- 
treme rapidity  of  the  current,  naviga- 
tion ceases.  These  difficulties  can,  how- 
ever, be  easily  surmounted  ffiy  a canal 
of  not  more  than  a mile  long,  with  locks 
to  overcome  a fall  of  about  twenty-one 
feet.  The  only  additional  obstruction  to 
this  immense  extent  of  inland  navigation 
is  in  St.  Clair  lake,  on  approaching  the  St. 
Clair  strait.  This  obstruction  consists 
of  an  extensive  bar,  but  not  of  great 
width,  over  which  not  more  than  seven 
feet  of  water,  in  depressed  conditions  of 
the  lakes,  can  be  counted  upon.  From 
an  examination  of  this  shoal,  it  has  been 
found  to  consist  of  an  indurated  marl, 
leaving  but  little  cause  of  doubt  that  if 
a channel  were  once  dredged  through, 
it  would  remain  a durable  improvement. 

“ Lake  Champlain  lies  exclusively  (ex- 
cept the  strait  near  Rouse’s  point)  within 
the  states  of  Vermont  and  New  York; 
the  former  occupying  its  eastern,  the 
latter  its  western  margin.  It  is  not 
considered  a dangerous  lake  to  navi- 
gate ; and  the  principal  protection 
which  its  commerce  requires,  is  in  form 
of  breakwaters,  to  shelter  its  open  har- 
bors.” 

The  vast  commerce  of  these  lakes,  and 
the  great  extent  of  coast,  prove  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  surveys  through  which 
this  information  is  obtained,  in  order 
that  we  may  possess  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  bars,  rocks,  and  shoals,  to 
which  this  active  commerce  on  so  ex- 
tensive a line  of  coast  is  imminently 
exposed. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  601 


CALIFORNIA. 

New  or  Alta  California  was  discov- 
ered about  1542,  by  Juan  Rodriguez 
Cabrillo,  who  explored  the  coast  as  fai 
north  as  the  forty-third  degree  of  north 
laiitude.  Portions  of  the  coast  were 
visited  by  Sir  Francis  Drake  in  1578, 
by  Francisco  Galli  in  1582,  and  by 
Sebastian  Vescayna  in  1603.  Yescayna 
discovered  the  ports  of  San  Diego  and 
Monterey,  and  closed  the  career  of  north- 
ern exploration  which  had  originated 
with  Cortez.  In  1767,  the  Jesuits,  by 
whom  the  settlement  of  Lower  Califor- 
nia had  been  accomplished,  fell  under 
the  displeasure  of  the  government  of 
Spain,  and  were  expelled  from  the  pen- 
insula. The  Marquis  de  Croix,  who  was  at  that  time  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  re- 
placed them  by  the  rival  order  of  the  Franciscans,  upon  whom  he  strongly  urged 
the  spiritual  conquest  of  the  upper  province.  This  enterprise  the  government 
considered  more  important  than  the  settlement  of  the  peninsula.  The  accounts 
which  were  current  of  the  wealth  of  the  country  were  very  flattering,  and  political 
reasons  induced  them  to  lend  efficient  assistance  to  the  adventure.  Both  France  and 
England  at  that  time  evinced  considerable  interest  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  and 
the  countries  upon  its  coast;  and  the  explorations  ofJBourgainville  and  Cook  had 
begun  to  exciie  alarm.  Russia  also,  with  noiseless,  but  certain  advance,  was 
stretching  her  gigantic  empire  alone  the  western  coast,  and  Spain  recognised  the 
necessity  of  preventing  these  dangerous  intruders  from  obtaining  a foothold  in 
her  American  possessions. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  spiritual  subjugation  of  Upper  California  was 
accomplished  in  a comparatively  short  time.  The  same  career  of  privation  and 
toil  was  run  by  the  priestly  pioneers  as  marked  the  settlement  of  the  peninsula, 


r~-  " = 

602  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

but  the  missions  grew  up  more  rapidly, 
and  the  difficulties  were,  on  the  whole, 
fewer.  The  results  were  equally  unim- 
portant. Neither  Mexico  nor  the  colo- 
ny was  much  benefited.  The  country 
offered  great  inducements  to  a profita- 
ble trade,  and  was  believed  to  possess 
large  deposites  of  quicksilver  and  gold  ; 
but  the  narrow  and  unwise  policy  of 
Mexico,  both  when  an  appendage  of 
Spain,  and  an  independent  state,  ren- 
dered the  development  of  its  resources 
impossible.  The  government  fettered 
commerce.  It  imposed  restrictions  in- 
stead of  granting  facilities;  levied  oner- 
ous taxes,  and  stretched  a barrier  of 
customhouses  across  ports  which  a lib- 
eral policy  would  have  crowded  with 
profitable  trade.  The  interests  of  the 
country  were  wholly  disregarded  ; and 
California  became  a refuge  for  invalid 
soldiers,  indolent  priests,  dnd  pampered 
officials. 

The  missions,  however,  aided  by  large 
donations  from  the  pious  in  Mexico, 
which  were  consolidated  into  what  was 
styled  “the  California  Pious  Fund,” 
rapidly  grew  in  importance.  They 
brought  the  mass  of  the  native  popula- 
tion into  a condition  of  comparative 
vassalage,  and  gradually  absorbed  the 
valuable  lands,  almost  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  white  settlers.  They  existed  in 
a state  of  almost  total  independence  of 
Mexico ; and  although  ordinary  govern- 
ment establishments  were  kept  up,  as  in 
the  other  provinces  of  the  vice-royalty, 
the  priests  were  virtually  the  owners  of 
the  soil,  and  the  masters  of  the  country. 
Affairs  remained  in  this  position  until 
the  occurrence  of  the  Mexican  revolu- 
tion in  1824.  This  revolution,  which 
separated  Mexico  from  Spain,  -annexed 
California  to  that  republic.  The  Cali- 
fornias  were  then  erected  into  territories, 
not  having  sufficient  population  to  en- 
title them  to  be  federative  states,  and 
were  each  allowed  to  send  one  meniber 
to  the  general  congress,  who  was  priv- 
ileged to  take  part  in  the  debates  of  that 
body,  but  had  no  voice  in  its  decisions. 
As  territories,  they  were  under  the  gov- 
ernment of  an  agent  styled  the  com- 
mandant-general, whose  powers  were 
very  extensive. 

The  country  has  several  times  since 
the  Spanish  poweT  was  exterminated, 
suffered  from  revolution ; and  for  the 
last  ten  or  twelve  years  of  its  connexion 
with  Mexico,  the  authority  of  that  nation 
over  it  was  very  loose.  Its  distance 
from  the  metropolis  would  indeed  tend 
to  such  a result.  The  people  more  than 
once  declared  themselves  independent, 
and  as  often  rejoined  the  confederacy. 

In  1846,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
between  the  United  Slates  and  Mexico, 
California  was  occupied  by  the  United 
States  forces ; and,  by  the  treaty  of  Guad- 
alupe Hidalgo,  Feb.  2,t  1848,  the  whole 
country  was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  above  named 
month,  a mechanic,  named  James  W. 
.Marshall,  was  employed  in  building  a 
saw-mill  for  Captain  Sutter  on  the  south  . 
branch  of  a river  known  as  the  Ameri-  ' 
can  Fork.  On  Fremont’s  map,  the  riv- 
er is  called  “ Rio  de  los  Americanos.”  » 
While  cutting  a race  for  this  improve-  ’ 
ment,  Mr.  Marshall  discovered  the  scales 
of  gold  as  they  glistened  in  the  sunlight 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sluice.  He  gather- 
ed a few,  examined  them,  and  became 
satisfied  of  their  value.  He  informed 
Captain  Sutter  of  his  discovery,  and 
they  agreed  to  keep  it  secret  until  the 
mill  of  Captain  Sutter  was  finished.  It 
however  got  out  and  spread  like  magic.  [ 
Remarkable  success  attended  the  labors 
of  the  first  explorers,  "and  in  a few  weeks 
hundreds  of  men  were  drawn  thither. 
Examinations  were  prosecuted  at  other 
points  along  the  stream  and  almost  ev- 
erywhere with  success.  The  result  was 
extraordinary.  Thousands  flocked  to 
California  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
and  a lively  commerce  was  thus  initiated 
which  bids  fair  in  a few  years  to  become  ! 
more  extensive  and  valuable  than  all  the 
present  foreign  trade  of  the  United 
States  together. 

Previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  pre- 
cious metals  in  California,  the  principal 
route  to  the  Pacific  coast  of  North 
America  had  been  around  Cape  Horn. 
This  long,  perilous,  and  fatiguing  voy- 
age, consumed  a period  of  from  six  to 
eight  months,  and  sometimes  longer  for 
its  accomplishment,  and  many  of  the 
earlier  emigrants  to  California,  reached 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  603 


there  by  this  tedious  route.  But,  pre- 
vious to  this  period,  however,  arrange- 
ments had  been  entered  into  by  govern- 
ment, under  appropriations  made  by 
Congress  for  that  purpose,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a line  of  semi-monthly  mail- 
steamers  to  California  and  Oregon  by 
the  way  of  the  isthmus  of  Panama. 
This  line  was  soon  in  operation  ; but 
though  it  proved  entirely  successful  as 
a medium  of  rapid  transmission  of  the 
mail  to  and  from  that  distant  region, 
shortening  the  period  of  transit  from 
New  York  to  California  to  less  than 
forty  days,  it  was  still  inadequate  to  the 
demand  for  passages  of  the  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  who  determined 
to  emigrate  to  the  new  El  Dorado  of 
the  Pacific.  To  meet  this  demand, 
vessels  were  chartered  in  all  the  Atlan- 
tic ports  for  the  conveyances  of  passen- 
gers to  Chagres,  on  the  Atlantic  side  of 
the  isthmus,  this  being  a far  quicker  and 
safer  route  than  a voyage  round  Cape 
Horn.  The  passage  across  the  isthmus 
was  made  in  canoes  up  the  Chagres 
river  forty  miles  to  Gorgona,  and  thence 
overland  on  mules,  a distance  of  twenty 
miles  to  the  city  of  Panama  on  the  Pa- 
cific side  of  the  isthmus.  So  immense 
was  the  number  who  chose  this  route, 
that  the  vessels  on  the  Pacific  side  proved 
entirely  inadequate  to  their  transporta- 
tion up  to  California,  and  soon  several 
thousands  were  collected  on  the  isthmus, 
many  of  whom  had  to  wait  months, 
ere  they  obtained  a passage  up  the  Pa- 
cific, though  every  possible  sort,  of  craft 
that  could  be  pressed  into  the  service, 
was  made  available  to  supply  the  de- 
mand for  passage.  The  view  of  Pana- 
ma, placed  on  the  following  page,  shows 
a party  of  Americans  converting  canoes 
into  vessels,  in  which  to  reach  the  gold- 
en land  of  their  “ hope  deferred.”  The 
engraving  is  no  fancy  sketch,  but  was 
drawn  by  a gentleman  residing  at  Pan- 
ama, who  witnessed  their  labors  from  the 
window  of  his  hotel. 

Additional  steamers  have,  from  time 
to  time,  been  put  upon  the  route,  on  both 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  sides,  until  this 
medium  of  travel  can  now  accommodate 
all  requiring  a conveyance  to  or  from 
the  land  of  gold.  A railroad  across  the 


isthmus  is  in  rapid  process  of  construc- 
tion, which,  when  finished,  will  greatly 
facilitate,  as  regards  both  time  and  com- 
fort, that  most  fatiguing  portion  of  the 
journey.  ’Another  route,  by  the  way  of 
the  river  San  Juan  and  across  the  lake 
Nicaragua,  and  about  twenty  miles  by 
stage  to  the  Pacific  coast,  has  been  es- 
tablished. This  route  is  about  a thou- 
sand miles  shorter  than  that  by  the  way 
of  Panama ; and  the  voyage,  from  San 
Francisco  to  New  York,  via  Nicaragua, 
has  been  made  in  twenty-eight  days. 
May  we  not  hope  that  the  day  is  not 
distant,  when  a railroad  directly  across 
the  continent,  shall  shorten  the  passage 
between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  metro- 
politan cities  to  one  fifth  of  twenty-eight 
days  ; when  the  triumphs  of  science  and 
art  shall  render  them  comparatively 
near  neighbors,  contributing  to  each 
other’s  prosperity,  greatness,  and  hap- 
piness ; and  when,  literally,  from  sea  to 
sea,  a continuous  line  of  enlightened, 
civilized  communities,  shall  greet  the 
eye  of  the  traveller,  as  he  makes  a rapid 
transit  east  or  west  across  the  American 
continent ! 

In  September,  1849,  in  consequence  of 
the  disorganized  condition  of  things,  and 
the  insecurity  which  generally  prevailed, 
the  people  of  California,  by  their  dele- 
gates, met  in  convention,  at  Monterey,  and 
formed  a constitution,  which  was  ratified 
by  the  people  in  November,  1849.  The 
constitution  being  submitted  to  Con- 
gress, was  ratified  by  that  body,  and  the 
state  of  California  thus  admitted  into 
the  Union,  September  9,  1850. 

The  intelligence  of  the  reception  of 
California  into  the  Union  was  welcomed 
at  San  Francisco  with  expressions  of 
universal  enthusiasm.  The  steamer 
which  bore  the  tidings  was  decked  with 
flags  and  streamers  of  all  nations,  with  a 
piece  of-  canvass  extending  from  fore  to 
mainmast  inscribed  with  the  words  “ Cali 
fornia  is  admitted.”  The  salvos  of  artil- 
lery and  the  waving  of  flags  soon  spread 
the  joyful  news  to  every  part  of  the  city. 
All  classes  of  the  inhabitants  shared  the 
general  hilarity,  and  with  exchanges  of 
mutual  congratulations  exulted  in  the 
accession  of  California  as  the  thirty-first 
state  of  the  federal  Union.  A more 


Americans  converting  Canoes  into  Schooners,  in  the  Bay  of  Panama. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  605 


formal  celebration  of  this  event  took 
place  on  the  29th  of  October,  in  which 
the  citizens  generally  participated  with 
patriotic  joy.  A procession  was  formed 
in  honor  of  the  occasion,  salutes  were 
fired,  banners  displayed,  an  oration  pro- 
nounced, a national  ode  sung,  and  the 
festivities  closed  with  a ball  and  supper. 

According  to  the  terms  of  the  consti- 
tution the  legislative  power  is  vested  in 
a senate  and  assembly,  called  the  legis- 
lature of  California.  Senators  not  less 
in  number  than  one  third,  nor  more  than 
one  half  the  number  of  members  of  as- 
sembly, are  elected  by  the  people  in 
districts,  for  a term  of  two  years,  so 
classified  that  one  half  may  be  chosen 
annually.  Members  of  the  assembly  are 
elected  by  the  people  annually,  in  dis- 
tricts. There  shall  not  be  less  than 
twenty-four,  nor  more  than  thirty-six, 
until  the  population  is  one  hundred  thou- 
sand ; and  afierward,  there  shall  never 
be  more  than  eighty  nor  less  'than  thirty. 
Senators  and  members  of  the  assembly 
must  be  qualified  electors  in  their  dis- 
tricts, and  be  citizens  and  inhabitants  of 
the  state  one  year,  and  of  their  districts 
six  months,  before  their  election. 

The  executive  power  is  vested  in  a 
governor,  elected  by  the  people  for  a 
term  of  two  years.  He  must  be  over 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  a citizen  of  the 
United  States,  and  a resident  of  the  state 
two  years  next  before  the  election.  He 
may  veto  a bill,  but  two  thirds  of  the 
legislature  may  pass  it  afterwaid.  A 
lieutenant-governor  is  elected  by  the 
people  at  the  same  time,  and  for  the 
same  term  with  the  governor,  and  must 
have  the  same  qualifications  ; he  is  presi- 
dent of  the  senate,  and  in  case  the  office 
of  governor  be  vacant,  he  acts  as  gov- 
ernor. A secretary  of  state  is  appointed 
by  the  governor.  A comptroller,  treas- 
urer, attorney  and  surveyor  general, 
are  to  be  elected  by  the  people  at  the 
same  time,  and  for  the  same  term  as  the 
governor. 

The  annual  election  is  held  on  the 
Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  of 
November,  and  the  sessions  of  the  legis- 
lature are  to  be  held  annually,  and  com- 
mence on  the  first  Monday  in  January. 
The  place  for  the  seat  of  government 


has  been  fixed  at  Vallejo.  Divorces  by 
the  legislature,  lotteries,  banking  char- 
ters, and  paper-money,  are  prohibited. 

In  elections  by  the  legislature,  the 
members  vote  viva  voce — by  the  people 
by  ballot. 

The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  a su- 
preme court,  district  courts,  and  county 
courts  ; the  judges  of  all  which  are 
elected  by  the  people.  The  supreme 
court  consists  of  a chief  justice  and  two 
associates,  elected  for  a term  of  six  years. 
District’  judges  are  chosen  for  a term  of 
six  years.  One  county  judge  is  elected 
in  each  county  for  four  years.  County 
officers  are  chosen  by  the  people.  A 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  is 
elected  by  the  people  of  the  state,  for  a 
term  of  three  years. 

Every  white  male  citizen  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  and  every  citizen  of*  Mexico 
under  the  treaty  of  Queretaro,  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  resident  in  the  state 
six  months,  and  of  the  district  where  he 
offers  to  vote  thirty  days  preceding  the 
election,  is  entitled  to  vote.  Indians  and 
their  descendants  may  be  permitted  to 
vote  in  special  cases,  by  a two  thirds 
concurrent  vote  of  the  legislature. 

Slavery,  or  involuntary  servitude,  ex- 
cept for  the  punishment  of  crimes  is  for 
ever  prohibited. 

" A design  for  a state  seal  was  adopted  by 
the  constitutional  convention,  an  engra- 
ving of  which,  of  the  exact  size  of  tho 
seal,  forms  a part  of  the  vignette  at  the- 
commencement  of  ihis  sketch,  on  page 
601.  It  was  designed  by  Major  R.  S. 
Garnett,  of  the  United  States  army. 
Each  region  wished  to  be  represented 
in  the  seal.  The  Sacramento  district 
wanted  a gold  mine,  with  a miner  at 
work;  San  Francisco,  its  harbor  and 
shipping;  the  Sonoma  members  thought 
no  seal  would  be  complete  without  some- 
thing from  their  ancient  “ bear-flag  ;” 
while  those  from  Los  Angelos  and  San 
Diego  wished  their  corn,  vines,  and 
olives,  to  be  represented.  These  several 
requirements  were  met,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, in  the  design. 

Around  the  bevel  of  the  ring  are  rep- 
resented thirty-one  stars,  being  the  num- 
ber of  states  of  which  the  Union  would 
consist,  upon  the  admission  of  California. 


606 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


The  foreground  figure  represents  the 
goddess  Minerva,  having  sprung  full- 
grown  from  the  brain  of  Jupiter.  She 
is  introduced  as  a type  of  the  political 
birth  of  California,  without  having  gone 
through  the  probation  of  a territory. 
At  her  feet  crouches  a grisly  bear,  feed- 
ing upon  clusters  from  a grape-vine, 
which,  with  a sheaf  of  wheat,  are  em- 
blematic of  the  peculiar  characteristics 
of  the  country.  The  sheaf  of  wheat  and 
grape-vine  add  to  the  harmony  of  the 
design,  as  Ceres  sat  beside  Minerva  in 
the  councils  of  the  gods.  A miner  is 
engaged  at  work,  with  a rocker  and 
bowl  at  his  side,  illustrating  the  golden 
wealth  of  the  Sacramento,  upon  whose 
waters  are  seen  shipping,  typical  of  com- 
mercial greatness ; and  the  snow-clad 
peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  make  up  the 
background.  Above,  is  the  Greek  mot- 
to, “ Eureka”  (I  have  found  it),  apply- 
ing either  to  the  principle  involved  in 
the  admission  of  the  st  ate,  or  the  success 
of  the  miners  at  work.  The  remainder  of 
the  vignette,  we  will  say,  en  passant , is 
a scene  in  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento. 

California  Alta,  in  its  full  extent, 
as  acquired  b.y  the  United  States  from 
the  republic  of  Mexico,  lies  between  the 
32d  and  42d  degrees  of  north  latitude, 
and  between  the  106th  and  124th  de- 
grees of  longitude  west  from  Green- 
wich ; and  is  bounded  north  by  the 
territory  of  Oregon  ; east  by  the  Indian 
territory  and  New  Mexico ; south  by 
the  river  Gila,  which  separates  it  from 
the  Mexican  states  of  Chihuahua  and 
Sonora,  and  by  California  Baja ; and 
west  by  the  Pacific  ocean,  on  which  it 
has  a front  of  970  miles.  The  area  in- 
cluded within  these  limits  is  estimated 
at  500,000  square  miles.  California 
Alta  is  now  divided  into  the  state  of 
California  and  the  territory  of  Utah. 

The  boundaries  of  the  state  of  Cali- 
fornia, as  established  by  Congress,  in  its 
act  admitting  California  into  the  Union, 
are  as  follows  : — 

Commencing  at  the  point  of  intersec- 
tion of  42d  degree  of  north  latitude  with 
120th  degree  of  longitude  west  from 
Greenwich,  and  running  south  on  the 
line  of  said  120th  degree  of  west  longi- 
tude until  it  intersects  the  39th  degree 


of  north  latitude,  thence  running  in  a 
straight  line  in  a southeasterly  direction 
to  the  river  Colorado,  at  a point  where 
it  intersects  the  35th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  thence  down  the  middle  of  the 
channel  of  said  river,  to  the  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ico, as  established  by  the  treaty  of  May 
30,  1848 ; thence  running  west  along 
said  boundary  line  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
and  extending  therein  three  English 
miles ; thence  running  in  a northwester- 
ly direction,  and  following  the  direction 
of  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  42d  degree  of 
north  latitude,  thence  on  the  line  of  said 
42d  degree  of  north  latitude  to  the  place 
of  beginning.  Also  all  the  islands,  har- 
bors, and  bays  along  and  adjacent  co  the 
Pacific  coast. 

This  grand  division  of  California  (the 
only  part,  indeed,  to  which  the  name 
properly  applies)  is  traversed  from  north 
to  south  by  two  principal  ranges  of 
mountains,  called  respectively  Sierra 
Nevada,  which  divides  the  region  from 
the  great  basin,  and  the  coast  range,  run- 
ning almost  parallel  to  and  a short  dis- 
tance from  the  Pacific  coast.  The  main 
feature  of  this  region  is  the  long,  low, 
broad,  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  rivers,  the  two  valleys  form- 
ing one  five  hundred  miles  long  and 
about  sixty  broad.  Lateral  ranges,  par- 
allel with  the  Sierra,  make  the  structure 
of  the  country,  and  break  it  into  a sur- 
face of  valleys  and  mountains,  the  valleys 
a few  hundreds  and  the  mountains  from 
two  to  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
These  form  greater  masses  and  become 
more  elevated  in  the  north,  where  some 
peaks,  as  the  Shasti,  enter  the  regions 
of  perpetual  snow.  The  great  valley 
is  discriminated  only  by  the  names  of 
the  rivers  that  traverse  it.  It  is  a single 
geographical  formation,  lying  between 
the  two  ranges,  and  stretching  across 
the  head  of  the  bay  of  San  Francisco, 
with  which  a delta  of  twenty-five  miles 
connects  it. 

Opposite  the  head  of  the  bay  of  San 
Francisco  and  at  the  point  where  the  Sac- 
ramento and  San  Joaquin  river  debouche, 
occurs  the  only  break  or  gap  in  the  range 
of  mountains  which  forms  the  western 
boundary  of  the  great  valley,  and  (ac- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  607 


cording  to  Fremont’s  map),  run  from 
the  Oregon  line  to  the  34th  parallel,  at 
an  average  elevation  of  two  thousand 
feet.  The  portion  of  the  valley  which 
lies  southeast  of  this  point  is  called  the 
valley  of  the  San  Joaquin.  It  is  about 
three  hundred  miles  long,  and  sixty 
broad,  and  presents  a variety  of  soil, 
from  dry  and  unproductive  to  well  wa- 
tered and  luxuriantly  fertile.  Upon  the 
eastern  side,  it  is  intersected  by  numer- 
ous streams  from  the  Sierra  which  form 
large  and  beautiful  bottom  of  rich  land, 
wooded  principally  with  white  oak  in 
open  groves  of  trees,  often  six  feet  in 
diameter  and  sixty  to  eighty  high.  The 
larger  streams  only  pass  entirely  across 
the  valley.  The  low,  or  foot  hills,  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  which  limit  the  valley, 
make  a woodland  country,  well-watered 
and  diversified.  This  section  of  the  val- 
ley is  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  grape,  and  will  probably  become  the 
principal  vine-growing  region  of  Cali- 
fornia. The  rolling  surface  of  the  hills 
presents  many  sunny  exposures,  shelter- 
ed from  the  winds,  and  having  a soil 
and  climate  highly  favorable  to  this  pur- 
pose. The  vine  thrives  in  California  in 
an  extraordinary  manner.  It  is  already 
cultivated  to  a considerable  extent,  and 
the  wine  produced  is  of  very  excellent 
quality.  Intelligent  cultivation  alone 
seems  needed  to  make  wine  in  quanti- 
ties sufficient  both  for  consumption  and 
exportation.  The  uplands  bordering 
the  valleys  of  the  larger  streams  are 
wooded  with  evergreen  oaks,  and  the 
intervening  plains  are  timbered  with  the 
same  tree,  among  prairie  and  open  land. 
The  surface  is  level,  plain  and  undula- 
ting or  rolling  ground.  The  soil  is  rich, 
and  admirably  adapted  to  the  cultivation 
of  wheat,  which  yields  enormous  crops. 
The  grasses  are  various  and  luxuriant  ; 
and  oats  grow  wild,  covering  large 
tracts  with  a dense  growth  frequently 
as  high  as  the  head  of  a man  mounted 
upon  horseback. 

Around  the  southern  arm  of  the  bay 
of  San  Francisco,  a low  alluvial  bottom 
land,  with  occasional  woods  of  oak, 
borders  the  western  foot  of  the  mount- 
ain ranges,  terminating  on  a breadth  of 
thirty  miles  in  the  valley  of  San  Jose. 


This  valley,  in  connexion  with  that  of 
San  Juan  forms  a continuous  plain  fifty- 
five  miles  in  length,  and  one  mile  to 
twenty  in  breadth  opening  into  smaller 
valleys  among  the  hills.  Shut  in  be- 
tween the  coast  range  and  the  lower 
hills  upon  the  sea,  with  a soil  of  singular 
fertility,  a pure,  and  dry  atmosphere, 
and  a soft  and  delicious  climate,  this 
valley,  opening  directly  upon  the  bay  of 
San  Francisco,  appears  to  unite  more 
inducements  to  settlement  than  any  oth- 
er portion  of  California.  It  is  wooded 
with  majestic  trees,  covered  with  the 
richest  grasses,  brilliant  with  an  endless 
variety  of  wild  flowers,  produces  in  pro- 
fusion the  fruits  of  the  temperate  and 
tropical  zones,  and  breaks  into  secluded 
glens  and  wild  recesses  among  the  hills. 
All  the  tourists  speak  of  it  as  a most 
attractive  and  beautiful  spot. 

North  of  rhe  bay  of  San  Francisco, 
between  the  Sacramento  valley  and  the 
coast,  the  country  is  cut  into  mountain 
ridges  and  rolling  hills,  with  many  fertile 
and  watered  valleys.  In  the  interior  it 
is  generally  well  wooded  with  oak ; 
and,  immediately  along  the  coast,  it  pre- 
sents open  prairie  land  lying  among 
heavily  timbered  forests,  and  frequently* 
covered  for  miles  with  a dense  growth 
of  wild  oats.  To  the  eastward  of  this 
tract,  and  intermediate  between  the  coast 
range  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  stretches 
from  the  head  of  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin  rivers  to  the  mountains 
upon  the  forty-first  parallel,  that  division 
of  the  country  which  is  called  the  valley 
of  the  Sacramento.  It  is  about  two 
hundred  miles  long  and  sixty  wide, 
watered  by  the  Rio  Sacramento  and  ils 
affluents.  It  presents  a diversity  of 
heavily  wooded  plateaux,  rich  prairie 
land,  fertile  slopes,  alluvial  bottoms  and 
strips  of  yellow  gravelly  soil.  Many 
parts  of  it  are  well  adapted  to  grazing, 
and  its  general  character  fits  it  in  an 
eminent  degree  for  the  cultivation  of 
wheat. 

Upon  the  forty-first  parallel,  in  a fork 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  is  a tract  of  high 
table  land,  about  one  hundred  miles  in 
length,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  mount- 
ains, which  is  called  by  Fremont  the 
| Upper  Valley  of  the  Sacramento.  It  is 


» 


608 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


heavily  timbered,  and  its  climate  and 
productions  are  greatly  modified  by  its 
altitude  and  more  northern  position.  The 
Sacramento  river  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  at  its  northern  extremity, 
reaches  the  lower  valley  through  a canon 
on  the  line  of  Shastle  peak,  falling  iwo 
thousand  feet  in  twenty  miles. 

The  largest  river  in  Upper  California 
is  the  Colorado,  which  after  a course  of 
a thousand  miles,  empties  into  the  gulf 
of  California  about  thirty-two  degrees 
north.  The  name  of  this  river  is  des- 
criptive of  its  waters  ; they  are  as  deep- 
ly colored  as  those  of  the  Missouri,  or 
Red  river.  It  rises  and  flows  through 
a region  very  little  known,  and  inhabit- 
ed by  numerous  tribes  of  savages,  who 
manifest  the  most  decided  hostility  to  all 
who  attempt  to  enter  and  explore  it. 

But  by  far  the  most  important  rivers 
of  California  are  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin.  The  San  Joaquin  rises 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada,  near  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  valley.  It  is  fed  by 
many  larger  tributaries  from  the  Sierra 
and  empties  into  the  bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco after  a course  of  about  two  hun- 
dred miles.  It  is  navigable  in  some 
s’easons  during  eight  months  of  the  year, 
and  for  a greater  part  of  its  length. 
The  chief  tributaries  of  the  San  Joaquin 
are  the  Reyes,  the  Stanislaus,  the  Java- 
lones,  the  Merced,  and  the  Cosumnes 
rivers.  The  Sacramento  rises  above  lati- 
tude forty-two  degrees  north,  and  runs 
from  north  to  south,  nearly  parallel  with 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific  until  it  empties, 
after  a course  of  about  two  hundred 
miles,  into  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  in 
latitude  thirty-eight  and  a half  degrees 
north.  It  runs  through  an  inclined  al- 
luvial prairie,  and  is  described  by  all 
writers  as  a deep,  broad,  and  beautiful 
stream.  This  river  is  destined  to  be- 
come a very  important  feature  i n the 
development  of  the  country.  It  com- 
municates directly  with  the  bay,  flows 
through  a very  fertile  region  and  is  al- 
ready navigable  for  vessels  of  consider- 
able draught  as  high  up  as  the  settle- 
ments at  Nueva  Helvetia.  Its  principal 
tributaries  are  the  Rio  de  los  Americanos 
and  the  Rio  de  las  Plumas. 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of 


California  is  the  bay  of  San  Francisco. 
It  was  discovered  about  1768  by  a party 
of  Franciscan  monks,  who  bestowed 
upon  it  the  name  of  their  patron  saint. 
All  writers  unite  in  pronouncing  it  one 
of  the  most  splendid  harbors  in  the  world. 
It  is  completely  land-locked,  and  suffi- 
ciently capacious  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  most  extended  commerce. 
Approaching  from  the  sea,  the  coast 
presents  a bold  outline.  On  the  south, 
the  bordering  mountains  come  down  in 
a narrow  range  of  hills,  against  which 
the  sea  breaks  heavily.  On  the  north- 
ern side,  the  ridge  presents  a bold 
promontory,  rising  in  a few  miles  to  a 
height  of  three  thousand  feet.  Between 
these  two  points,  with  abrupt  and  lofty 
cliffs  upon  each  side,  is  a narrow  strait 
about  one  mile  wide  and  five  in  length, 
with  a depth  of  water  in  mid-channel  of 
forty  to  forty-five  fathoms,  which  forms 
the  entrance  into  the  bay.  This  is  called 
Chrysopolae,  or  the  Golden  Gate.  Be- 
yond this  gate  the  bay  of  San  Francisco 
opens  to  the  right  and  left,  extending  in 
each  direction  about  thirty-five  miles, 
having  a total  length  of  more  than  sev- 
enty miles,  and  an  inland  coast  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  in  extent. 
Within,  the  view  presented  is  of  an  in- 
terior lake  of  deep  water  lying  between 
parallel  ranges  of  mountains.  Islands, 
some  of  them  mere  masses  of  rock,  and 
others  covered  with  grasses,  and  three 
to  eight  hundred  feet  in  height,  give  its 
surface  a picturesque  appearance.  It  is 
divided,  by  projecting  points  and  straits, 
into  three  separate  bays.  At  its  north- 
ern extremity  is  Whaler’s  harbor,  which 
communicates  by  a strait  two  miles  in 
length,  with  the  bay  of  San  Pablo,  a 
circular  basin  ten  miles  in  diameter ; 
and  this  again  at  its  northeastern  ex- 
tremity by  another  strait  of  greater  length 
connects  with  Suissun  bay,  which  is  of 
nearly  equal  magnitude  and  form  as  that 
of  San  Pablo.  Into  Suissun  bay  the 
confluent  waters  of  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin  rivers  empty.  The  main 
bay  of  San  Francisco  lies  to  the  south- 
ward. 

The  climate  of  California,  as  a neces- 
sary result  of  the  configuration  and  ex- 
tent of  the  couptry,  presents  marked 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  609 


contrast  in  the  different  divisions  which 
have  been  described.  With  reference 
to  the  whole  country,  the  year  may  be 
divided  into  the  wet  season  and  the  dry. 
The  wet  season  begins  in  November, 
and  terminates  in  April.  During  this 
period  the  rain  does  not  fall  continuous- 
ly, and  frequent  intervals  of  clear  and 
beautiful  weather  occur  for  many  days 
in  succession.  Rain  sometimes  falls 
without  intermission  for  eight  or  ten 
days,  followed  by  spells  of  sunshine  ; 
and  frequently  the  weather  is  fine  until 
the  afternoon,  when  the  clouds  gather. 
The  rain  during  this  season  is  not  con- 
tinuously steady  and  violent,  but  warm 
and  often  drizzling.  Usually  from  May 
until  November  no  rain  falls.  There 
are  exceptions,  however,  for  rain  some- 
times descends  in  August.  Apart  from 
the  mere  physical  discomfort,  the  sense 
of  which  is  soon  lost,  the  wet  season  is 
healthy  and  delightful,  and  during  its 
continuance  the  country  wears  its  most 
beautiful  aspect.  With  the  first  rains 
in  November,  the  grass,  clover,  and  wild 
oats,  spring  up  spontaneously  ; the  trees 
are  clothed  with  fresh  foliage,  the  flow- 
ers display  their  rich  colors,  the  com- 
paratively arid  soil  is  covered  with 
diversified  vegetation,  and  by  Christmas 
the  land  in  its  broad  extent  is  green  and 
beautiful.  Upon  the  coast  and  the  shore 
of  the  bay,  the  climate  is  cooler  and  less 
agreeable  than  in  the  interior.  This  is 
owing  to  the  northwest  winds  which 
frequently  bring  with  them  dense  fogs 
which  are  cold  relatively  to  the  mean 
temperature.  These  fogs,  however,  are 
not  of  that  raw  and  piercing  kind  that 
affect  the  constitution.  They  bear  no 
seeds  of  disease.  These  characteristics 
of  climate  are  perhaps  more  marked  at 
San  Francisco  than  at  any  other  point, 
and  the  experience  of  nearly  a century 
affords  conclusive  evidence  that  they  do 
not  injuriously  affect  health.  It  is  sel- 
dom cold  enough  in  the  settled  portions 
of  California  to  congeal  water.  Snow 
rarely  falls  in  the  valleys,  and  the  ther- 
mometer seldom  sinks  below  fifty  de- 
grees or  rises  above  eighty  degrees.  In 
the  great  valley  bordering  upon  the 
lower  slopes  of  the  Sierra,  the  climate 
is  peculiarly  delightful.  There  are  no 


prevailing  diseases  in  the  country,  and 
the  extremes  of  heat  in  the  summer  are 
checked  by  sea-breezes  during  the  day, 
and  by  light  airs  from  the  Sierra  during 
the  night.  The  climate  generally  re- 
sembles that  of  Italy,  and  its  charac- 
teristics are  salubrity  and  a regulated 
mildness. 

A stranger  arriving  at  San  Francisco 
in  summer  is  annoyed  by  the  cold  winds 
and  fogs,  and  pronounces  the  climate 
intolerable.  A few  months  will  modify 
if  not  banish  his  dislike,  and  he  will  not 
fail  to  appreciate  the  beneficial  effects 
of  a cool,  bracing  atmosphere.  Those 
who  approach  California  overland, 
through  the  passes  of  the  mountains, 
find  the  heat  of  summer,  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  greater  than  they  have  been 
accustomed  to,  and  therefore  many  com- 
plain of  it. 

Those  who  take  up  their  residence  in 
the  valleys  which  are  situated  between 
the  great  plain  of  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin,  and  the  coast  range  of 
hills,  find  the  climate,  especially  in  the 
dry  season,  as  healthful  and  pleasant  as 
it  is  possible  for  any  climate  \o  be  which 
possesses  sufficient  heat  to  mature  the 
cereal  grains  and  edible  roots  of  the 
temperate  zone. 

The  division  of  the  year  into  two  dis- 
tinct seasons — dry  and  wet — impresses 
those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  the 
variable  climate  of  the  Atlantic  states 
unfavorably.  The  dry  appearance  of 
the  country  in  summer  and  the  difficulty 
of  moving  about  in  winter  seem  to  im- 
pose serious  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
agricultural  prosperity,  wdiile  the  many 
and  decided  advantages  resulting  from 
the  mildness  of  winter,  and  the  bright, 
clear  weather  of  summer,  are  not  appre- 
ciated. We  ought  not  to  be  surprised 
at  the  dislike  which  the  immigrants  fre- 
quently express  to  the  climate.  It  is  so 
unlike  that  from  which  they  come,  that 
they  cannot  readily  apprecriate  its  ad- 
vantages, or  become  reconciled  to  its 
extremes  of  dry  and  wet. 

If  a native  of  California  were  to  go 
to  New  England  in  winter,  and  see  the 
ground  frozen  and  covered  with  snow, 
the  rivers  with  ice,  and  find  himself  in  a 
I temperature  many  degrees  colder  than 


39 


610  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


he  had  ever  felt  before,  he  would  proba- 
bly be  as  much  surprised  that  people 
could  or  would  live  in  so  inhospitable  a 
region,  as  any  immigrant  ever  has  been 
at  what  he  has  seen  or  felt  in  California. 

So  much  are  our  opinions  influenced 
by  early  impressions,  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  seasons  with  which  we  are  familiar, 
love  of  country,  home  and  kindred,  that 
we  ought  never  to  hazard  a hasty  opin- 
ion, when  we  come  in  contact  with  cir- 
cumstances entirely  different  from  those 
to  which  we  have  all  our  lives  been  ac- 
customed. 

Population. — Humboldt,  in  fiis  Essay 
on  New  Spain,  states  the  population  of 
Upper  California,  in  1802,  to  have  con- 
sisted of  converted  Indians,  15,562;  oth- 
er classes,  1,300 ; total,  16,S62.  Alex- 
ander Forbes,  in  his  history  of  Upper 
and  Lower  California,  published  in 
London  in  1839,  states  the  number  of 
converted  Indians  in  the  former  to  have 
been  in  1831,  18,683 ; 'of  all  other  classes, 
at  4,342 ; total,  23,025.  He  expresses 
the  opinion  that  the  number-  had  not 
varied  much  up  to  1835,  and  the  proba- 
bility is,  there  was  very  little  increase  in 
the  white  population  until  the  emigrants 
from  the  United  States  began  to  enter 
the  country  in  1838. 

They  increased,  from  year  to  year,  so 
that,  1846,  Col.  Fremont  had  little  diffi- 
culty in  calling  to  his  standard  some  five 
hundred  fighting  men. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico 
it  was  supposed  that  there  were,  inclu- 
ding discharged  volunteers,  from  ten  to 
fifteen  thousand  Americans  and  Cali- 
fornians, exclusive  of  converted  Indians, 
in  the  territory.  The  immigration  of 
American  citizens  in  1849,  up  to  the  1st 
January,  1850,  was  estimated  at  eighty 
thousand — of  foreigners,  at  twenty  thou- 
sand. 

Of  the  present  permanent  population 
of  the  state  of  California,  it  is  not  easy  to 
form  even  an  approximative  estimate. 
While  thousands  of  fresh  immigrants  are 
constantly  arriving  there,  large  numbers, 
whose  residence  has  been  merely  a tran- 
sient one,  are  constantly  leaving.  The 
returning  tide,  however,  is  far  less  than 
that  which  tends  thitherward;  and  con- 
sequently, the  permanent  population  of 


this  young  Pacific  state  is  rapidly  in- 
creasing, and  may  be  set  down  at  the 
close  of  1851,  as  upward  of  two  hundred 
thousand. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  form  anything 
like  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  number 
of  Indians  in  the  territory.  Since  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  and  especial- 
ly since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the 
mountains,  their  numbers  at  the  missions 
and  in  the  valleys  near  the  coast  have 
very  much  diminished.  In  fact,  the 
whole  race  seems  to  be  rapidly  disap- 
pearing. 

The  remains  of  a vast  number  of  vil- 
lages in  all  the  valleys  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada, and  among  the  foot-hills  of  that 
range  of  mountains,  show  that  at  no 
distant  day  there  must  have  been  a nu- 
merous population  where  there  is  not 
now  an  Indian  to  be  seen.  There  are 
a few  still  retained  in  the  service  of  the 
old  Californians,  but  these  do  not  amount 
to  more  than  a few  thousand  in  the 
whole  territory.  It  is  said  there  are 
large  numbers  of  them  in  the  mountains 
and  valleys  about  the  head  waters  of 
the  San  Joaquin,  along  the  western  base 
of  the  Sierra,  and  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  territory,  and  that  they  are  hostile. 
A number  of  Americans  were  killed  by 
them  during  the  summer  of  1849,  in  at- 
tempting to  penetrate  high  up  the  rivers 
in  search  of  gold  ; they  also  drove  one 
or  two  parties  from  Trinity  river.  They 
have  in  several  instances  attacked  par- 
ties coming  from  or  returning  to  Oregon, 
in  the  section  of  the  country  which  the 
lamented  Captain  Warner  was  examin- 
ing when  he  was  killed. 

It  is  also  impossible  to  form  any 
estimate  of  the  number  of  these  mount- 
ain Indians.  Some  suppose  there  are 
as  many  as  300,000  in  the  territory,  but 
it  is  not  probable  that  there  is  one  third 
of  that  number. 

The  small  bands  which  are  met,  scat- 
tered through  th6  lower  portions  of  the 
foot-hills  of  the  Sierra,  and  the  valleys 
between  them  and  the  coast,  seem  to  be 
almost  of  the  lowest  grade  of  human 
beings.  They  live  chiefly  on  acorns, 
roots,  insects,  and  the  kernel  of  the  pine 
burr — occasionally  they  catch  fish  and 
game.  They  use  the  bow  and  arrow, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  611 

• 1 


but  are  said  to  be  too  lazy  and  effeminate 
to  make  successful  hunters.  And  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  the  slighest  in- 
clination to  cultivate  the  soil,  nor  do  they 
even  attempt  it — except  when  they  are 
induced  to  enter  the  service  of  the  white 
inhabitants.  They  have  never  pretended 
to  hold  any  interest  in  the  soil,  nor  have 
they  been  treated  by  the  Spanish  or 
American  immigrants  as  possessing  any. 
The  Mexican  government  never  treated 
with  them  for  the  purchase  of  land,  or 
the  relinquishment  of  any  claim  of  it 
whatever.  They  are  lazy,  idle  to  the 
last  degree,  and,  although  they  are  said 
to  be  willing  to  give  their  services  to 
any  one  who  will  provide  them  with 
blankets,  beef,  and  bread,  it  is  with  much 
difficulty  they  can  be  made  to  perform 
labor  enough  to  rewar  d their  employers 
for  these  very  limited  means  of  comfort. 

Formerly,  at  the  missions,  those  who 
were  brought  up  and  instructed  by  the 
priests,  made  very  good  servants.  Ma- 
ny of  those  now  attached  to  families 
seem  to  be  faithful  and  intelligent.  But 
those  who  are  at  all  in  a wild  and  un- 
cultivated state  are  most  degraded  ob- 
jects of  filth  and  idleness. 

It  is  possible  that  government  might, 
by  collecting  them  together,  teach  them, 
in  some  degree,  the  arts  and  habits  of 
civilization;  but,  if  we  may  judge  of  the 
future  from  the  past,  they  will  disappear 
from  the  face  of  the  earth  as  the  settle- 
ments of  the  whites  extend  over  the 
country. 

Previous  to  the  occupation  of  the 
California  territory,  by  the  Americans, 
and  the  discovery  of  the  rich  gold  de- 
posites  in  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento, 
the  principal  towns  in  California,  were 
Monterey  (the  ancient  capital),  jSan 
Francisco,  San  Jose,  San  Diego  (a  port 
in  the  south),  and  Los  Angeles.  None 
of  these  were  of  much  importance,  nor 
was  their  connexion  with  the  commercial 
world,  otherwise  than  very  limited. 

Since  these  great  events,  however,  a 
new  era  has  commenced,  and  the  whole 
region  has  experienced  one  of  ihe  might- 
iest revolutions  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind. The  old  settlements  above  alluded 
to  have  become  large  cities,  new  towns 
have  sprung  up  with  almost  fabulous 


rapidity,  a living  tide  has  inundated  the 
country,  from  all  parts  of  the  habitable 
globe.  Wherever  a site  eligible*  for 
commerce  or  trade  is  found,  there  we 
now  see  the  germ  of  a future  city  or 
perhaps  a city  grown  to  considerable 
proportions.  Everything  is  progressive ; 
and  where  a few  years  ago  the  popula- 
tion could  be  numbered  by  thousands, 
it  now  numbers  hundreds  of  thousands, 
and  yet  the  tide  flows  on,  and  every 
week  witnesses  the  arrival  of  enterpri- 
sing immigrants,  to  become  citizens  of 
a state  whose  wealth  and  future  position 
in  the.  world  bid  fair  to  vie  with  those 
of  Tyre  in  the  days  of  its  greatest  glory. 
To  attempt  to  describe  the  towns  and 
cities  of  this  young  state  in  detail,  while 
everything  connected  with  them  is  in 
such  a rapid  transition  state,  were  worse 
than  useless;  for  what  might  be  true  to- 
day would  be  so  far  distanced,  as  to 
convey  in  effect  a totally  false  impression 
to-morrow.  Our  notices,  therefore,  will 
be  confined  to  a few  of  the  more  promi- 
nent cities ; and  even  with  them,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  our  sketches 
must  necessarily  be  brief,  and  confined 
rather  to  the  geographical  position,  and 
natural  local  advantages,  than  an  attempt 
to  portray  the  full  measure  of  their  pres- 
ent growth  and  prosperity. 

San  Francisco. — The  city  of  San 
Francisco  is  situated  on  the  west  side 
of  the  bay  of  that  name,  and  on  the 
northern  point  of  the  peninsula  which 
lies  between  the  southern  portion  of  the 
bay  and  the  Pacific  ocean.  It  is  about 
four  miles  from  the  narrow's  or  straits 
by  which  the  bay  is  entered  from  the 
sea.  The  immediate  site  of  the  city  is 
an  indentation  or  cove  in  the  western 
shore  of  the  bay,  directly  in  front  of 
which,  and  at  a distance  of  about  two 
miles,  lies  a large  island  called  Yerba 
Buena.  From  the  water’s  edge  the  land 
rises  gradually  for  more  than  half  a mile, 
to  the  west  and  southwest,  until  it  ter- 
minates in  a range  of  hills  five  hundred 
feet  in  height  at  the  back  of  the  city. 
To  the  north  of  the  city  is  an  immense 
bluff  (or  rather  three  in  one)  more  than 
five  hundred  feet  high,  which  comes 
down  to  the  water’s  edge,  with  precip- 
itous sides  of  from  twenty  to  one  hun- 


612  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


dred  feet  in  height.  In  front  of  this 
bluff  is  the  best  anchorage  giound,  the 
bottom  being  good  and  the  high  lands 
protecting  vessels  from  the  force  of  the 
westerly  winds.  Between  this  bluff*  and 
the  above-mentioned  hill,  there  is  a small 
and  nearly  level  valley  which  connects 
with  a smaller  cove  about  a mile  nearer 
the  ocean.  The  bluff  forms  the  north- 
western boundary  of  the  cove,  while  the 
eastern  boundary  is  another  bluff,  called 
the  Rincon,  nearly  fifty  feet  in  height. 
To  the  south  and  southwest  of  this  last- 
mentioned  point  there  is  a succession  of 
low  sand  hills,  covered  with  a dense 
growth  of  stunted  trees  peculiar  to  the 
country. 

From  the  geographical  position  of 
San  Francisco,  its  loca  ion  immediately 
upon  the  bay,  and  its  proximity  to  the 
gold  regions,  which  must  supply  all  the 
exports,  it  must  eventually  become  the 
mart  of  an  extensive  commerce  with 
Asia  and  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 
Never  in  the  annals  of  a nation  has  any 
city  risen  to  importance  at  such  a rapid 
rate  as  this.  At  the  commencement  of 
1849,  it  was  a mere  village,  composed 
of  a few  miserable-looking  huts  stand- 
ing beneath  the  bleak  and  woodless  hills. 
Now  thousands  of  houses  and  stores,  and 
evidences  of  the  most  civilized  life  are. 
seen.  Where,  in  1848,  but  a single 
vessel  might  occasionally  be  seen  in  the 
harbor,  now  hundreds  of  vessels  of  every 
size  and  from  almost  every  nation  of  the 
earth  throng  the  noble  bay.  The  follow- 
ing brief  sketch  of  San  Francisco,  as  it 
appeared  in  December,  1849,  by  Bayard 
Taylor,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  rapid 
growth  of  this  remarkable  city.  It  is 
the  more  interesting,  as  it  describes  San 
Francisco  at  a period  just  anterior  to  the 
check  its  prosperity  received  by  the  oc- 
currence of  the  first  of  those  disastrous 
conflagrations  which  have  since  several 
times  laid  large  portions  of  this  unfortu- 
nate city  in  ashes  : — 

“ Of  all  the  marvellous  phases  of  the 
history  of  the  present,  the  growth  of 
San  Francisco  is  the  one  which  will 
most  tax  the  belief  of  the  future.  Its 
parallel  was  never  known,  and  shall 
never  be  beheld  again.  I speak  only 
of  what  I saw  with  my  own  eyes.  When 


I landed  there,  a little  more  than  four 
months  before,  I found  a scattering  town 
of  tents  and  canvass-houses,  with  a show 
of  frame  buildings  on  one  or  two  streets, 
and  a population  of  about  six  thousand. 
Now,  on  my  last  visit,  I saw  around  me 
an  actual  metropolis,  displaying  street 
after  street  of  well-built  edifices,  filled 
with  an  active  and  enterprising  people 
and  exhibiting  every  mark  of  permanent 
commercial  prosperity.  Then,  the  town 
was  limited  to  the  curve  of  the  bay  front- 
ing the  anchorage  and  bottoms  of  the 
hills.  Now,  it  stretched  to  the  topmost 
heights,  followed  the  shore  around  point 
after  point,  and  sending  hack  a long  arm 
through  a gap  in  the  hills,  took  hold  of 
the  Golden  Gate  and  was  building  its 
warehouses  on  the  open  strait  and  al- 
most fronting  the  blue  horizon  of  the 
Pacific.  Then,  the  gold-seeking  sojourn- 
er lodged  in  muslin  rooms  and  canvass 
garrets,  with  a philosophic  lack  of  fur- 
niture, and  ate  his  simple  though  sub- 
stantial fare  from  pine-boards.  Now, 
lofty  hotels,  gaudy  with  verandas  and 
balconies,  were  met  with  in  all  quarters, 
furnished  with  home  luxury,  and  aristo- 
cratic restaurants  presented  daily  their 
long  bills  of  fare,  rich  with  the  choicest 
technicalities  of  the  Paiisian  cuisine. 
Then,  vessels  were  coming  in  day  after 
day,  to  lie  deserted  and  useless  at  their 
anchorage.  Now  scarce  a day  passed, 
but  some  cluster  of  sails,  bound  outward 
through  the  Golden  Gate,  took  their 
way  to  all  the  corners  of  the  Pacific. 
Like  the  magic  seed  of  the  Indian  jug- 
gler, which  grew,  blossomed,  and  bore 
fruit,  before  the  eyes  of  his  spectators, 
San  Francisco  seemed  to  have  accom- 
plished in  a day  the  growth  of  half  a 
century.” 

It  was  but  a brief  period  after  the 
above  sketch  of  San  Francisco  was  pen- 
ned, that  that  fated  city  was  visited  by 
the  first  of  those  calamitous  fires,  above 
referred  to,  wdiich  have  six  times  deso- 
lated its  finest  streets,  and  proved  a seri- 
ous check  to  its  growth  and  prosperity. 
The  first  of  these  took  place  on  the  24th 
of  December,  breaking  out  in  a gam- 
bling-house on  Portsmouth  square,  g.nd 
rapidly  spreading  to  the  adjacent  build- 
ings. In  a short  time,  the  finest  portion 


View  of  San  Francisco  from  the  Telegraph  Hill. 


614  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


of  a large  block  of  houses  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  The  file  presented  a 
fearful  spectacle.  Fortunately  the  weath- 
er was  calm,  as  the  slightest  wind  would 
have  exposed  the  entire  city  to  almost 
inevitable  destruction.  The  loss  was 
estimated  at  one  million  and  a half  of 
dollars.  Willi  the  genuine  spirit  ofYan- 
kee  enterprise,  many  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  fire  commenced  business  the  next 
day  in  tents,  and  others  on  ihe  same  day 
prepared  ihe  site  of  the  ruins  for  the 
erection  of  new  buildings. 

Another  fire  took  place  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  May  4th,  1850,  which  destroyed 
over  two  hundred  buildings  and  prop- 
erty to  the  amount  of  over  four  millions 
of  dollars.  The  fire  commenced  in  the 
United  Stales  hotel,  and  spread  with 
terrible  rapidity  in  every  direction.  It 
was  found  impossible  to  arrest  its  prog- 
ress, except  by  tearing  down  a large 
number  of  houses  that  presented  mate- 
rials for  its  fury.  More  property  was 
consumed  than  could  have  been  done 
within  an  equal  space  in  any  city  of  the 
world. 

The  third  destructive  conflagration 
which  visited  the  city  of  San  Francisco 
took  place  June  13th  following,  laying 
four  large  blocks  of  buildings  in  ashes, 
and  consuming  a great  amount  of  valu- 
able property.  A portion  of  the  district 
which  had  suffered  from  the  previous 
fire  was  again  burnt.  With  great  diffi- 
culty the  wharves  and  shipping  in  the 
harbor  were  protected  from  destruction. 
The  total  loss  by  this  fire  has  been  esti- 
mated at  about  $5,000,000. 

A fourth  disastrous  fire  was  experi- 
enced in  San  Francisco,  on  September 
20th,  1850,  by  which  a loss  of  property 
to  the  amount  of  $1,000,000  was  occa- 
sioned. The  buildings  consumed  were 
mostly  old  and  of  an  inferior  order. 

Several  months  tiow  passed,  without 
the  recurrence  of  another  fire,  and  it 
was  hoped  the  precautionary  preventive 
measures  which  had  been  adopted  would 
prove  effectual  against  such  extensive 
conflagrations  in  future.  But  the  hope 
proved  a delusive  one.  On  the  night  of 
May  3d,  1851,  the  anniversary  of  one  of 
the  great  fires  above  recorded,  anoth- 
er destructive  conflagration  occurred 


in  this  devoted  city,  by  which  a large 
portion  of  the  business  part  of  the  town 
was  destroyed.  The  number  of  build- 
ings burnt  amounied  to  over  a thou- 
sand. The  loss  was  estimated  at  ten 
millions  of  dollars.  A number  of  lives 
were  also  lost.  In  one  case  six  persons 
undertook  the  care  of  a store  supposed 
to  be  fireproof;  the  iron-doors  and  win- 
dow-shutlers  became  expanded  by  the 
heat  to  such  a degree  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  open  them,  and  the  inmates  were 
all  burnt  to  death. 

Nothingexcited  so  much  surprise  amid 
the  many  surprising  things  that  occurred 
the  night  of  this  fire,  as  the  lit  tie  resist- 
ance that  was  offered  to  the  progress  of 
the  flames  by  the  splendid  and  substan- 
tial iron-buildings  that  had  been  con- 
structed in  the  full  conviction  that  fire 
could  not  harm  them  at  least.  Even 
when  the  insatiate  flames  were  careering 
wildly  elsewhere,  laying  low  the  fairest 
fabrics  that  man’s  ingenuity  could  de- 
vise to  stay  their  course,  those  doing 
business  in  these  iron-houses  felt  an 
abiding  confidence  that  they  should  es- 
cape the  genera]  ruin.  Others  enter- 
tained the  same  idea,  and  rushed  their 
costliest  articles  into  those  warehouses, 
and  when  the  fire  swept  out  of  existence 
their  own  combustible  houses,  consoled 
themselves  with  the  reflection,  that  a part 
at  least  of  their  property  was  saved. 
But  never  was  confidence  more  mis- 
placed. It  is  true  iron  will  not  burn, 
but  destruction  as  total  fell  upon  all  such 
buildings  as  if  they  had  been  made  of 
light  wood. 

The  one  seen  in  our  engraving  was  an 
iron  warehouse  which  failed  to  resist  the 
devouring  element.  It  was  constructed 
of  corrugated  iron,  seventy-five  feet  long, 
by  forty  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet  high. 
It  was  composed  of  plates  of  iron  each 
eight  feet  long.  It  was  manufactured 
in  England,  and  cost  previous  to  ship- 
ment, three  thousand  dollars.  Corruga- 
ted iron  has  all  the  strength  of  brick- 
work, without  its  great  weight;  and, 
although  it  has  proved  to  be  not.  fire- 
proof, at  least  on  occasions  of  such  over- 
whelming devastation  as  destroyed  the 
houses  we  are  speaking  of/  still  it  is  pe- 
culiarly adapted  for  portable  dwellings 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


615 


Iron-House  at  San  Francisco. 


and  storehouses,  being  very  light,  and 
packing  so  close,  that  the  expense  of 
freight  is  comparatively  small. 

The  following  description  of  the  burn- 
ing of  two  of  ihese  houses  is  from  the 
San  Francisco  Herald  : — 

“ We  watched  the  fate  of  two  elegant 
iron-houses — one  situated  at  the  corner 
of  Washington  and  Sansomef  streets,  and 
the  other  occupied  by  Messrs.  Berthelot 
& Cronise,  at  the  corner  of  Jackson  and 
Sansome  streets,  and  never  was  there  a 
more  complete  wreck,  when  the  fire  had 
done  witli  them.  The  zinc  roof  caught 
first  and  burnt  as  fiercely  as  if  made  of 
pine-knots.  The  flame  was  of  a deep 
blue  and  looked  most  singular,  bedde 
that  which  rose  up  from  surrounding 
frame  buildings.  But  little  smoke  issued 
at  first — but  the  heat  was  greater  than 
that  of  a furnace.  The  iron  pillars  and 
plates  glowed  brightly,  in  a litile  while 
they  warped,  curled  like  crisp  leaves, 
opened,  let  in  the  flames  to  the  piles  of 
rich  merchandise  stored  within,  and  in  a 
few  moments  all  was  over.  With  a 
tremendous  crash  they  fell  in  ruins  to 
the  ground,  and  long  after  the  wooden 
buildings  around  were  reduced  to  ashes, 
these  glowing  heaps  of  iron  threw  out 
an  intense  heat  that  allowed  of  no  ap- 
proach. And,  indeed,  when  we  consid- 
er the  fierceness  of  the  heat  that  arose 
on  that  memorable  night  from  hundreds 
of  burning  structures,  and  piles  of  costly 
goods — a heat  that  no  one  can  conceive 


who  was  not  present — it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  even  iron  succumbed 
before  its  withering  power.  From  the 
nature  of  the  materials,  however,  a less 
degree  of  heat  would  have  produced  the 
same  effect.  Its  expansibility  will  al- 
ways open  the  interior  of  a house  con- 
structed of  iron  to  the  admission  of  the 
flames,  and  then  it  is  not  more  secure 
than  if  made  of  wood.  In  the  recent 
conflagration  there  were  five  elegant 
buildings  constructed  of  plates  of  cast- 
iron,  three  stories  high,  destroyed,  be- 
sides any  number  of  corrugated  iron- 
houses.  The  latter  offered  no  check 
whatever  to  the  fire.  They  went  down 
as  a matter  of  course.  They  have  proven 
equally  as  insecure  as  wooden  houses, 
and  when  burnt,  more  expensive,  be- 
cause in  their  case  it  does  require  some 
oullay  to  clear  the  ground  of  the  wreck, 
while  in  the  other  nothing  but  a heap  of 
ashes  remains.” 

With  energies  undaunted  by  this  fifth 
conflagration,  more  serious  by  far  than 
any  which  had  preceded  it,  the  work  of 
rebuilding  was  immediately  commenced, 
and  carried  forward  with  such  charac- 
teristic rapidity,  that  within  ten  days 
after  the  fire  over  three  hundred  and 
fifty  buildings  were  in  process  of  erec- 
tion, and  the  greater  part  of  them  al- 
ready occupied. 

The  sixth  conflagration  occurred  on 
the  22d  of  June,  just  seven  weeks  sub- 
sequently to  the  one  just  described. 


616  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Thirteen  blocks  of  buildings  were  con- 
sumed, and  a number  of  lives  were  lost. 
The  property  destroyed  amounted  to 
from  one  to  two  millions  of  dollars. 

These  conflagrations,  with  many  oth- 
ers of  lesser  note,  some  or  all  of  them, 
are  believed  to  have  been  the  work  of 
incendiaries.  Indeed,  previous  to  the 
last  fire  above  recorded,  it  had  become 
demonstrably  evident  that  organized 
bands  of  malefactors,  composed  of  con- 
victs from  the  English  penal  settlements, 
and  desperadoes  from  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  were  leagued  together  for  rob- 
bery and  plunder;  who  did  not  hesitate 
to  commit  arson  and  murder  in  the 
prosecution  of  their  designs.  The  high- 
est crimes  were  matters  of  every-day 
occurrence,  not  merely  in  remote  dis- 
tricts, but  in  the  towns  and  cities  ; in 
San  Fiancisco  especially.  Under  these 
circumstances,  a large  number  of  the 
most  valuable  citizens  organized  them- 
selves into  a committee  of  vigilance,  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  punishment 
of  criminals,  at  all  hazards.  They  open- 
ed a room,  at  which  a certain  number  of 
the  members,  detailed  for  the  purpose, 
were  to  be  present  day  and  night.  When 
any  offence  came  to  their  notice  which, 
in  their  opinion,  called  for  the  interfer- 
ence of  the  committee,  all  the  members 
were  to  be  summoned  by  the  ringing  of 
a bell.  The  members  all  pledged  them- 
selves to  carry  into  execution  the  sen- 
tence of  the  majority  of  the  body  so  con- 
vened. 

The  committee  soon  had  occasion  to 
inaugurate  their  administration  by  a pub- 
lic execution,  so  deliberately  performed, 
and  so  unflinchingly  avowed,  as  t,/  leave 
no  doubt  of  their  full  determinaiion  to 
carry  their  designs  into  effect.  On  the 
10th  of  June,  an  English  convict  from 
Botany  Bay,  who  gave  his  name  as  Jen- 
kins, or  Jennings,  was  arrested  in  the 
act  of  carrying  off  a safe  which  he  had 
stolen.  He  was  brought  before  the  com- 
mittee, by  whom  he  was  tried,  found 
guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  This 
sentence  was  carried  into  execution  the 
same  night  in  the  public  square.  The 
coroner’s  jury,  who  held  an  inquest  upon 
the  body,  named  nine  members  of  the 
committee  as  specially  and  directly  im- 

!*— 

plicated  in  the  execution.  A card  was 
immediately  issued,  signed  by  nearly 
two  hundred  persons,  avowing  that  they, 
as  members  of  the  committee  of  vigil- 
ance, were  all  participators  in  the  trans- 
action, equally  with  those  whose  names 
had  been  given  by  the  coroner’s  jury. 

The  committee  went  on  adding  to 
their  numbers,  and  increasing  the  scope 
of  their  operations.  Persons  known  as 
escaped  convicts  were  ordered  to  leave 
the  country  within  five  days;  and  after 
a show  of  resistance,  finding  all  opposi- 
tion useless,  they  complied  with  the  or- 
der. Vessels  arriving  from  the  English 
penal  settlements  were  boarded  in  the 
harbor,  and  those  on  board  who  proved 
to  be  escaped  convicts,  were  warned 
not  to  land.  The  committee  went  on  to 
establish  a central  and  branch  offices, 
organized  a patrol,  and  raised  funds  for 
carrying  on  their  operations.  Persons 
charged  with  minor  offences  were  hand- 
ed over  to  the  public  authorities,  the 
committee  taking  care  to  keep  in  their 
own  hands  the  adjudication  of  those  ca- 
ses which  seemed  to  require  a prompt 
decision,  thus  keeping  up  the  prestige 
which  they  had  gained  by  their  first  bold 
act.  On  the  12th  of  July,  a Sydney  con- 
vict named  Stuart,  was  brought  before 
the  committee  on  a charge  of  robbery. 
He  proved  to  be  the  ringleader  of  a 
gang  of  desperadoes,  who  had  long  in- 
fested the  country.  He  was  found  guil- 
ty, and  the  tolling  of  the  bell  summoned 
the  public  to  witness  the  act  of  execu- 
tion. The  criminal  was  brought  out, 
pinioned,  and  escorted  by  more  than  five 
hundred  members  of  the  committee,  and 
executed  in  broad  day,  in  the  presence 
of  a great  crowd,  without  show  of  tu- 
mult or  resistance.  Previous  to  his 
death  he  made  a long  confession  of  the 
crimes  he  had  committed,  and  implicated 
a number  of  persons  as  accomplices. 

Subsequently  two  Sydney  burglars 
named  Whittaker  and  M‘Kenzie  were 
arrested,  tried,  condemned,  and  sen- 
tenced by  the  vigilance  committee  to 
be  hung.  But  a few  hours  before  the 
period  fixed  for  their  execution,  they 
were  rescued  by  the  governor,  with  aid  . 
of  the  sheriff'  and  his  subordinates.  The 
vigilance  committee,  believing  that  the 

1 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


617 


authorities  by  this  act,  intended  to  shield 
them  from  all  punishment,  watched  their 
opportunity,  obtained  access  to  the  prison 
where  the  convicts  were  confined,  took 
them  forcibly  out,  and  carried  out  their 
sentence  against  them,  by  hanging  them 
upon  the  outer  walls  of  the  building  in 
which  their  committee-rooms  were  lo- 
cated. 

Several  other  criminals  were  arrested 
and  as  summarily  executed  under  the 
direction  of  the  vigilance  committee,  at 
Sacramento  city,  Monterey,  and  other- 
places — but  the  details  already  given  are 
amply  sufficient  to  show  the  determined 
course  of  action  pursued  by  this  com- 
mittee, to  repress  and  punish  outrages 
against  person  and  property,  by  means 
they  deemed  more  prompt  and  sure  than 
those  furnished  by  the  ordinary  admin- 
istration of  the  law.  And,  although  in 
the  executions  that  took  place,  not  a 
shadow  of  doubt  existed  of  the  guilt  of 
the  convicts — indeed,  they  all  acknowl- 
edged the  justice  of  their  fate — yet,  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  the  trial  and  pun- 
ishment of  these  miserable  outcasts  could 
not  have  been  left  to  the  legitimate, 
though  perhaps  imperfect  and  tardy 
process  of  the  courts  of  justice.  But  at 
this  distance  from  the  scene  of  these 
events,  so  difficult  is  it  to  form  a correct 
judgment  as  to  the  necessity  that  called 
for  the  organization  of  this  self-con- 
stituted tribunal  of  justice — so  impossi- 
ble is  it  to  fully  appreciate  the  critical 
position  in  which  life  and  property  were 
placed  by  the  congregating  there  of  Bot- 
any Bay  convicts,  and  desperadoes  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  who,  through 
the  inefficiency  of  the  legal  authorities, 
went  “ unwhipt  of  justice” — that  we 
should  hesitate  before  pronouncing  con- 
demnation upon  the  fotmation  and  sub- 
sequent action  of  a committee,  number- 
ing among  its  members  some  of  the 
most  respectable  and  valuable  citizens 
of  San  Francisco. 

Still,  there  is  danger,  that,  as  prece- 
dents for  future  guidance  of  bodies  of 
men,  less  cool  and  unerring  in  their  judg- 
ment, and  more  impulsive  and  less  scru- 
pulous in  their  proceedings,  the  formation 
and  acts  of  this  committee  may  lead  to 
results  far  more  injurious  to  the  com- 


munity, than  a longer  endurance  of  the 
evils  which  its  measures  were  intended 
to  eradicate.  Heaven  grant  that  the 
seed  thus  sown  in  that  susceptible  soil 
may  not  prove  the  germ  of  a bohun-upas 
hereafter  to  spring  up  and  poison  the 
moral  and  social  atmosphere  of  that  oth- 
erwise promising  and  thriving  young  Pa- 
cific state. 

San  Francisco  has  now  (November, 
1851),  a population  of  about  forty  thou- 
sand, with  one  hundred  miles  of  streets 
laid  out,  and  sustains  several  daily  pa- 
pers. It  has  recovered  entirely  from  the 
disastrous  effects  of  the  two  great  fires 
of  May  and  June,  the  spac.e  burnt  over 
having  been  completely  rebuilt  in  far 
better  style  than  before.  Numerous  fire- 
proof and  stone  buildings  have  been 
erected,  and  the  city  in  various  respects 
is  far  better  prepared  to  resist  a confla- 
gration than  ever  before. 

The  number  of  arrivals  of  steamers 
and  sail-vessels  from  foreign  ports  dur- 
ing the  past  year  was  close  upon  two 
thousand,  about  half  as  numerous  as 
those  of  New'  York,  and  much  more 
numerous  than  those  of  any  other  port 
in  the  Union.  There  are  now  eleven 
steamers,  regularly  traversing  the  Pa- 
cific, in  addition  , to  five  others  in  the 
Panama  and  Oregon  trade.  There  are 
also  about  fifty  steamers  engaged  on  the 
river-trade,  and  over  three  hundred  oth- 
er crafts  of  various  kinds  navigating  the 
livers  and  bay.  The  amount  of  gold 
shipped  from  San  Francisco,  during  1850, 
was  over  forty  millions  of  dollars.  That 
of  1851  will  be  much  larger. 

The  view  of  San  Francisco,  given  on 
page  613,  is  taken  from  the  foot  of  Tele- 
graph hill,  looking  from  Ringon  point 
and  Mission  valley.  The  city  is  given 
boldly  in  the  middle-foregronnd,  while 
the  harbor,  with  its  imposing  grandeur 
and  beauty  covertd  with  a forest  of 
masts,  stretches  away  in  the  perspective. 
The  foreground  is  characteristic  and 
truthful  of  the  neighborhood  of  the  city, 
and  the  belongings  of  the  gold  country. 

Sacramento  City. — The  plan  of  Sac- 
ramento city  is  very  simple.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento 
river,  at  its  junction  with  the  Rio  Amer- 
icano, one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  from 


618  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


San  Francisco.  The  town-plot  embiaces 
a square  of  about  one  and  a half  miles  to  a 
side.  The  site  of  ihe  city  was  covered 
with  oaks  and  sycamores  of  gigantic  size, 
which  have  been  cut  down  as  far  as  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  make  room  for 
buildings,  and  the  trees  that  are  left 
standing  give  the  place  an  air  not  unlike 
that  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best-shaded 
towns  of  New  England.  It  is  laid  out 
in  regular  right-angles,  after  the  plan  of 
Philadelphia,  those  streets  running  east 
and  west  named  after  the  alphabet,  and 
those  north  and  south  after  the  arith- 
metic. 

The  rapid  growth  of  this  “ city  in 
the  woods”  seems  like  the  fabled  pro- 
ductions of  the  magician’s  wand.  In 
April,  1S49,  the  town  contained  four 
houses.  Six  months  laier,  the  number 
of  inhabitants,  in  tents  and  houses,  was 
little  short  of  ten  thousand.  At  the  pres- 
ent time,  the  population  amounts  to  about 
fifteen  thousand. 

The  aspect  of  Sacramento  city  on  ap- 
proaching it  from  the  river  is  decidedly 
more  novel  and  picturesque  than  thyt  of 
any  other  town  in  the  country.  The 
forest  of  masts  along  the  embarcadero 
(but  which  does  not  appear  in  our  engra- 
ving, as  it  would  intercept  the  view  of  the 
city)  rivals  the  noble  growth  of  the  soil. 

The  city  is  settled  principally  by  New- 
Yorkers,  New-Jerseymen,  andemigrunts 
from  the  western  states.  In  activity  and 
public  spirit  it  is  not  behind  San  Fran- 
cisco, while  its  growth,  in  view  of  the 
difference  of  location  is  more  remark- 
able. 

In  the  mdnth  of  January,  1849,  a great 
overflow  of  the  Sacramento  liver  oc- 
curred, deluging  the  country  boih  above 
and  below  the  city  of  Sacramento,  the 
flood  extending  in  many  places  like  an 
immense  sea  over  the  whole  breadth  of 
the  valley.  The  course  of  the  river  was 
indicated  only  by  the  trees  and  shrub- 
bery with  which  the  banks  were  covered. 
A great  number  of  horses  and  cattle 
were  swept  away  by  the  flood  and 
drowned.  The  wood-cutters  and  char- 
coal-burners on  the  banks  of  the  river 
were  obliged  to  climb  into  tree#  in  order 
to  save  their  lives.  On  the  night  of 
January  9th,  the  city  of  Sacramento  was 


I entirely  submerged,  and  remained  un- 
| der  water  for  several  days.  The  streets 
in  which  the  principal  business  opera- 
tions were  conducted  were  swept  com- 
pletely through  by  the  raging  torrent. 
Every  description  of  merchandise  was 
borne  away  in  the  mighty  rush.  Boats 
navigated  the  streets,  taking  passengers 
from  the  second  stories  of  the  dwelling- 
houses.  The  ridge  of  high  land  in  the 
rear  of  the  city  was  studded  with  tents, 
and  man  and  beast,  seeking  safety  in 
flight,  were  crowded  together  in  dire  con- 
fusion. Sutterville,  situated  a few  miles 
below  Sacramento  city,  was  overflowed. 
The  ranches  back  of  the  river  suffered 
the  same  fate.  A large  amount  of  prop- 
erty was  destroyed  by  this  inundation, 
but  it  is  believed  that  no  lives  were  lost. 
A strong  embankment  has  since  been 
erected  along  the  bank  of  the  Sacra- 
mento, which  will  protect  the  city  from 
a like  calamity  in  future. 

A serious  disturbance  occurred  during 
the  month  of  August,  1849,  in  the  city  of 
Sacramento,  growing  out  of  the  disputes 
between  the  squatters  and  landholders. 
An  armed  body  of  the  squatters  pro- 
ceeded through  the  streets  of  the  city, 
and  a collision  ensuing  between  them 
and  the  authorities,  several  persons  were  . 
shot  and  some  mortally  wounded.  The 
city  was  placed  under  martial  law,  and 
it  was  several  days  before  tranquillity 
was  restored. 

San  Jose  (pronounced  San-hosa),  the 
lale  capital  of  California,  is  sixty  miles 
south  of  San  Francisco,  and  nine  miles 
from  the  south  end  of  San  Francisco  bay. 
It  is  situated  in  a valley  of  rich  land 
twenty  miles  wide  by  seventy  long.  It 
is  an  old  Spanish  town,  and  has  some 
fine  gardens,  fruit-trees,  &c.  The  cli- 
mate is  considered  very  fine.  From 
eight  o’clock  in  the  morning  to  four  in 
the  evening  the  sun  has  great  power, 
and  the  thermometer  rises  up  to  eighty 
and  ninety  degrees.  The  whole  day  a 
fine  breeze  is  blowing,  so  that  persons 
in  the  shade  are  very  comfortable ; but 
in  the  sun  it  is  sometimes  oppressive. 
After  four  o’clock  it  gradually  becomes 
cool,  sometimes  making  a fire  necessary 
for  comfort;  indeed,  generally  a little 
fire  after  dark  is  pleasant.  The  nights 


View  of  Sacramento  City,  .from  the  Hirer. 


620  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


being  cool,  sleep  is  sound  and  refresh- 
ing. The  sky  is  ever  bright,  except 
when  fogs  occasionally  arise  during  the 
night;  but  when  they  do,  the  morning 
sun  soon  dispels  them. 

San  Jose,  from  its  pleasant  and  healthy 
locality,  will  probably  become  the  resi- 
dence of  many  wealthy  families  who  do 
business  elsewhere.  Many  gentlemen, 
merchants  of  San  Francisco,  have  al- 
ready purchased  residences  here.  San 
Jose  has  daily  communication  with  San 
Francisco,  by  stage  and  steamer.  A 
railroad  between  the  two  places  has  also 
been  projected. 

Monterey,  the  ancient  capital  of  Alta 
California,  is  about  one  hundred  miles 
south  of  San  Francisco.  The  situation 
of  the  city  is  admirable.  The  houses 
are  built  on  a broad,  gentle  slope  of 
land,  about  two  miles  from  Point  Pinos, 
the  southern  end  of  the  bay  of  Monterey. 
They  are  scattered  over  an  extent  of 
three  fourths  of  a mile,  leaving  ample 
room  for  the  grow.h  of  the  cily  for 
many  years  to  come.  The  outline  of  the 
hills  in  the  rear  is  somewhat  similar  to 
those  of  Staten  Island,  near  the  city  of 
New  York,  but  they  increase  in  height 
as  they  run  to  the  southeast,  till  at  the 
distance  of  four  miles  they  are  merged 
in  the  mountains  of  the  coast  range. 
The  northern  shore  of  the  bay  is  twenty 
miles  distant,  curving  so  far  to  the  west, 
that  the  Pacific  is  not  visible  from  any 
part  of  the  city.  Eastward,  a high,  rocky 
ridge,  called  the  Tora  mountains,  makes 
a prominent  object  in  the  view,  and 
when  the  air  is  clear,  the  Sierra  de  Gavi- 
lan,  beyond  the  Salinas  plains,  is  dis- 
tinctly visible. 

The  harbor  of  Monterey  is  equal  to 
any  in  California.  The  bight  in  which 
vessels  anchor  is  entirely  protected  from 
the  northwesters,  by  Seagull  point,  and< 
from  the  southeastern  winds  by  mount- 
ains in  the  rear.  In  the  absence  of  light- 
houses, the  dense  fog  renders  navigation 
dangerous  on  this  coast,  and  in  spite  of 
an  entrance  twenty-five  miles  in  breadth, 
vessels  frequently  run  below  Point  Pinos, 
and  are  obliged  to  anchor  on  unsafe 
ground  in  Carmel  bay.  A road  leads 
from  the  town  over  the  hills  to  the  ex- 
mission of  Carmel  situated  at  the  head 


of  the  bay,  about  four  miles  distant. 
J ust  beyond  it  is  Point  Lobos,  a prom- 
ontory on  the  coast,  famous  for  the  num- 
ber of  seals  and  sea-lions  which  congre- 
gate there  at  low  tide. 

The  trade  of  Monterey  has  rapidly 
increased  since  the  territory  of  Califor- 
nia was  ceded  to  the  United  States.  It 
contains  about  two  thousand  inhabitants. 

From  the  salubrity  of  the  climate  end 
the  cheapness  of  living  at  Monterey,  it 
will  be  preferred  as  a residence  by  ma- 
ny of  those  who  have  retired  with  a 
competence  from  their  golden  labors. 
The  pine-crowned  slopes  back  of  the 
town  contain  many  sites  of  unsurpassed 
beauty  for  private  residences. 

With  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  Los 
Angeles,  Monterey  contains  the  most 
pleasant  society  to  be  found  in  Califor- 
nia. There  is  a circle  of  families,  Amer- 
ican and  native,  residing  there  whose 
genial  and  refined  social  character  is  in 
strong  contrast  with  the  popular  idea  of 
California  life.  In  spite  of  the  lack  of 
cultivation,  except  such  instruction  as 
the  priests  were  competent  to  give,  the 
native  population  possesses  a natural  re- 
finement of  manners,  which  would  grace 
the  most  polished  society. 

Stockton. — This  city  is  situated  on 
sloughs  which  contain  the  back  waters 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  rivers.  The 
town  was  laid  out,  in  1849,  by  Mr.  Weav- 
er, who  emigrated  to  the  country  seven 
years  before,  and  obtained  a grant  of 
eleven  square  leagues  of  land  from  the 
government,  on  condition  that  he  would 
retain  settlers  for  the  whole  of  it  wilhin 
a specified  time.  In  planning  the  town 
of  Stockton,  he  displayed  a great  deal 
of  shrewd  business  tact,  the  sale  of  lots 
having  brought  him  upward  of  half  a 
million  of  dollars.  A great  disadvantage 
of  the  location  is  the  sloughs  by  which  it 
is  surrounded  ; which  in  the  wet  season, 
render  the  roads  next  to  impassable. 
There  seems,  however,  to  be  no  other 
central. point  so  well  adapted  to  supply- 
ing the  rich  district  between  the  Moke- 
lumne  and  Tuolumne,  and  Stockton 
will  evidently  continue  to  grow  with  a 
sure  and  gradual  increase. 

Stockton  has  been  twice  desolated  by 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA.  621 

fire.  The  first  took  place  on  the  night  of 
the  24th  of  December,  1849,  the  same 
night  the  first  fire  occurred  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. By  this  fire  property  was  de- 
stroyed to  the  amount  of  a quarter  of  a 
million  of  dollars.  Stockton  was  again 
visited  by  conflagration,  on  the  12th  of 
May,  1851.  Both  of  these  fires  were 
believed  to  be  the  work  of  incendiaries. 

Vallejo  is  a city  yet  in  embryo.  It 
is  the  site  where  the  seat  of  government 
has  been  permanently  located.  Vallejo 
has  a water  front  of  about  seven  miles 
in  extent  affording  a secure  anchorage 
for  vessels  of  the  largest  size.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  west  by  Napa  bay,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  which  is  Mare  island, 
recommended  by  the  naval  commission- 
ers as  the  best  location  for  the  great 
Pacific  navy-yard. 

Although  Vallejo  is  but  in  its  infancy, 
yet  many  buildings  have  been  put  up,  and 
many  others  are  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. The  statehouse,  in  course  of  erec- 
tion, is  a substantial  building,  one  hun- 
dred feet  long  by  thirty  broad,  and  two 
stories  high.  The  senate-chamber  is  in 
the  upper  story  and  ihe  assembly-hall  in 
the  lower  one,  one  immediately  above  the 
other. 

The  fine  climate  and  healthy  and  oth- 
erwise advantageous  location  of  the  new 
capital,  and  the  natural  resources  of  the 
surrounding  country,  will  render  Vallejo 
a most  attractive  spot. 

Benicia,  once  thought  to  be  a rival  to 
San  Francisco,  is  situated  on  the  straits 
of  Carquinez,  thirty-five  miles  from  the 
ocggn.  k is  a very  pretty  place.  The 
situation  is  well-chosen,  the  land  grad- 
ually sloping  back  from  the  water,  with 
ample  space  for  the  spread  of  the  town. 
The  anchorage  is  excellent,  vessels  of 
the  largest  size  being  able  to  lie  so  near 
shore  as  to  land  their  cargoes  without 
lightering.  The  back  country,  including 
the  Napa  and  Sonoma  valleys,  is  one  of 
'the  finest  agricultural  districts  of  Cali- 
fornia. Notwithstanding  these  advanta- 
ges, Benicia  must  always  remain  inferior, 
in  commercial  importance,  to  both  San 
Francisco  and  Sacramento  city. 

New-York  op  the  Pacific,  with  its 
awkward  but  aspiring  name,  is  located 
on  a level  plain  on  the  southern  shore 

of  Suissin  bay,  backed  *by  a range  of 
barren  mountains.  The  anchorage  is 
good,  but  it  will  never  be  a large  town. 

San  Diego  is  a seaport  at  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  state  of  California. 

It  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a high  hill, 
on  a sand  flat,  two  miles  wide,  reaching 
from  the  head  of  San  Diego  bay,  to  False 
bay.  A high  promontory,  of  nearly  the 
same  widih,  runs  into  the  sea  four  or 
fi’ve  miles,  and  is  connected  by  the  flat 
with  the  main  land.  The  bay  is  a nar- 
row arm  of  the  sea,  indenting  the  land 
some  four  or  five  miles,  and  having 
twenty  feet  of  water  at  the  lowest  tide. 
San  Diego  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
harbors  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Before 
California  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  United  States,  the  principal  trade 
of  San  Diego  was  hides,  which  were 
collected  there  for  e -cportation. 

Near  San  Diego,  and  within  a day’s 
march  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  at  the  head 
of  the  gulf  of  California,  ancient  ruins 
have  been  discovered,  which  will  interest 
the  antiquary  as  much,  perhaps,  as  the 
discovery  of  gold,  has  thousands  of  oth- 
ers. Portions  of  temples,  dwellings, 
lofty  stone  pyramids  (seven  of  these 
within  a mile  square),  and  massive  gran- 
ite rings  or  circular  walls,  round  venera- 
ble trees,  columns  and  blocks  of  hiero- 
glyphics, all  speak  of  some  ancient  race 
of  men,  now  for  ever  gone,  their  history 
actually  unknown  to  any  of  the  existing 
families  of  mankind.  In  some  points, 
these  ruins  resemble  the  recently  dis- 
covered cities  of  Pulenque,  &c.,  near  the 
Atlantic  or  Mexican  gulf  coast;  in  oth- 
ers, the  ruins  of  ancient  Egypt;  in  oth- 
ers, again,  the  monuments  of  Phoenicia, 
and  yet  in  many  features  they  differ/rom 
all  that  have  been  referred  to.  It  is 
said  the  discoverers  deem  them  to  be 
antediluvian,  while  the  present  Indians 
have  a tradition  of  a great  civilized  na- 
tion, which  their  ferocious  forefathers 
utterly  destroyed.  The  region  of  the 
ruins  is  called  by  the  Indians  “ the  val- 
ley of  mystery.” 

There  are  many  other  towns  and  cities 
in  California,  but  they  are  increasing  so 
rapidly  in  numbers,  extent,  and  popula- 
tion, that  it  is  futile  to  attempt  to  de- 
scribe them  even  had  we  room.  Prob- 

<322  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


ably  a week  dcfes  not  pass  without  wit- 
nessing the  foundation  of  some  new 
town  or  future  city.  Some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  extent  of  settlement  in 
California,  from  the  following  list  of  post- 
offices  already  established,  with  the 
names  of  the  towns  and  counties  in  which 
they  are  located.  Those  in  italic  are 
county-seats : — 


OFFICES.  COUNTIES 

Antioch, Contra  Costa 

Auburn , Placer 

Benicia, Solano 

Bidwell’s  Bar, Butte 

Big  Bar, ^ Trinity 

Chico, Bu  tte 

Colusi,. . Colusi 

Coloma, El  Dorado 

Dobbin’s  Branch, Yuba 

Double  Springs,  ..Calaveras 

Downieville, Yuba 

Foster’s  Bar, Yuba 

Fremont,  Yolo 

Georgetown, El  Dorado 

Goodyear’s  Bar, Yuba 

Hamilton, Butte 

Jackson, Calaveras 

Knight’s  Ferry, . San  Joaquin 

Lassen’s Butte 

Los  Angeles,  ...Los  Angeles 

Louisville, El  Dorado 

Mariposa, Mariposa, 

Martinez, Contra  Costa 

Marysville, Yuba 

Mokelumne  Hill,  .Calaveras 

Monroeville, Colusi 

Moon’s  Ranch, Colusi 

Monterey, Monterey 

Mormon  Island,  Sacramento 
Napa, Napa 


OFFICES.  COUNTIES. 

Nevada, Nevada 

Nicolaus, Sutter 

Oak  Spring, Tuolumne 

Park’s  Bar, Yuba 

Placerville, El  Dorado 

Quartzburg, Mariposa 

Rough  and  Ready, . .Nevada 
San  Francisco,  .S.  Francisco 

Sacramento, Sacramento 

Salmon  Falls, El  Dorado 

Santa  Clara, Santa  Clara 

San  Jose, Santa  Clara 

Santa  Cruz, Santa  Cruz 

San  Juan, Monterey 

San  Luis  Obispo,  S.  L.  Obispo 
Santa  Barbara,  Sta.  Barbara 

San  Diego, San  Diego 

Shasta,  Shasta 

Sonoma, Sonoma 

Sonora, Tuolumne 

Staple’s  Ranch, . . . Calaveras 

Stockton, San  Joaquin 

Trinidad, Trinity 

Vallejo Solano 

Vernon,  Sutter 

V oleano, . . . , Calaveras 

Weaverville, Trinity 

Wood’s  Diggins,  .Tuolumne 
Yuba  City, Yuba 


Mineral  Wealth  of  California. — 
The  gold  region  of  California  is  about 
six  hundred  miles  long,  and  eighty  miles 
broad,  following  the  line  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  It  embraces  within  its  limits 
those  entensive  ranges  of  hills  which  rise 
on  the  eastern  border  of  the  plain  of  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  and  ex- 
tending eastwardly  from  fifty  to  sixty 
miles,  they  attain  an  elevation  of  about 
four  thousand  feet,  and  terminate  at  the 
base  of  the  main  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada. There  are  numerous  streams 
which  have  their  sources  in  the  springs 
of  the  Sierra,  and  receive  the  water  from 
its  melting  snows,  and  that  which  falls 
in  rain  during  the  wet  season. 

These  streams  form  rivers,  which  have 
cut  their  channels  through  the  ranges 
of  foot  hills  westwardly  to  the  plain,  and 
disembogue  into  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin.  These  rivers  are  from 
ten  to  fifteen,  and  probably  some  of  them 
twenty  miles  apart. 

The  principal  formation  or  substratum 


in  these  hills  is  talcose  slate  ; the  super- 
stratum, sometimes  penetrating  to  a 
great  depth,  is  quartz.  This,  however, 
does  not  cover  the  entire  face  of  the 
country,  but  extends  in  large  bodies  in 
various  directions — is  found  in  masses 
and  small  fragments  on  the  surface,  and 
seen  along  the  ravines,  and  in  the  mount- 
ains overhanging  the  rivers,  and  in  the 
hill  sides  in  its  original  beds.  It  crops 
out  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  tops  of  the 
hills,  and  forms  a striking  feature  of  the 
entire  country  over  which  it  extends. 
From  innumerable  evidence  and  indica- 
tions, it  has  come  to  be  the  universally 
admitted  opinion  among  the  miners  and 
intelligent  men  who  have  examined  this 
region,  that  the  gold , whether  in  detached 
'particles  and  in  pieces , &r  in  veins,  was 
created  in  combination  with  the  quartz. 
Gold  is  not  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
country,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
having  been  thrown  up  and  scattered  in 
all  directions  by  volcanic  action.  It  is 
only  found  in  particular  localities,  and 
attended  by  peculiar  circumstances  and 
indications.  It  is  found  in  the  bars  and 
shoals  of  the  rivers,  in  ravines,  and  in 
what  are  called  the  dry-diggings,  and  in 
all  these  localities  is  accessible  to  any 
man  who  has  the  strength  to  use  a pan 
or  washer,  a spade  and  pickaxe. 

The  rivers,  in  forming  their  channels, 
or  breaking  their  way  through  the  hills, 
have  come  in  contact  with  the  quartz 
containing  the  gold  veins,  and  by  con- 
stant attrition  cut  the  gold  into  fine  flakes 
and  dust,  and  it  is  found  among  the  sand 
and  gravel  of  their  beds  at  those  pl^es 
where  the  swiftness  of  the  current  re- 
duces it,  in  the  dry  season,  to  the  nar- 
rowest possible  limits,  and  where  a wide 
margin  is,  consequently,  left  on  each 
side,  over  which  the  water  rushes,  dur- 
ing the  wet  season,  with  great  force. 

As  the  velocity  of  some  streams  is 
greater  than  others,  so  is  the  gold  found 
in  fine  or  coarse  particles,  apparently 
corresponding  to  the  degree  of  attrition 
to  which  it  has  been  exposed.  The 
water  from  the  hills  and  upper  valleys, 
in  finding  its  way  to  the  rivers,  has  cut 
deep  ravines,  and,  wherever  it  came  in 
contact  with  the  quartz,  has  dissolved 
or  crumbled  it  in  pieces. 


Gold-Washing  at  the  Diggings  in  California. 


t 


624  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


In  the  dry  season  these  channels  are 
mostly  without  water,  and  gold  is  found 
in  the  beds  and  margins  of  many  of  them 
in  large  quantities,  but  in  a much  coarser 
state  than  in  the  rivers  ; owing,  undoubt- 
edly. to  the  moderate  flow  and  tempo- 
rary continuance  of  the  current,  which 
has  reduced  it,  to  smooth  shapes,  not  un- 
like pebbles,  but  had  not  sufficient  force 
to  reduce  it  to  flakes  or  dust. 


Rounded  water -worn  Pebble  of  Gold  with  Q.uartz. 


The  dry-diggings  are  places  where 
quartz  containing  gold  has  cropped  out, 
and  been  disintegrated,  crumbled  to  frag- 
ments, pebbles,  and  dust,  by  the  action 
of  water  and  the  atmosphere.  The  gold 
has  been  left  as  it  was  made,  in  all  im- 
aginable shapes  ; in  pieces  of  all  sizes, 
and  from  one  grain  to  several  pounds  in 
weight.  The  evidences  that  it  was  cre- 
ated in  combination  with  quartz  are  too 
numerous  and  striking  to  admit  of  doubt 
or  cavil.  They  are  found  in  combination 
in  large  quantities. 

A very  large  proportion  of  the  pieces 
of  gold  found  in  these  situations  have 
more  or  less  quartz  adhering  to  them. 
In  many  specimens  they  are  so  com- 
bined they  can  not  be  separated  without 
reducing  the  whole  mass  to  powder  and 
subjecting  it  to  the  action  of  quicksilver. 

This  gold,  not  having  been  exposed 
to  the  attrition  of  a strong  current  of 


water,  retains,  in  a great  degree,  its  ori- 
ginal conformation. 

These  diggings,  in  some  places,  spread 
over  valleys  of  considerable  extent,  which 
have  the  appearance  of  alluvion,  formed 
by  washings  from  the  adjoining  hills,  of 
decomposed  quartz  and  slate  earth,  and 
vegetable  matter. 

In  addition  to  these  facts,  several  vein- 
mines  have  been  taken,  showing  the  min- 
ute connexion  between  the  gold  and  the 
rock,  and  indicating  a value  hitherto  un- 
known in  gold-mining. 

These  veins  do  not  present  the  ap- 
pearance of  places  where  gold  may  have 
been  lodged  by  some  .violent  eruption. 
It  is  combined  with  the  quartz,  in  all 
imaginable  forms  and  degrees  of  rich- 
ness. 

The  rivers  present  very  striking  and, 
it  would  seem,  conclusive  evidence  re- 
specting the  quantity  of  gold  remaining 
undiscovered  in  the  quartz  veins.  It  is 
not  probable  that  the  gold  in  the  dry 
diggings,  and  that  in  the  rivers — the 
former  in  lumps,  the  latter  in  dust — was 
created  by  different  processes.  That 
which  is  found  in  the  rivers  has  undoubt- 
edly been  cut  or  worn  from  the  veins  in 
the  rock,  with  which  their  currents  have 
come  in  contact.  All  of  them  appear  to 
be  equally  rich.  This  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  a laboring  man  may  collect 
nearly  as  much  in  one  river  as  he  can  in 
another.  They  intersect  and  cut  through 
the  gold  region,  running  from  east  to 
west,  at  irregular  distances  of  fifteen  to 
twenty,  and  perhaps  some  of  them  thirty 
miles  apart. 

Hence  it  appears  that  the  gold  veins 
are  equally  rich  in  all  parts  of  that  most 
remarkable  section  of  country.  Were 
it  wanting,  there  are  further  proofs  of 
this  in  the  ravines  and  dry  diggings, 
which  uniformly  confirm  what  nature  so 
plainly  shows  in  the  rivers. 

It  is  now  a well-demonstrated  fact  that 
the  gold  found  in  the  beds  of  the  streams 
has  been  cut  or  worn  from  the  veins  in 
the  quartz  through  which  they  have 
forced  their  way,  and  considering  that 
they  are  all  rich,  and  are  said  to  be 
nearly  equally  productive,  we  may  form 
some  idea  of  the  vast  amount  of  treasure 
remaining  undisturbed  in  the  veins  which 


Lump  of  California  Gold,  actual  size — Value  $180. 


V 


40 


026  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


run  through  the  masses  of  rock  in  vari- 
ous directions  over  a space  comprising 
nearly  fifty  thousand  square  miles. 

If  we  may  be  allowed  to  form  a con- 
jecture respecting  tne  richness  of  these 
veins  from  the  quantity  of  lump  or  coarse 
gold  found  in  the  dry  diggings,  where 
it  appears  to  occupy  nearly  the  same 
superfices  it  did  originally  in  the  rock — 
its  specific  gravity  being  sufficient  to  re- 
sist ordinary  moving  causes — we  shall 
be  led  to  an  estimate  almost  beyond  hu- 
man calculation  and  belief.  Yet,  there 
is  no  plausible  reason  why  the  veins 
which  remain  in  the  quartz  may  not  be 
as  valuable  as  those  which  have  become 
separated  from  ihe  decomposed  rock. 
This  matter  is  being  satisfactorily  decided 
by  actual  discoveries.  These  gold-bear- 
ing veins  have,  as  yet,  been  pierced  only 
at  intervals,  but  the  developments  thus 
made,  indicate  that  in  her  fields  and 
ledges  of  auriferous  quartz,  California 
possesses  an  element  of  wealth,  of  incal- 
culable extent  and  value. 

The  first  experiments  in  quartz-mining 
were  made  in  1850,  in  Mariposa.  An 
injudicious  location  and  light  machinery 
rendered  this  first  trial  in  extracting  gold 
from  quartz  comparatively  a failure.  The 
works  were  soon  discontinued.  Since' 
then,  improvements  in  machinery  have 
been  made,  more  eligible  locations  se- 
lected, and  quartz-mining  operations  are 
being  prosecuted  with  vigor  and  success. 

The  present  great  centre  of  quartz- 
tnining  is  Grass  valley,  in  Nevada  county. 
This  town  is  distant  northeasterly  from 
Sacramento  city  about  seventy  miles. 
The  first  quartz  discoveries  at  this  lo- 
cality, were  made  about  the  month  of 
November,  1850 ; but  no  machinery 
was  erected  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
winter.  So  rich  did  the  veins  on  “Gold 
hill’*  prove,  even  by  the  slow  process  of 
crushing  in  hand-mortars  and  washing 
in  water  only,  that  shafts  were  sunk  on 
almost  every  hill  for  several  miles 
around,  in  nearly  every  instance  striking 
rich  veins.  There  are  between  thirty 
and  forty  hills  opened  in  the  single  town- 
ship of  Grass  valley  (four  and  a half 
miles  square),  and  exhibiting  incontest- 
able evidence  that  extensive  veins  of 
gold-bearing  quartz  underlie  them  all. 


The  machinery  for  crushing  the  quartz 
rock  is  of  course  very  expensive,  and 
not  nearly  all  of  those  possessing  quartz 
claims  have  the  means  wherewith  to 
purchase  it ; consequently,  the  principle 
of  a division  of  labor  commences  to  op- 
erate, and  in  the  most  favorable  manner 
for  the  miner  ; that  is,  the  miner  gets  out 
the  rock  from  his  claim,  and  then  sells 
it  to  the  parties  owning  machinery,  who 
crush  it  and  extract  the  gold. 

There  are  now  about  eight  mills  in 
successful  operation  in  and  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Centreville,  in  Grass  valley  town- 
ship. Many  others  are  in  process  of 
erection  at  the  same  localily,  and  still 
others  in  various  parts  of  Nevada  county. 
Centreville  is  already  a thriving  village 
of  fifteen  hundred  to  two  ihousand  in- 
habitants, with  some  good  dwellings, 
hotels,  stores,  markets,  &c.,  and  a saw- 
mill in  active  operation,  turning  out  six 
thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day,  which 
finds  ready  sale  at  eighty-five  dollars 
per  thousand. 

Gold-mining  may  be  said  to  be  but  in 
its  infancy  in  California.  The  gold  hith- 
erto obtained,  by  individual  effort,  though 
amounting  to  over  a hundred  millions  of 
dollars,  has  been  gathered  by  no  more 
effort  than  literally  scratching  the  earth’s 
surface,  and  will  prove  but  an  inconsid- 
erable sum,  when  compared  with  the 
treasures  which  combined  labor  and  cap- 
ital, with  the  aid  of  efficient  machinery, 
will  yet  bring  to  light. 

The  present  condition  of  California  is 
rich  in  hope  and  promise.  While  the 
mines  continue  to  yield  their  golden  trib- 
ute without  abatement,  many  are  turning 
their  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  large  quantities  of  land  have  been 
taken  up  and  placed  under  cuhure.  So- 
ciety is  rapidly  assuming  a regular  and 
permanent  shape.  The  tide  of  immigra- 
tion continues  to  flow  steadily  in  filling 
the  state  with  a hardy,  enterprising  pop- 
ulation. Under  the  benign  influence  of 
a republican  government,  with  life  and 
property  protected,  and  laws  properly 
respected  and  efficiently  administered, 
this  latest  child  of  our  cherished  Union 
can  not  fail  to  stride  forward  with  giant- 
steps  to  the  maturity  of  its  strength,  and 
the  flush  of  consummate  prosperity. 


THE  TERRITORIES. 


TERRITORY  OF  OREGOH. 


Northwestern  America  is  probably 
the  largest  portion  of  the  world  yet  un- 
subdued by  cultivation.  Till  very  re- 
cently, in  a region  comprising  more  than 
four  millions  of  square  miles,  two  or 
three  stations  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
a few  hunting-posts  and  missionary  es- 
tablishments in  the  interior,  were  the 
only  points  inhabited  by  civilized  man. 

A portion  of  this  territory  is  the  Ore- 
gon country,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
the  parallel  fifty-four  degrees  forty  min- 
utes, on  the  east  by  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, on  the  south  by  the  Klamet  range, 
or  Snowy  mountains,  extending  along 
or  near  the  forty-second  parallel,  and 
on  the  west  by  the  Pacific  ocean.  The 
British  portion  includes  all  north  of  lati- 
tude forty-nine  degrees,  while  that  be- 
longing to  the  United  States  comprises 
all  lying  south  of  that  parallel.  It  ex- 
tends about  five  hundred  miles  north 
and  south,  and  of  average  breadth  of 
about  five  hundred  miles — being  nar- 
rower toward  the  north  and  broader 
toward  the  south,  the  Rocky  mountains 
running  in  a southeasterly  direction.  It 
contains,  therefore,  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  square  miles. 

The  Oregon  territory  is  divided  into 
three  natural  belts  or  sections,  viz. : 1st. 
That  between  the  Pacific  ocean  and  the 
President’s  range,  or  Cascade  mount- 
ains, called  the  western  section  ; 2d.  That 
between  the  Cascade  and  Blue  mount- 
ain range,  or  middle  section  ; 3d.  That 
between  the  Blue  and  Rocky  mountain 
chains,  or  eastern  section  : and  this  di- 
vision will  equally  apply  to  the  soil,  cli- 
mate, and  productions.  All  these  divis- 
ions are  crossed  by  the  Columbia  river ; 
the  main  stream  is  formed,  in  the  mid- 
dle region,  by  the  union  of  several 
branches  flowing  from  the  Rocky  mount- 


ains, and  receiving  in  their  course  sev- 
eral smaller  streams,  draining  the  inter- 
mediate sections. 

The  Cascade  range  runs  parallel  with 
the  seacoast,  the  whole  length  of  the 
territory,  and  rising  in  many  places,  in 
regular  cones,  from  twelve  to  more  than 
fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

The  distance  from  the  seashore  to 
this  chain,  is  from  one  hundred  to  one  ! 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  the  ridge 
almost  interrupts  the  communication  be- 
tween the  first  and  second  sections,  ex- 
cept where  the  Columbia  river  forces  a 
passage  through  it ; there  are  a few 
mountain  passes,  but  they  are  difficult, 
and  only  to  be  attempt  ed  late  in  the  spring 
and  summer.  The  climate  of  this  section 
is  mild  throughout  the  year,  experien- 
cing neither  the  extreme  cold  of  winter 
nor  the  heat  of  summer.  The  prevailing 
winds  in  the  summer  are  from  the  north- 
ward and  westward,  and  in  the  winter, 
from  the  southward,  and  westward,  and 
southeast,  which  are  tempestuous.  The 
winter  is  supposed  to  last  from  Decem- 
ber to  February.  Rains  usually  begin 
to  fall  in  November,  and  last  till  March  ; 
but  they  are  not  heavy,  though  frequent. 
Snow  sometimes  falls* but  it  seldom  lies 
over  three  days.  The  frosts  are  early, 
occurring  in  the  latter  part  of  August ; 
this,  however,  is  to  be  accounted  for  by 
the  proximity  of  the  mountains.  Fruit- 
trees  blossom  early  in  April.  The  soil, 
in  the  northern  parts,  varies  from  a 
light  brown  loam  to  a thin  vegetable 
earth,  with  gravel  and  sand  as  a subsoil ; 
in  the  middle  parts,  from  a rich  heavy 
loam  and  unctious  clay  to  a deep  heavy 
black  loam,  on  a trap-rock  ; and  in  the 
southern  (the  Willamette  valley),  the  soil 
is  generally  good,  varying  from  a black 


628  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  OREGON. 


vegetable  loam  to  decomposed  basalt, 
with  stiff  clay,  and  portions  of  loose 
gravel-soil.  The  hills  are  generally  ba- 
salt, and  stone,  and  slate  ; between  the 
Umpqua  river  and  the  southern  boundary 
the  rocks  are  primitive,  consisting  of 
slate,  hornblende,  and  granite,  which 
produce  a gritty  and  poor  soil ; there 
are,  however,  some  places  of  rich  prai- 
rie, covered  with  oaks.  It  is,  for  the 
most  part,  a well-timbered  country.  It 
is  intersected  with  the  spurs  or  < ffsets 
from  the  Cascade  mountains,  which  ren- 
der its  surface  much  broken  ; these  are 
covered  with  a dense  forest.  The  tim- 
ber consists  of  pines,  firs,  spruce,  oaks 
(red  and  white),  ash,  arbutus,  arbor  vi- 
tae, cedar,  poplar,  maple,  willow,  cher- 
ry, and  tew,  with  a close  undergrowth 
of  hazel,  rubus,  roses,  &c.  The  richest* 
and  best  soil  is  found  on  the  second  or 
middle  prairie,  and  is  best  adapted  for 
agriculture;  the  high  and  low  being  ex- 
cellent for  pasture-land.  The  climate  and 
soil  are  admirably  adapted  for  all  kinds 
of  grain — wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley,  peas, 
&c.  Indian  corn  does  not  thrive  in  any 
part  of  this  territory  where  it  has  been 
tried.  Many  fruits  appear  to  succeed 
well,  particularly  the  apple  and  pear. 
Vegetables  grow  exceedingly  well,  and 
yield  most  abundantly. 

The  Blue  mountains  are  irregular  in 
their  course,  and  occasionally  interrupt- 
ed, but  generally  running  in  a northerly 
direction  ; they  commence  in  the  Kla- 
met  range,  near  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  territory ; they  are  broken  through 
by  the  Saptiq  or  Snake  river,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Kooskooske  river,  and 
branch  off  in  hills  of  moderate  elevation, 
until  they  again  appear  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Columbia  river,  above  the  Okana- 
gan river,  passing  in  a north  direction, 
until  they  unite  with  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, in  latitude  fifty-three  degrees  north. 
The  climate  of  the  middle  section  is  va- 
riable ; during  the  summer  the  atmo- 
sphere is  much  drier  and  warmer,  and 
the  winter  much  colder,  than  in  the 
western  section.  Its  extremes  of  heat 
and  cold  are  more  frequent  and  greater, 
the  mercury,  at  times,  falling  as  low  as 
minus  eighteen  degrees  of  Fahrenheit, 
in  winter,  and  rising  to  one  hundred  and 


1 eighty  degrees  in  the  shade  of  summer  : 
the  daily  difference  of  temperature  is 
about  forty  degrees  of  Fahrenheit.  It 
has,  however,  been  found  extremely  sa- 
lubrious, possessing  a pure  and  healthy 
air.  No  dews  fall  in  this  section.  The 
soil  is,  for  the  most  part,  a light  sandy 
loam  ; in  the  valleys  a rich  alluvia] ; and 
the  hills  are  generally  barren.  The  sur- 
face is  about  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  western  section,  and  is 
generally  a rolling  prairie  country.  The 
part  lying  to  the  north  of  the  parallel  of 
forty-eight  degrees  is  very  much  broken 
with  mountain-chains  and  rivers,  conse- 
quently barren  and  very  rugged.  From 
the  great  and  frequent  changes  in  its 
temperature,  it  is  totally  unfit  for  agri- 
culture, but  is  well  supplied  with  game 
of  all  kinds  that  are  found  in  the  coun- 
try. In  the  centre  of  this  section,  and 
near  and  around  the  junction  of  the 
Saptin  or  Snake  and  Columbia  rivers,  is 
an  extensive  rolling  country,  which  is 
well  adapted  for  grazing.  South  of  the 
Columbia,  and  extending  to  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  the  territory,  it  is  des- 
titute of  timber  or  wood,  unless  the 
wormwood  (artemisia)  may  be  so  called, 
although  there  are  portions  of  it  that 
might  be  advantageously  farmed. 

The  Rocky  mountains  form  the  boun- 
dary of  the  eastern  section,  and  of  the 
territory.  They  commence  on  the  Arc- 
tic coast,  and  continue  an  almost  unbro- 
ken chain  until  they  merge  in  the  Andes 
of  South  America.  That  part  forming 
the  eastern  boundary  of  Oregon,  ex- 
tending north  from  the  Great  South 
pass,  at  latitude  forty-two  degrees  north, 
to  about  the  fifty-second  degree,  at  the 
Committee’s  Punch-bowl  pass,  forms  an 
almost  impenetrable  barrier,  the  few 
passes  between  being  very  difficult  and 
dangerous.  The  climate  of  the  eastern 
section  is  extremely  variable.  In  each 
day  there  are  all  the  changes  incident  to 
spring,  summer,  autumn,  and  winter. 
There  are  places  where  small  farms 
might  be  located,  but  they  are  few  in 
number.  The  soil  is  rocky  and  uneven, 
and  presents  an  almost  unbroken  bar- 
ren waste.  Stupendous  mountain-spurs 
traverse  it  in  all  directions,  affording  lit- 
tle level  ground.  Snow  lies  on  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  OREGON.  629 


mountains  nearly,  if  not  quite,  through- 
out the  year.  It  is  exceedingly  dry  and 
arid,  rains  seldom  falling,  and  but  little 
snow.  This  country  is  partially  tim- 
bered, and  the  soil  much  impregnated 
with  salts. 

The  Columbia  is  the  great  river 
of  the  territory.  Its  northern  branch 
takes  its  rise  in  the  Rocky  mountains, 
in  latitude  fifty  degrees,  north,  longitude 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  west;  thenCe 
it  pursues  a northern  route,  to  near 
M‘Gillivary’.s  pass,  in  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains. At  the  boat  encampment,  the 
river  is  three  thousand  six  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea  (here  it  re- 
ceives two  small  tributaries — the  Canoe 
river,  and  that  from  the  Committee’s 
Punch-bowl),  thence  it  turns  south,  hav- 
ing some  obstructions  to  its  safe  naviga- 
tion, and  receiving  many  tributaries  in 
I its  course  to  Colville,  among  which  are 
the  Kootanie,  or  Flat  Bow,  and  the  Flat 
Head,  or  Clarke  river,  from  the  east, 
and  that  of  Colville  from  the  west.  This 
great  river  is  bounded  thus  far  on  its 
course,  by  a range  of  high  mountains, 
well  wooded,  and  in  places  expands  into 
a line  of  lakes  before  it  reaches  Colville, 
where  it  is  two  thousand  forty-nine  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  having  a fall 
of  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles..  To  the  south 
of  this  it  trends  to  the  westward,  receiv- 
ing the  Spokan  river  from  the  east,  which 
is  not  navigable,  and  takes  its  rise  in  the 
lake  of  Cceur  d’Alene.  Thence  it  pur- 
sues a westerly  course  for  about  sixty 
miles,  receiving  several  smaller  streams, 

I and,  at  its  bend  to  the  south,  it  is  joined 
by  the  Okanagan,  a river  that  has  its 
source  in  a line  of  lakes,  affording  canoe 
and  boat  navigation  for  quite  a distance 
to  the  northward.  The  Columbia  thence 
passes  to  the  southward  until  it  reaches 
Wallawalla,  in  the  latitude  of  forty-five 
degrees,  a distance  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles,  receiving  the  Piscous,  Y’Ak- 
ama,  and  Point  de  Boise,' or  Entyatecoom, 
from  the  west,  which  take  their  rise  in 
the  Cascade  range,  and  also  its  great 
southeastern  branch,  the  Saptin  or  Lew- 
is, which  has  its  source  in  the  Rocky 
mountains,  near  our  southern  boundary, 
and  brings  a large  quantity  of  water  to 


increase  the  volume  of  the  principal 
stream. 

The  Lewis  is  not  navigable,  even  for 
canoes,  except  in  reaches.  The  rapids 
are  extensive  and  of  frequent  occurrence. 

It  generally  passes  between  the  Rocky 
mountain  spurs  and  the  Blue  mountains. 

It  receives  the  Kooskooske,  Salmon,  and 
several  other  rivers,  from  the  east  and 
west  — the  former  from  the  Rocky 
mountains,  the  latter  from  the  Blue 
mountains  — and,  were  it  navigable, 
would  much  facilitate  the  intercourse 
with  this  part  of  the  country.  Its  length, 
to  its  junction  with  the  Columbia,  is 
five  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  The 
Columbia,  at  Wallawalla,  is  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  about  thir- 
ty-five hundred  feet  wide  ; it  now  takes 
its  last  turn  to  the  westward,  receiv- 
ing the  Umatilla,  Quisnel’s,  John  Day’s, 
and  De  Chute  rivers  from  the  south,  and 
Cathlatate’s  from  the  north,  pursuing  its 
rapid  course  of  eighty  miles,  previous  to 
passing  through  the  range  of  Cascade 
mountains,  in  a series  of  falls  and  rapids 
that  obstruct  its  flow,  and  form  insur- 
mountable barriers  to  the  passage  of 
boats  by  water  during  the  floods.  These 
difficulties,  however,  are  overcome  by 
portages.  Thence  there  is  still-water 
navigation,  for  forty  miles,  when  its 
course  is  again  obstructed  by  rapids. 
Thence  to  the  ocean,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  it  is  navigable  for  vessels 
of  twelve  feet  draught  of  water  at  the 
lowest  state  of  the  river,  though  ob- 
structed by  many  sand-bars.  In  this 
part  it  receives  the  Willamette  from  the 
south,  and  the  Cowelitz  from  the  north. 
The  former  is  navigable  for  small  ves- 
sels twenty  miles,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Klackamus,  three  miles  below  its  falls ; 
the  latter  can  not  be  called  navigable, 
except  for  a small  part  of  the  year,  du- 
ring the  floods,  and  then  only  for  canoes 
and  barges.  The  width  of  the  Colum- 
bia, within  twenty  miles  of  its  mouth,  is 
much  increased,  and  it  joins  the  ocean 
between  Cape  Disappointment  and  Point 
Adams,  forming  a sand-spit  from  each, 
by  deposite,  and  causing  a dangerous 
bar,  which  greatly  impedes  its  naviga- 
tion and  entrance. 


630  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  OREGON. 


Frazer’s  river  takes  its  rise  in  the 
Rocky  mountains,  near  the  source  of  the 
Canoe  river,  taking  a northwesterly 
course  of  eighty  miles  ; it  then  turns  to 
the  southward,  receiving  the  waters  of 
Stuart’s  river,  which  rises  in  a chain  of 
lakes  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
territory  ; it  then  pursues  a southerly 
course,  receiving  the  waters  of  the  Chil- 
cotin,  Pinkslitsa,  and  several  smaller 
streams,  from  the  west,  and  those  of 
Thompson’s  river,  and  other  streams, 
from  the  east  (these  take  their  rise  in 
lakes,  and  are  navigable  in  canoes,  by 
making  portages) ; and,  under  the  par- 
allel of  forty-nine  degrees,  it  breaks 
through  the  Cascade  range,  in  a succes- 
sion of  falls  and  rapids,  and,  after  a west- 
erly course  of  seventy  miles,  it  empties 
into  the  gulf  of  Georgia,  in  the  latitude 
of  forty-nine  degrees  and  seven  minutes 
north.  The  latter  portion  is  navigable 
for  vessels  that  can  pass  its  bar  drawing 
twelve  feet  water  ; its  whole  length  be- 
ing three  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

The  Chikeelis  is  next  in  importance. 
It  has  three  sources  among  the  range  of 
hills  that  intersect  the  country  north  of 
the  Columbia  river.  After  a very  tor- 
tuous course,  and  receiving  some  small 
streams  issuing  from  the  lakes  in  the 
high  ground  near  the  head-waters  of 
Hood’s  canal  and  Puget’s  sound,  it  dis- 
embogues in  Grey’s  harbor;  it  is  not 
navigable  except  for  canoes  ; its  current 
is  rapid,  and  the  stream  much  obstructed. 

To  the  south  of  the  Columbia  there 
are  many  small  streams,  but  three  of 
of  which  deserve  the  name  of  rivers: 
the  Umpqua,  Too-too-tut-na  or  Rogue’s 
river,  and  the  Klamet,  which  latter  emp- 
ties into  the  ocean  south  of  the  parallel 
of  forty-two  degrees.  None  of  these 
form  harbors  capable  of  receiving  a ves- 
sel of  more  than  eight  feet  draught  of 
water,  and  the  bars  for  most  part  of 
the  year,  are  impassable,  from  the  surf 
that  sets  in  on  the  coast.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  great  rivers  is  peculiar — rapid, 
and  sunken  much  below  the  level  of  the 
c mntry,  with  perpendicular  banks;  in- 
deed, they  are,  as  it  were,  in  trenches, 
it  being  extremely  difficult  to  get  at  the 
water  in  many  places,  owing  to  the 
steep  basaltic  walls;  and,  during  the 


rise,  they  are  in  many  places  confined 
by  dalles,  which  back  the  water  some 
distance,  submerging  islands  and  tracts 
of  low  prairie,  giving  the  appearance  of 
extensive  lakes. 

History. — On  the  7th  of  May,  1792, 
Captain  Robert  Gray,  in  the  ship  Co- 
lumbia, of  Boston,  discovered  and  en- 
tered the  Columbia  river;  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  his  vessel.  He  was 
the  first  person  that  established  the  fact 
of  the  existence  of  this  great  river,  and 
this  gave  to  the  United  States  the  right 
of  discovery.  In  1804-’5,  Captains  Lew- 
is and  Clark,  under  the  direction  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  ex- 
plored the  country  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri  to  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, and  spent  the  winter  of  1S05 
-’6  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  This 
exploration  of  the  river  Columbia,  the 
first  ever  made,  constituted  another 
ground  of  the  claim  of  the  United  States 
to  the  country.  In  1808,  the  Missouri 
fur  company,  at  St.  Louis,  established  a 
trading  post  beyond  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains, on  the  head-waters  of  Lewis  river, 
the  first  ever  formed  on  any  of  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Columbia.  In  1810,  the  Pa- 
cific fur  company,  under  John  Jacob 
Astor,  of  New  York,  was  formed;  and 
in  1811  they  founded  Astoria,  eight 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 
as  their  principal  trading  post,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  establish  others  in  the  inte- 
rior. A little  later  in  the  same  year, 
the  Northwest  company  Sent  a detach- 
ment to  form  establishments  on  the  Co- 
lumbia; but  when  they  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  they  found  the  post 
occupied.  In  consequence  of  the  expo- 
sure of  Astoria  by  the  war  of  1812,  the 
post  was  sold  out  to  the  Northwest  com- 
pany. At  the  close  of  the  war,  Astoria 
was  restored,  by  order  of  the  British 
government,  to  its  original  founders, 
agreeably  to  the  first  article  of  the  treaty 
of  Ghent.  Various  attempts  have  been 
made  since  the  war  to  renew  the  fur- 
trade  in  Oregon.  In  1821,  the  Hud- 
son’s bay  and  Northwest  company,  who 
had  previously  been  rivals,  were  united, 
and  since  that  time  have  greatly  extend- 
ed their  establishment  in  the  region  of 
Oregon. 


Astoria,  on  the  Columbia  River. 


632  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  OREGON. 


That  section  of  Oregon  watered  by 
the  Columbia  river  and  its  tributaries, 
was  for  a long  time  a subject  of  dispute 
between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  But  by  a treaty  concluded  at 
Washington,  on  the  fifteenth  of  June, 
1846,  this  long-pending  question,  which 
at  one  time  seriously  threatened  to 
break  the  harmony  existing  between  the 
two  nations  was  put  for  ever  at  rest, 
by  fixing  the  parallel  of  division  be- 
tween the  respective  portions,  as  given 
at  the  commencement  of  this  description. 
There  have  been  for  some  years  sev- 
eral missionary  stations  at  different 
points  in  Oregon,  and  since  the  settle- 
ment of  the  question  of  boundary,  new 
ones  have  been  established. 

It  will  be  almost  impossible  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  extensive  fisheries  in  the 
rivers,  and  on  the  coast.  They  all 
abound  in  salmon  of  the  finest  flavor, 
which  run  twice  a year,  beginning  in 
May  and  October,  and  appear  inexhaust- 
ible ; the  whole  population  live  upon 
them.  The  Columbia  produces  the  lar- 
gest, and  probably  affords  the  greatest 
numbers.  There  are  some  few  of  the 
branches  of  the  Columbia  that  the  spring 
fish  do  not  enter,  but  they  are  plentifully 
supplied  in  the  fall.  The  great  fishery 
of  the  Columbia  is  at  the  Dalles;  but 
vall  the  rivers  are  well  supplied.  The 
last  one  on  the  northern  branch  of  the 
Columbia  is  near  Colville,  at  the  Kettle 
falls  ; but  salmon  are  found  above  this 
in  the  river  and  its  tributaries.  In  Fra- 
zer’s river  the  salmon  are  said  to  be 
very  numerous,  but  not  large;  they  are 
unable  to  get  above  the  falls,  some 
eighty  miles  from  the  sea.  In  the  riv- 
ers and  sounds  are  found  carp-soles, 
salmon,  salmon-trout,  sturgeon,  cod, 
flounders,  ray,  perch,  herring,  lamprev- 
eels,  and  a kind  of  smelt  called  “ shrow,” 
in  great  abundance ; also  large  quanti- 
ties of  shell-fish,  viz.,  crabs,  clams,  oys- 
ters, mussels,  &c.,  which  are  all  used  by 
the  natives,  and  constitute  the  greater 
proportion  of  their  food.  Whales,  in 
numbers,  are  found  along  the  coast,  and 
are  frequently  captured  by  the  Indians 
in  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  straits  of  Juan 
de  Fuca. 

Abundance  of  game  exists,  such  as 


elk,  deer,  antelope,  bears,  wolves,  fox- 
es, muskrats,  martens,  beavers,  a few 
grizzly  bears,  and  siffleurs,  which  are 
eaten  by  the  Canadians.  In  the  middle 
section,  or  that  designated  as  the  rolling 
| prairie,  no  game  is  found.  In  the  east- 
I ern  section  the  buffalo  is  met  with.  The 
| fur-bearing  animals  are  decreasing  in 
numbers  yearly,  particularly  south  of 
the  parallel  of  forty-eight  degrees  ; in-  ; 
deed,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  they  j 
are  sufficiently  numerous  to  repay  the 
expense  of  bunting  them.  The  Hud- 
son’s bay  company  have  almost  the  ex- 
clusive monopoly  of  this  business.  They 
have  decreased  owing  to  being  hunted 
without  regard  to  season.  This  is  not, 
however,  the  case  to  the  north  ; there 
the  company  have  been  left  to  exercise 
their  own  rule,  and  prevent  the  indis- 
criminate slaughter  of  either  old  or 
young,  out  of  the  proper  season.  In  the 
spring  and  fall  the  rivers  are  literally 
covered  with  geese,  ducks  and  other 
water-fowl. 

In  1848,  a bill  passed  both  houses  of 
Congress,  and  was  approved  by  the  pres- 
ident on  the  14th  of  August,  by  which 
Oregon  was  erected  into  a territorial 
government,  and  soon  after  the  necessa- 
ry officers  were  sent  out,  and  the  gov- 
ernment organized. 

Oregon  City,  the  territorial  capital,  is 
situated  about  thirty  miles  up  thq  Wil- 
lamette river,  and  two  miles  above  the 
Clackmas  rapids,  which  prevent  all  nav- 
igation to  the  city.  Few  other  places 
in  the  Union  have  such  immense  water 
privileges,  and  many  lar^e  saw-mills  are 
already  in  operation.  The  view  we  have 
placed  on  the  opposite  page,  is  from  a 
drawing  taken  on  the  spot  in  1847,  since 
which  time  it  has  considerably  increased. 
The  population  in  1850,  was  702. 

Portland,  twelve  miles  below  the 
falls  may  be  considered  as  the  port  of 
Oregon  City.  Its  trade  with  the  Pa- 
cific towns,  and  also  with  those  of  the 
Atlantic,  especially  with  New  York,  is 
prosperous  and  increasing.  Population 
about  1,000. 

Astoria,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia, referred  to  on  a previous  page,  has  a 
good  harbor,  and  many  natural  advan- 
tages for  becoming  eventually  a great 


Oregon  City,  on  the  Willamette  River. 


I i 

634  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  OREGON. 


commercial  depot.  At  present,  howev- 
er, there  are  but  a few  buildings  in  the 
place.  Astoria  is  a port  of  entry. 

Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  north  hank 
of  the  Columbia  river,  one  hundred 
miles  from  its  mouth,  is  the  principal  tra- 
ding post  of  the  Hudson’s  Bay  compa- 
ny, west  of  the  mountains.  Ships  draw- 
ing fourteen  feet  water,  can  ascend 
twenty  miles  further  up  the  river.  The 
establishment  consists  of  about  hundred 
houses  enclosed  by  picket-fences,  and 
defended  by  armed  bastions  and  a block- 
house. A catholic  church  is  the  only 
building  of  note.  The  inhabitants  are 
chiefly  South-Sea  Islanders  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  company.  The  establish- 
ment is  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  the 
centre  of  vast  interests — all  the  compa- 
ny’s Indian  trade  being  conducted  here. 
Extensive  agricultural  operations  for 
the  support  of  the  traders,  are  carried 
on.  The  farm  contains  about  three 
thousand  acres.  The  stock  of  cattle  and 
sheep  is  very  large,  and  is  rapidly  in- 
creasing in  numbers  and  improving  in 
breed  from  the  importation  of  European 
stock.  The  mixed  breed  of  sheep  yields 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  pounds  of  fleece. 
The  mills  and  outposts  of  the  fort  ex- 
tend several  miles  above  on  the  river. 

The  upper  colony  from  the  United 
States  is  situated  on  the  Willamette  riv- 
er, ninety-four  miles  from  its  entiance 
into  the  Columbia.  It  consists  of  about 
one  hundred  families,  who  raise  consid- 
erable grain,  and  have  about  four  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle,  extensive  fields  of 
wheat,  potatoes,  peas,  and  vegetables,  of 
all  descriptions.  They  have  hogs,  poul- 
try, &c.,  in  abundance. 

Fort  Wallawalla  is  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Columbia,  ten  miles  below  the 
entrance  of  Lewis  river.  On  the  Willa- 
mette river,  fifty-five  miles  above  its  en- 
trance into  the  Columbia,  is  M‘Key’s 
settlement,  and  twelve  miles  above,  is 
Jarvis’  settlement,  which  contain  about 
twenty  families. 

Fort  Colville  is  on  the  south  side  of 
Clark’s  river,  below  the  Kettle  falls,  just 
before  it  enters  the  Columbia.  Here  is 
a considerable  farming  establishment. 

Fort  Okanagan  is  at  the  entrance  into 
the  Columbia  of  the  river  of  that  name, 


one  hundred  miles  below  Clark’s  river. 
The  Hudson’s  Bay  company  have  seve- 
ral other  trading  posts  in  this  territory. 

Fort  Nesqually,  on  Puget’s  sound, 
is  occupied  by  the  “ Puget’s  Sound  Ag- 
ricultural Company.”  Their  farms  are 
very  extensive,  and  are  kept  in  a high 
state  of  cultivation.  They  supply  pro- 
visions to  the  Hudson’s  Bay  company’s 
servants  west  of  the  mountains,  and  ex- 
port largely  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  and 
the  Russian  post  of  Sitka. 

There  are  a few  other  small  but  thri- 
ving villages  and  settlements  in  Oregon. 

Since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Califor- 
nia, a great  demand  has  arisen  for  the 
agricultural  products  of  Oregon,  and,  as 
a consequence,  a commercial  connexion 
has  been  the  result.  The  export  of  lum- 
ber has  been  large.  This  incipient  com- 
merce will  not  be  transitory — the  de- 
mand for  building  materials  is  constantly 
on  the  increase,  and  that  for  breadstuff’s 
and  provisions  will  last  as  long  as  mi- 
ning is  the  chief  employment  in  Califor- 
nia. Some  commercial  intercourse  is 
maintained  also  with  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  the  Russian  settlements  on 
the  north.  But  with  all  these  fortu- 
itous circumstances  that  have  attended 
the  first  settlement  of  the  territory,  it 
must  still  remain  much  as  it  is — a mere 
agricultural  and  pastoral  country,  unless 
some  means  of  easy  and  rapid  comnfh- 
nication  can  be  maintained  with  the 
western  states  and  the  Atlantic  coast. 
A railroad  is  the  only  solution  of  this 
difficulty.  The  one  proposed  by  Mr. 
Whitney  seems  to  have  some  claims  to 
consideration,  and  by  its  means  the 
shores  of  Lake  Michigan  would  be 
brought  into  a juxtaposition  with  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  river.  ‘The  de- 
tails for  the  construction  of  such  an 
avenue,  chiefly  through  a country  in- 
fested with  hostile  Indians,  and  through 
mountain  passes  almost  inaccessible, 
have  been  laid  before  Congress,  and  are 
favorably  spoken  of ; but  to  mature 
plans,  and  obtain  capital  for  such  a work, 
seems  to  offer  almost  insuperable  diffi- 
culties even  to  its  commencement.  Still 
we  trust  the  day  is  not  far  distant  that 
will  witness  the  triumphant  completion 
of  this  gigantic  enterprise. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA.  635 


TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA, 


The  early  history  of  Minnesota  is 
involved  in  much  obscurity,  though  Fa- 
ther Hennepin  in  1680,  and  Baron  La 
Hontan  in  1689,  both  Frenchmen,  visited 
that  region,  but  subsequently  gave  nar- 
ratives to  the  world,  so  strangely  inter- 
mixed wilh  the  truth  and  seeming  fable, 
that  little  reliance  was  placed  on  their 
statements.  It  would  seem  on  investi- 
gation, that  for  several  hundred  years 
the  possession  of  the  land  was  fiercely 
contested  by  different  Indian  nations; 
mainly  between  the  great  tribes  of  Dako- 
tahs or  Sioux  and  the  Algonquins  or 
Chippewas.  The  latter,  from  their  east- 
ern location  on  Lake  Superior,  about 
the  falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  earlier  inter- 
course with  the  French  fur-traders,  be- 
came first  possessed  of  firearms,  which 
gave  them  a superiority  that  enabled 
them  to  drive  the  Dakotahs  from  the 
rich  midland  hunting-grounds,  rice  and 
fish  lakes,  in  the  country  about  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  dispossessed  bands  of  the  Dako- 
tahs moved  westward,  sweeping  in  their 
progress,  the  Sheans,  the  Iowas,  and 
other  tribes  from  their  lands  ; until,  in 
the  course  of  time,  the  fugitive  Dakotahs 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  became  the 
fiercest  lords  of  the  vast  buffalo-plains 
of  the  Upper  Missouri.  By  a treaty 
negotiated  under  the  protection  of  the 
United  States,  at  Fort  Crawford,  near 
Prairie  du  Chien,  in  1825,  between  all 
the  different  tribes  of  the  northwest, 
their  respective  boundaries  were  de- 
fined; and  thenceforward  comparative 
peace  ensued  between  them. 

The  name  Minnesota  is  derived  from 
the  Indian  name  of  the  St.  Peter’s  river, 
the  principal  local  stream  of  the  country. 
The  Indians,  living  on  its  banks,  called 
it  thus  on  account  of  the  different  appear- 
ance of  the  waters  from  those  of  the 
Mississippi.  At  the  junction  of  the  two 
streams,  the  waters  of  the  last-named 
river  may  be  observed  generally  tinged 
of  a chocolate  color,  derived  from  ihe 
extensive  tamarac  and  pine  swamps 
toward  the  north,  in  which  it  partly  has 


its  head  springs  ; while  the  waters  of  the 
Minnesota  are  entirely  different  in  ap- 
pearance, being  light-colored  and  clear. 
The  name  is  compounded  of  two  words, 
minne , “ water,”  and  sotah,  “ sky-col- 
ored.” This  poetical  designation,  “ The 
territory  of  the  sky-colored  water,”  re- 
ceives additional  ornament  in  the  Dako- 
tah  name  bestowed  on  the  junction  of 
the  river  with  ihe  Mississippi,  that  of 
Mendota,  or  “ Mingling  of  the  Waters.” 
This  is  also  the  appellation  of  the  Indian 
trading-town  at  the  mouth. 

The  United  States  had  little  authority 
over  this  region  till  1812.  In  1816,  a 
law  of  Congress  excluded  foreigners 
from  the  Indian  trade  ; and  for  the  en- 
couragement of  our  citizens  the  military 
post  at  Fort  Snelling  was  established  in 
1819.  Among  the  explorers  of  this  coun- 
try, the  names  of  Pike,  Carver,  Long,  Bel- 
trami, Cass,  Schoolcraft,  Nicollet,  Owen, 
&c.,  will  ever  be  intimately  connected 
with  its  history.  The  honor  of  verifying 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  belongs  to 
Schoolcraft. 

Previous  to  the  erection  of  Iowa  into 
a state,  all  that  portion  of  Minnesota  west 
of  the  Mississippi  was  included  in  Iowa 
territory,  and  that  part  immediately  on 
the  river  was  embraced  in  the  county  of 
Clayton.  The  organization  of  Iowa  into 
a state  threw  all  north  of  43°  307  without 
the  bounds  of  any  organized  government. 
Little,  if  any,  inconvenience  resulted  to 
the  white  inhabitants  in  the  excluded  por- 
tion, as  it  was  entirely  Indian  country, 
and  under  the  control  of  the  United  States 
la  ws  “ regulating  trade  and  intercourse 
with  the  Indians.”  But  in  1848,  Wis- 
consin was  admitted  into  the  Union  ; and 
her  boundary  on  the  north  and  northwest 
being  the  St.  Croix,  cut  off*  the  principal 
portion  of  two  organized  counties  of  the 
territory  of  Wisconsin — viz.,  St.  Croix 
and  La  Pointe — comprising  a consider- 
able population,  one  county-seat,  arid 
important  interests  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing and  trading.  The  people  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  “ Territory  of  Wisconsin,” 
thus  suddenly  deprived  of  a judiciary, 


636  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA. 


and  the  means  of  a proper  administra- 
tion of  the  laws,  as  the  only  remedy  for 
ihe  threatened  evils  of  such  a state  of 
things,  met  in  convention,  and  resolved 
that,  inasmuch  as  the  law  establishing 
Wisconsin  territory  was  not  specially  re- 
pealed by  the  erection  of  Wisconsin  stai  e, 
that  their  country  was,  de  facto , said  ter- 
ritory; and  the  acting  governor  of  Wis- 
consin, Hon.  John  Catlin,  secretary  of 
the  said  territory,  coinciding  in  this  view, 
issued  his  proclamation  for  the  election 
of  a delegate  to  Congress.  The  people 
also  memorialized  Congress  in  regard 
to  their  condition,  and  instructed  their 
delegate  to  ask  the  erection  of  a new  ter- 
ritory, to  be  called  “ Minnesota .”  This 
was  granted,  by  act  of  Congress,  on  the 
3d  of  March,  1849.  Shortly  after,  Alex- 
ander Ramsay  was  appointed  governor. 
St.  Paul’s  was  made  the  capital,  where 
the  government  was  soon  after  organ- 
ized. 

The  territory  of  Minnesota,  thus  cre- 
ated is  situated  between  43°  30/  and  49° 
north  latitude,  and  89D  30'  and  102°  10/ 
west  longitude  ; and  is  bounded  north 
by  British  America,  east  by  Lake  Supe- 
rior and  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  south  by 
the  state  of  Iowa,  and  west  by  Missouri 
terriiory.  Of  the  immense  territory  in- 
cluded within  these  limits,  22,336  square 
miles  belonged  to  the  late  territory  of 
Wisconsin,  and  the  remainder  to  the  late 
territory  of  Iowa. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  this  territory 
scarcely  an  elevation  that  could  be  dig- 
nified with  the  name  of  mountain  occurs. 
The  surface  is  in  general  level  or  undu- 
lating, but  varies  considerably  in  eleva- 
tion, and  in  the  ascents  and  descents  of 
its  plateaux.  In  some  parts,  especially 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Mississippi 
and  St.  Peter’s,  the  ground  is  much  bro- 
ken, and  their  margins  lined  wbh  high 
bluffs  of  various  formations  ; while  in  oth- 
ers the  rivers  flow  through  deep  chan- 
n Is  seemingly  worn  into  the  earth  by 
the  force  of  their  waters. 

Every  portion  of  Minnesota  may  be 
reached  by  inland  navigation.  The  trav- 
eller will  meet  constantly  with  springs 
and  small,  lakes,  the  sources  of  mighty 
rivers,  whose  waters  are  discharged  thou- 
sands of  miles  to  the  north  into  Hudson’s 


bay,  as  many  to  the  east  into  the  gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  or  to  the  south  into  the 
gulf  of  Mexico.  Springs  are  often  seen 
within  a few  feet  of  each  other,  the  sour- 
ces of  rivers  whose  outlets  in  the  ocean 
are  some  six  thousand  miles  apart!  In 
almost  every  direction,  canoe  naviga- 
tion, with  short  portages,  is  practicable 
by  means  of  the  numerous  rivers,  whose 
sources  are  nearly  interlocked  or  con- 
nected by  chains  of  lakes.  The  Missis- 
sippi has  its  source  here,  some  three 
thousand  miles  from  its  mouth.  Nine 
hundred  miles  of  the  length  of  this  ma- 
jestic river  are  embraced  in  this  territo- 
ry, and  its  numerous  tributaries  course 
through  its  fertile  plains.  The  northeast 
portion  is  washed  by  the  crystal  waters 
of  Lake  Superior,  which  is  of  itself  an 
inland  sea  for  the  prosecution  of  trade 
and  commerce,  and  opens  an  avenue  to 
the  Atlantic.  The  Missouri,  after  hav- 
ing flowed  nearly  one  thousand  miles 
from  the  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
sweeps  along  its  whole  western  bounda- 
ry, insuring  navigation  almost  to  Oregon. 
Its  large  tributaries,  James  and  Big  Si- 
oux rivers,  water  valleys  of  great  beauty 
and  fertility.  Extensive  prairies,  bloom- 
ing with  flowers,  and  covered  with  luxu- 
riant grasses,  afford  sustenance  to  im- 
mense herds  of  buffalo,  saying  nothing 
of  elk,  deer,  antelopes,  and  other  small 
game.  Red  river,  which  discharges  it- 
self into  Lake  Winnipeg,  has  its  sources 
near  those  of  the  Mississippi.  Beautiful 
lakes  of  transparent  water,  well  stocked 
with  fish,  and  varying  in  size  from  ponds 
to  inland  seas,  are  profusely  scattered 
over  the  territory.  Forests  of  pine  and 
other  evergreens,  orchards  of  sugar-ma- 
ple, groves  of  hard  and  soft  woods  of  va- 
rious species,  wild  rice  and  cranberries, 
and  various  species  of  wild  fruit,  copious 
springs  of  pure  water,  a fertile  soil,  and 
water-power,  easily  improved  and  aoun- 
dantly  distributed,  render  this  region  pe- 
culiarly adapted  to  the  wants  of  man. 
Add  to  these  a salubrious  climate,  and 
Minnesota  appears  to  enjoy  eminent  ca- 
pacities for  becoming  a thriving  and  pop- 
ulous state.  Its  mineral  resources  arc 
as  yet  but  imperfectly  known,  but  indi- 
cations and  discoveries  have  been  made 
that  certify  its  wealth  in  copper  and  lead. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA.  637 

Building-stone  of  every  description,  lime- 
stone, &c.,  are  found  everywhere  under- 
lying the  soil,  while  many  valuable  and 
precious  stones  are  found  on  the  shores 
of  the  lakes.  For  a country  so  over- 
spread with  lakes,  and  traversed  by  such 
a number  of  rivers,  it  is  astonishingly 
free  from  marsh  and  morass.  The  land 
has  a great  elevation  above  the  gulf  of 
Mexico  and  the  waters  of  the  north  and 
east,  and,  as  a consequence,  is  easily  and 
perfectly  drained.  ; and,  moreover,  the 
margins  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  them- 
selves are  generally  surrounded  by  hills 
and  bluffs,  which  protect  their  neighbor- 
hoods from  inundation.  The  whole  coun- 
try is  thus  eligible  for  agriculture. 

As  yet,  the  settlements  made  in  the 
territory  are  chiefly  confined  to  the  pe- 
ninsula between  the  Mississippi  and  St. 
Croix  on  the  south,  and  on  the  Red  river 
on  the  north.  Otherwise  the  country  is 
inhabited  only  by  the  aboriginal  hunters, 
the  Chippewa  and  Sioux  Indians.  Their 
numbers  are  not  ascertained,  but  may 
approximate  to  about  twelve  thousand- 
With  some  of  the  tribes  treaties  have 
been  made  for  the  purchase  of  their  lands 
and  for  their  removal,  which,  when  fully 
effected,  will  open  to  the  white  settler 
immense  tracts  of  rich  and  fertile  soils, 
productive  of  every  species  of  grain  and 
fruits  usually  grown  in  northern  climates. 
The  hunting-grounds  of  the  Indians  are 
now  chiefly  confined  to  the  vast  prairies 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  white  in- 
habitants are  from  almost  every  portion 
of  the  world  : the  Canadian,  the  sons  of 
New  England  and  the.  middle  states,  with 
English,  French,  and  Germans,  are  all 
intermingled  ; and  not  a few  of  the  citi- 
zens consist  of  half-breeds,  who  chiefly 
reside  on  the  Red  river,  and  have  settle- 
ments for  some  distance  on  both  sides  of 
our  northern  boundary.  These  are  de- 
scendants of  the  original  settlers  at  Lord 
Selkirk  colony,  and  Indian  women  of  the 
Chippewa  family. 

In  the  new  settlements,  the  industry 
of  the  whites  is  almost  entirely  agricul- 
tural. They  have  mills  on  a number  of 
the  streams,  and  steamboats  ply  regu- 
larly on  their  waters.  They  are  build- 
ing roads,  and,  from  the  energy  they  ex- 
hibit in  overcoming  natural  obstacles,  the 

real  prosperity  of  the  territory  seems  to 
be  insured.  A large  business  has  been 
already  done  by  the  steamboats  that  sail 
regularly  between  Galena  and  St.  Paul’s 
and  Stillwater.  The  products  of  the 
chase  and  the  fruits  of  the  field  are  ex- 
ported in  considerable  quantities. 

With  regard  to  immigration,  the  pros- 
pects are  favorable.  Farmers,  laborers, 
and  professional  men,  are  daily  ascend- 
ing the  rivers  in  search  of  a new  home. 
The  day,  indeed,  is  not  distant,  when  the 
forests  will  be  laid  low,  and  the  flowery 
prairies  be  converted  into  fields  and  gar- 
dens, producing  every  necessary  to  the 
use  and  enjoyment  of  man.  Earth,  air, 
and  water,  abound  in  the  prerequisites 
of  man’s  happiness  and  enjoyment,  and 
ate  only  awaiting  his  advent  to  yield,  up 
their  now-unused  abundance. 

So  recent  has  been  the  organization 
of  the  government  of  the  terrritory,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  exhibit  by  statistics 
the  resources  of  this  new  and  almost  un- 
touched country.  The  first  legislature, 
which  adjourned  after  a session  of  sixty 
days,  was  chiefly  employed  in  organizing 
the  government,  and  dividing  the  terri- 
tory into  suitable  civil  districts,  and  ap- 
pointing officers  to  enforce  the  laws. 
Among  other  important  acts  of  the  ter- 
ritorial legislature,  are  those  establishing 
the  judiciary,  a school  system,  and  those 
relative  to  the  improvement  of  roads.  All 
these  will  have  a paramount  influence 
over  the  future  destiny  of  the  country. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  most  humane  and  pol- 
itic acts  of  the  legislature  is  the  admis- 
sion to  citizenship  of  “all  persons  of  a 
mixture  of  white  and  Indian  blood,  who 
shall  have  adopted  the  habits  and  cus- 
toms of  civilized  men  and  not  less  pol- 
itic is  that  law  which  requires  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools  throughout  the  ter- 
ritory. The  act  of  the  general  govern- 
ment organizing  the  territory,  appropri- 
ates two  sections  of  land  in  every  town- 
ship for  the  support  of  common  schools. 
No  other  state  in  the  Union  has  received 
more  than  one  section  in  each  township 
for  such  purpose.  According  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1850,  the  population  of  Minnesota 
was  rising  6,000. 

The  territory  was  divided  by  the  legis- 
lature into  nine  counties,  in  lieu  of  the 

€38  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA. 


counties  of  St.  Croix  and  La  Pointe, 
which  constituted  the  remaining  portions 
of  the  territories  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin 
of  which  Minnesota  was  formed.  The 
principal  settlements  are  St.  Paul’s,  Still- 
water, Mendota,  Fort  Snelling,  Pembi- 
na, &c. 

St.  Paul’s,  the  capital,  is  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  fifteen 
miles  by  water,  and  eight  miles  by  land, 
below  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The 
town  is  situated  on  a plateau  termina- 
ting on  the  river  in  a precipitous  bluff 
of  eighty  feet  elevation  above  the  water. 
The  bluff  recedes  from  the  river  at  the 
upper  and  lower  ends  of  the  town,  form- 
ing two  landings,  from  both  of  which  the 
ascent  is  gradual.  The  first  store  or  tra- 
ding-house was  built  in  1842.  In  June, 

1849,  the  town  contained  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  houses,  all  of  which,  with 
the  exception  of  perhaps  a dozen,  had 
been  built  within  the  year  previous  : this 
number  included  the  government-house, 
three  hotels,  four  warehouses,  ten  stores, 
several  groceries,  two  printing-offices — 
from  which  two  newspapers  are  issued 
weekly — a schoolhouse,  several  mechan- 
ics’ shops,  &c.  There  was  not  a brick 
or  stone  house  in  the  town.  Since  the 
period  above  mentioned,  however,  sev- 
eral churches  and  many  durable  houses, 
built  of  stone  and  brick,  from  materials 
in  the  vicinity,  have  been  erected.  The 
population,  according  to  the  census  of 

1850,  was  1,135.  St.  Paul’s  is  well  lo- 
cated for  commerce;  and  from  its  being 
at  the  head  of  navigation  below  the  falls 
of  St.  Anthony,  must  necessarily  become 
not  only  the  political  but  the  commercial 
capital  of  the  territory.  In  the  neigh- 
borhood of  St.  Paul’s  there  is  an  exten- 
sive settlement  of  Canadians,  chiefly  per- 
sons formerly  employed  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  called  Little  Canada.*  Its 
population  is  about  800. 

Stillwater  is  situated  on  the  west 
side  of  Lake  St.  Croix,  near  its  head,  on 
ground  having  a gentle  ascent  from  the 
shore  to  a high  bluff  in  the  rear,  which 
extends  in  the  form  of  a crescent,  and 
nearly  encloses  the  town.  The  first  set- 
tlement was  made  in  1843.  It  contains 
a courthouse,  several  hotels  and  stores, 
and  many  neat  dwellings.  Steamboats 


seldom  ascend  higher  than  this  place. 
The  environs  consist  of  a beautiful  prairie 
country,  and  are  being  rapidly  brought 
under  cultivation.  Population  in  June, 
1850,  636. 

Marine  Mills  is  a flourishing  settle- 
ment on  the  St.  Croix  river,  a few  miles 
above  its  entrance  into  the  lake.  The 
precinct  contains  about  300  inhabitants. 
Its  water-power,  and  the  fine  country 
which  surrounds  it,  must  speedily  enforce 
its  increase  and  prosperity. 

Several  villages  on  the  Wisconsin  side 
of  the  St.  Croix  river  have  been  estab- 
lished, and  are  rapidly  increasing  in  im- 
portance. Indeed,  the  resources  of  the 
vicinity  on  both  sides  are  such  as  to  in- 
sure to  the  villages  considerable  com- 
merce. 

Fort  Snelling  is  situated  on  the  high, 
rocky  promontory,  more  than  a hundred 
feet  above  the  water,  at  the  confluence 
of  St.  Peter’s  river  with  the  Mississippi. 
The  military  works  were  commenced 
in  1819.  The  fort  is  in  the  form  of  a 
hexagon,  and  surrounded  by  a stone  wall. 
From  the  river  its  appearance  is  imposing 
and  seemingly  impregnable.  It  is,  how- 
ever, within  the  reach  of  cannon  from 
higher  ground  ; but  the  object  for  which 
the  site  was  selected — the  proteciion  of 
the  frontier  from  savage  incursion — is 
well  attained  by  its  situation.  The  gar- 
rison usually  consists  of  three  companies 
of  dragoons.  The  view  from  these  for- 
tifications is  extensive.  The  military  res- 
ervation of  the  establishment  embraces 
an  area  of  ten  miles  square,  of  which  the 
fort  is  near  the  centre.  The  settlement 
in  the  neighborhood  contains  only  about 
forty  inhabitants.  In  the  fort  there  were 
267  males  and  50  females  in  June,  1849. 

Mendota,  or  St.  Peter’s,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  south  of  the  con- 
fluence of  St.  Peter’s  river,  has  been  oc- 
cupied for  several  years  by  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  as  a depot  for  their 
trading  establishments  with  the  Indians 
of  the  northwest.  Two  stores  and  two 
or  three  houses  constitute  the  village. 
It  is,  however,  a fine  town  site ; and  be- 
ing situated  at  the  junction  of  two  great 
rivers,  and  near  the  head  of  steam  navi- 
gation, its  importance  in  a commercial 
point  of  view  has  not  been  overlooked. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  MINNESOTA. 


639 


Whites  are  not  allowed  to  reside  here 
without  special  permission  from  the  Uni- 
ted States  government,  the  village  being 
in  the  military  reservation.  It  will  ulti- 
mately command  the  trade  of  the  St.  Pe- 
ter’s river.  Population  in  1850,  200. 

Some  other  small  villages  exist  in  this 
neighborhood,  but  of  their  importance  or 
present  state  little  is  known.  Kaposia, 
from  its  situation  near  the  point  of  land 
opposite  St.  Paul’s,  though  yet  little  more 
than  an  Indian  town,  may  ultimately  be- 
come of  consequence.  Sauk  Rapids, 
opposite  the  mouth  of  Osakis  river,  is 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi ; 
and  higher  up,  on  both  sides  of  Nokay 
river,  is  Fort  Gaines,  the  most  norther- 
ly military  eslablishment  in  the  country. 
The  supplying  of  these  remote  stations 
with  provisions,  &c.,  creates  considerable 
traffic  and  travelling  by  both  land  and 
water.  The  return  traffic  consists  of  furs 
and  peltry,  with  other  Indian  contribu- 
tions. 

The  city  of  St.  Anthony,  which  is 
laid  out  on  the  east  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, directly  opposite  the  cataract,  is  a 
beautiful  town  siie.  A handsome,  ele- 
vated prairie,  with  a gentle  inclination 
toward  the  river  bank,  and  of  sufficient 
width  for  parallel  streets,  extends  up  and 
down  the  river.  In  the  rear  of  this,  an- 
other branch  of  table  land  swells  up, 
forming  a beautiful  and  elevated  plat- 
form. The  inhabitants  are  chiefly  from 
the  state  of  Maine,  and  form  an  enter- 
prising population. 

The  town  of  Pembina,  situated  on  Red 
river,  a short  distance  this  side  of  the 
British  line,  contained,  according  to  the 
census  of  1850,  636  inhabitants  : of  these, 
294  were  males  and  342  females.  The 
men  follow  the  chase,  and  engage  in  the 
pursuits  of  grazing  and  agriculture  ; and 
the  women,  besides  ^tending  to  the  usu- 
al domestic  avocations, manufacture  most 
of  the  woollen  and  linen  fabrics  necessa- 
ry to  clothe  their  families.  Hardy  and 
hard-working,  prudent  as  the  New  Eng- 
land farmer,  religious,  brave,  and  intelli- 
gent, these  half-breeds  form  no  mean 
class  in  the  general  community.  They 
trade  with  the  southern  settlers  of  the 
territory,  exchanging  furs  and  pemmican 
for  the  superfluities  of  the  south.  They 


have  churches  and  schools,  and  many  of 
the  better  class  are  educated  at  a colle- 
giate establishment  which  has  long  been 
maintained  among  them.  As  a conse- 
quence, however,  of  their  ostracized  sit- 
uation, they  still  retain  many  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  their  original  nations,  modi- 
fied indeed  by  the  circumstances  that 
surround  them,  and  their  connexion  with 
savage  life. 

Minnesota  embraces  within  its  borders 
all  the  natural  advantages  necessary  to 
a great  state.  Its  water-power  is  inex- 
haustible. Mines  of  copper,  lead,  and 
iron,  are  abundant.  It  is  doubtless  des- 
tined to  be  one  of  the  most  powerful 
members  of  the  confederacy.  Its  popu- 
lation is  rapidly  increasing,  and  in  two 
or  three  years  they  will  be  knocking  at 
the  door  of  the  Union  for  admission  as 
a sovereign  state. 

The  remaining  portion  of  the  United 
States  territory  east  of  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains is  known  as  the  Western  territory, 
and  is  a part  of  the  Louisiana  purchase 
of  1803.  It  extends  from  the*  Nebraska 
or  Platte  river  northward  to  the  49th 
parallel,  and  from  White  Earth  and  Mis- 
souri rivers  westward  to  the  Rocky 
mountains.  The  territory  has  an  area 
of  579,584  square  miles. 

The  greater  part  of  this  immense  ter- 
ritory is  watered  by  the  Missouri  and  its 
numerous  tributaries.  The  Yellowstone, 
the  largest  of  these,  extends  its  branches 
to  the  very  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  to  near  the  sources  of  the  Nebraska. 
A mountain-ridge,  which  branches  from 
the  great  Rocky  mountains,  in  about  42° 
north  latitude,  traverses  the  country  in  a 
northeast  direction  toward  Lake  Winni- 
peg. In  the  east  portion  of  the  territory 
the  country  is  partly  covered  with  for- 
ests, but  beyond  this  commences  a vast 
ocean  of  prairie,  almost  level,  and  clothed 
in  grass  and  flowers.  As  yet  the  whole 
territory  is  inhabited  by  Indians,  but  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  pioneer 
will  penetrate  its  wilds,  and  bring  under 
cultivation  the  soil  that  from  its  creation 
has  not  been  turned  by  the  labor  of  man. 
The  wild  herds  will  be  replaced  by  the 
ox,  the  horse,  and  the  sheep  ; and  golden 
crops  will  succeed  the  flowers  and  grasses 
that  now  bloom  and  wither  without  use. 


L 


640  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


TERRITORY  OF 

The  history  of  New  Mexico  lies  very 
much  in  the  dark.  The  Spaniards,  it 
seems,  received  the  first  information  con- 
cerning it  in  1581,  from  a party  of  ad- 
venturers under  Captain  Francisco  de 
Levya  Bonillo,  who,  upon  finding  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  and  the  mineral 
wealth  of  the  country  to  be  similar  to 
those  of  Mexico,  called  it  New  Mexico. 
In  1594,  the  then  viceroy  of  Mexico, 
Count  de  Monterey,  sent  the  gallant  Ju- 
an de  Onate,  of  Zacatecas,  to  New  Mex- 
ico, to  take  formal  possession  of  the  coun- 
try in  the  name  of  Spain,  and  to  estab- 
lish colonies,  missions,  presidios  (forts), 
&c.  They  found  a great  many  Indian 
tribes  and  settlements,  which  they  suc- 
ceeded in  Christianizing  after  the  usual 
Spanish  manner,  with  sword  in  hand,  and 
made  them  their  slaves.  The  villages 
of  the  Christianized  Indians  were  called 
pueblos,  in  opposition  to  the  wild  and 
roving  tribes  that  refused  such  favors. 
Many  towns,  of  which  ruins  only  exist 
at  present,  were  then  established  ; many 
mines  were  worked ; and  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  country  seemed  to  be  secured, 
when,  quite  unexpectedly,  in  1680,  a 
general  insurrection  of  all  the  Indian 
tribes  broke  out  against  the  Spanish 
yoke.  The  Indians  massacred  every 
white  male ; and  the  then  governor  of 
New  Mexico,  Don  Antonio  de  Otermin, 
after  a hard  fight,  was  compelled  to  re- 
treat with  his  men  from  Santa  Fe,  and 
march  as  far  south  as  Paso  del  Norte, 
where  they  met  with  some  friendly  In- 
dians, and  laid  the  foundat  ion  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  that  name.  The  insurrection 
lasted  ten  years,  when  Spain  recovered 
possession  of  the  whole  province  of  New 
Mexico.  Several  other  revolts  occurred 
subsequently,  but  none  so  disastrous  as 
the  first.  However,  the  deep  rancor  of 
the  Indian  race  against  the  white  has 
continued  to  the  present  time,  and  in  all 
the  frequent  and  bloody  revolutions  of 
later  years  in  New  Mexico,  the  pueblos 
have  generally  acted  a conspicuous  and 
cruel  part. 

This  country  followed  the  fate  of  Mex- 


NEW  MEXICO. 

ico  after  the  revolution  that  overthrew 
the  Spanish  power,  and  since  that  period 
has  been  silently  degenerating.  The  his- 
tory of  New  Mexico,  previous  to  the  in- 
vasion by  the  Americans,  has  little  to  ar-  X 
rest  attention.  It  is  a conti  nuou^record  * 
of  barbarism  and  tyranny.  On  the  8th  1 
of  September,  1846,  Santa  Fe  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Americans  under  General 
Kearney,  and  soon  after  several  of  the 
river  towns  were  visited  on  his  route  to 
California.  A civil  government  was  now 
established.  On  the  19th  of  January, 
1847,  an  insurrection  broke  out  against 
the  Americans,  and  in  several  pueblos 
many  Americans  were  murdered,  among 
whom  were  Governor  Bent  and  Sheriff 
Lee.  Taos,  Arroya-Hondo,  and  Rio  Col- 
orado, were  the  chief  scenes  of  strife. 
The  battles  of  La  Canada  and  El  Em- 
budo  also  occurred  in  this  month,  and  in 
February  the  battle  of  Taos — in  all  of 
which  the  Mexicans  were  completely 
vanquished.  Some  few  skirmishes  oc- 
curred after  these,  but  none  of  impor- 
tance. From  this  period  the  United 
States  authorities  exercised  exclusive  ju- 
risdiction and  power.  On  the  2d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1848,  a treaty  of  peace  and  ces- 
sion was  signed  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
by  which  New  Mexico  was  assigned  to 
the  Union.  It  has  since  been  erected 
into  a separate  territory,  by  act  of  Con- 
gress, which  gave  ten  millions  of  dollars 
to  Texas  as  an  equivalent  for  the  claim 
she  preferred  to  that  portion  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  New  Mexico  which  lies  east  of 
the  Rio  Grande.  The  following  are  the 
boundaries  of  New  Mexico,  as  estab- 
lished by  Congress  : “ Beginning  at  a 
point  in  the  Coloitpdo  river  where  the 
boundary  line  with  the  republic  of  Mex- 
ico crosses  the  same  ; thence  eastwardly 
with  the  said  boundary  line  to  the  Rio 
Grande;  thence  following  the  main  chan- 
nel of  the  said  river  to  the  parallel  of  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  north  latitude; 
thence  east  with  said  degree  to  its  inter- 
section with  the  one  hundred  and  third 
degree  of  longitude  west  of  Greenwich  ; 
thence  north  with  said  degree  of  longi- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  641 


tude  to  the  parallel  of  thirty-eight  de- 
grees of  north  latitude  ; thence  west  with 
the  said  parallel  to  the  summit  of  the 
Sierra  Mad  re  ; thence  south  with  the 
crest  of  said  mountains  to  the  thirty-sev- 
enth parallel  of  north  latitude  ; thence 
west  with  said  parallel  to  its  intersection 
with  the  boundary  line  of  the  state  of 
California;  thence  with  said  boundary 
line  to  the  place  of  beginning.” 

New  Mexico  is  a very  mountainous 
country,  with  an  extensive  valley  in  the 
middle,  running  from  north  to  south,  and 
formed  by  the  Rio  del  Norte.  The  valley 
is  generally  about  twenty  miles  wide,  and 
bordered  on  the  east  and  west  by  mount- 
ain-chains— continuations  of  the  Rocky 
mountains — which  have  here  received 
different  names,  as  Sierra  blanca , de  los 
Organos,  oscura,  on  the  eastern  side,  and 
Sierra  de  los  Grullas,  de  Acha , de  los 
Mimbres,  toward  the  west.  The  height 
of  these  mountains,  south  of  Santa  Fe, 
may  upon  an  average  be  between  six 
and  eight  thousand  feet ; while  near  that 
town,  and  in  the  more  northern  regions, 
some  snow-covered  peaks  are  seen  that 
may  rise  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  mountains  are 
principally  composed  of  igneous  rocks, 
as  granite,  senite,  diorit,  basalt,  &c.  On 
the  higher  mountains  excellent  pine  tim- 
ber grows;  on  the  lower,  cedars,  and 
sometimes  oak;  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  mezquite. 

The  main  artery  of  New  Mexico  is  the 
Rio  del  ‘Norte,  the  longest  and  largest 
river  in  Mexico.  Its  head-waters  were 
explored  in  1807  by  Captain  Pike,  be- 
tween the  thirty-seventh  and  thirty-eighth 
degrees  of  noith  latitude  ; but  its  highest 
sources  are  supposed  to  be  about  two  de- 
grees farther  north  in  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains near  the  head-waters  of  the  Arkan- 
sas and  the  Rio  Grande  (or  the  Colorado 
of  the  west).  Following  agenerally  south- 
ern direction, »it  runs  through  New  Mex- 
ico, where  its  principal  affluent  is  the  Rio 
Chamas  from  the  west,  and  thence  winds 
its  way  in  a southeastern  course  through 
the  states  of  Chihuahua,  Coahuila,  and 
Tamaulipas,  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  in 
25°  56/  north  latitude.  Its  tributaries  in 
the  latter  states  are  the  Pecos,  from  the 
north,  and  the  Chonchos,  Salado,  Alamo, 


and  San  Juan,  from  the  south.  The  en- 
tire course  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  in  a 
straight  line,  would  be  nearly  twelve  hun- 
dred miles  ; but  by  the  meandering  of  its 
lower  half,  it  runs  at  least  two  thousand 
miles  from  the  region  of  eternal  snow  to 
the  almost  tropical  climate  of  the  gulf. 
The  elevation  of  the  river  above  the  sea 
near  Albuquerque,  in  New  Mexico,  is 
about  4,800  feet;  at  El  Paso  del  Norte, 
about  3,800  \ and  at  Reynosa,  between 
three  and  four  hundred  miles  from  its 
mouth,  about  170  feet.  The  fall  of  the 
water  between  Albuquerque  and  El  Paso 
appears  to  be  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
a mile,  and  below  Reynosa  one  foot  in 
two  miles.  The  fall  of  the  river  is  sel- 
dom used  as  a motive  power,  except  for 
running  some  flour-mills,  which  are  of- 
tener  worked  by  mules  than  by  water. 
The  principal  advantage  which  is  at  pres- 
ent derived  from  this  river  by  the  inhab- 
itants is  for  agricultural  purposes,  by 
their  well-managed  system  of  irrigation. 
As  to  its  navigation  in  New  Mexico,  it  is 
very  much  doubted  if  even  canoes  could 
be  used,  except  perhaps  during  May  or 
June,  when  the  liver  is  in  its  highest 
state,  from  the  melting  of  the  snow  in 
the  mountains.  The  liver  is  entirely  too 
shallow,  and  interrupted  by  too  many 
sand-bars,  to  promise  anything  for  navi- 
gation. On  the  southern  portion  of  the 
river,  the  recent  exploration  by  Captain 
Sterling,  of  the  United  States  steamer 
“ Major  Brown,”  has  proved  that  steam- 
boats may  ascend  from  the  gulf  as  far 
as  Laredo,  a distance  of  seven  hundred 
miles.  Although  this  steamer  did  not 
draw  over  two  feet  of  water,  yet  the  ex- 
plorers of  that  region  express  their  opin- 
ion that,  by  spending  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  a proper  improve- 
ment of  the  river  above  Mier,  boats  draw- 
ing four  feet  could  readily  ply  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  Lare- 
do. Whenever  a closer  connexion  be- 
tween this  head-point  of  navigation  and 
New  Mexico  shall  be  considered,  noth- 
ing will  answer  but  a railroad,  crossing 
from  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  the 
high  table-land  in  the  Mexican  state  of 
Chihuahua. 

The  soil  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  del 
Norte,  in  New  Mexico,  is  generally  sandy 


41 


. — — 

642  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


and  looks  poor,  bat  by  irrigation  it  pro- 
duces abundant  crops.  Though  agricul- 
ture is  earned  on  in  a very  primitive  way, 
with  the  hoe  alone,  or  with  a rude  plough, 
made  often  entirely  of  wood,  without  a 
particle  ofiron,  the  inhabitants  raise  large 
quantities  of  wheat,  Indian,  corn,  beans, 
onions,  and  red  peppers,  together  wilh 
some  fruits.  The  most  fertile  part,  of 
the  valley  begins  below  Santa  Fe,  along 
the  river,  and  is  called  Rio  abajo  (or  the 
[country]  down  the  river).  It  is  not  un- 
common there  to  raise  two  crops  within 
one  year. 

The  general  dryness  of  the  climate, 
and  the  aridity  of  the  soil,  in  New  Mex- 
ico, will  always  confine  agriculture  to 
the  valleys  of  the  water-courses,  which 
are  as  rare  as  over  all  Mexico — such,  at 
least,  as  contain  running  water  through- 
out the  year.  But  this  important  defect 
may  be  remedied  by  Artesian  wells.  On 
the  high  table-land  from  Santa  Fe  south, 
at  a certain  depth,  layers  of  clay  are 
found,  that  may  form  reservoirs  of  the 
sunken  water-courses  from  the  eastern 
and  western  mountain-chains,  which,  by 
the  improved  method  of  boring  (or  Ar- 
tesian wells),  might  be  easily  made  to 


cessful,  the  progress  of  agriculture  in 
New  Mexico  will  be  more  rapid,  and 
even  many  dreaded  jornadas  might  be 
changed  from  waterless  deserts  into  cul- 
tivated plains.  But  at  present,  irrigation 
from  a waier-course  is  the  only  available 
means  of  carrying  on  agriculture.  The 
irrigation  is  effected  by  damming  the 
streams,  and  throwing  the  water  into 
larger  and  smaller  ditches  (acequias) 
surrounding  and  intersecting  the  whole 
cultivated  land.  I'he  inhabitants  of  the 
towns  and  villages,  therefore,  locate  their 
lands  together,  and  allot  to  each  cultiva- 
tor a part  of  the  water  at  certain  periods. 
These  common  fields  are  generally  with- 
out fences,  which  are  less  needed,  as  the 
grazing  stock  is  guarded  by  herdsmen. 
The  finest  fields  are  generally  seen  on 
the  haciendas , or  large  estates,  belonging 
to  the  rich  property-holders  in  New  Mex- 
ico. These  haciendas  are  apparently  a 
remnant  of  the  old  feudal  system,  and 
were  granted,  with  the  Indians  and  all 


other  appurtenances,  by  the  Spanish 
crown  to  favorite  vassals.  The  inhabit- 
ants pay  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  stock,  and  the  great  owners 
are  possessed  of  large  numbers  of  horses, 
mules,  cattle,  and  sheep  ; these,  however, 
are  generally  of  small  size.  The  pastu- 
rage in  the  uncultivated  parts  of  the  ter- 
ritory is  extensive,  and  thousands  of  stock 
graze  thereon  throughout  the  year.  The 
Indians  prove  the  greatest  enemies  to 
the  farmers,  and  frequently  carry  off*  nu- 
merous herds  of  cattle,  &c. 

The  mines  of  New  Mexico  are  very 
rich.  Mining,  however,  has  long  been 
neglected  by  the  native  population,  and 
many  of  the  most  valuable  placers,  which 
were  formerly  worked,  have  been  wholly 
deserted.  Gold,  silver,  iron,  and  copper, 
are  plentiful  in  the  mountains.  Gold  is 
found  in  the  Sante  Fe  district  as  far  south 
as  Gran  Quivira,  and  north  as  far  as  the 
Rio  Sangre  de  Ci  isto.  The  poorer  clas- 
ses occupy  some  of  their  time  in  washing 
out  gold-dust,  which  is  largely  deposited 
in  the  mountain-streams.  The  mines  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Santa  Fe  are  the 
only  ones  worked  at  the  present  time. 
Silver-mines  were  worked  by  the  Span- 
iards at  Avo,  Cerillos,  and  in  the  Nambe 
mountains,  butoperations  havelongsince 
ceased.  Copper  is  abundant  throughout 
the  country,  and  iron  is  equally  so;  but 
these  metals  are  entirely  overlooked  by 
the  Mexicans  as  useless  ! Coal  has  also 
been  discovered  in  a number  of  places; 
and  gypsum,  both  common  and  selenite, 
is  found  in  large  quantities.  The  com- 
mon is  used  as  lime  for  whitewashing, 
and  the  crystalline,  or  selenite,  instead 
of  window-glass.  On  the  high  table- 
lands, between  the  Rio  del  Norte  and 
Pecos,  are  some  extensive  salinas,  or 
salt-lakes,  from  which  all  the  domestic 
salt  in  New  Mexico  is  procured.  Large 
caravans  from  the  capital  visit  these  in 
the  dry  season,  and  returif  with  as  much 
salt  as  they  can  conveniently  carry.  The 
merchants  exchange  one  bushel  of  salt 
for  an  equal  quantity  of  wheat,  or  sell  it 
for  one  or  sometimes  two  dollars  a bushel. 

The  climate  is  generally  temperate, 
constant,  and  healthy.  Considerable  at- 
mospheric differences,  however,  are  ex- 
perienced in  the  mountain  districts  and 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  643 


in  the  low  valley  of  the  river.  In  the 
latter,  the  summer-heat  sometimes  rises 
to  100°  Fahrenheit,  but  the  nights  are 
always  cool  and  pleasant.  The  winters 
are  comparatively  of  long  duration,  and 
frequently  severe.  The  sky,  however, 
is  clear  and  dry,  owing  to  the  condensa- 
tion of  the  moisture  on  the  frozen  hills. 
TJie  months  from  July  to  October  inclu- 
sive constitute  the  rainy  season,  but  the 
rains  are  neither  so  heavy  nor  so  regular 
in  their  returns  as  on  the  more  southern 
part  of  the  continent.  Disease  is  little 
known,  except  some  inflammations  and 
typhoid  fevers  in  the  winter  season.  In 
taking  the  census  of  the  territory  in  1850, 
many  remarkable  instances  of  longevity 
were  found  among  the  native  population, 
proving  New  Mexico  to  be  one  of  the 
most  healthful  regions  of  the  Union. 

Population. — The  whole  population 
of  New  Mexico  was,  according  to  the 
census  of  1793,  30,953;  in  1833,  it  was 
calculated  to  amount  to  52,360,  and  that 
number  to  consist  of  one  twentieth  Gap- 
uchines  (Spaniards),  one  fifth  creoles,  one 
fourth  mestizoes  of  all  grades,  and  one 
half  of  pueblo  Indians.  In  1842,  the  pop- 
ulation was  estimated  at  57,026  ; and  ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1850,  it  was  by 
counties  as  follows:  Santa  Fe,  7,713; 
Taos,  9,507;  Rio  Ariba,  10,668;  San 
Miguel,  7,071;  Santa  Ana,  4,656;  Ber- 
nalio,  7,752";  and  Valencia,  14,207.  To- 
tal, 61,574.  This  is  exclusive  of  the  in- 
dependent tribes  of  Indians  which  still 
exist  in  the  country.  The  Navajoes  are  a 
powerful  tribe,  inhabiting  a fine  country 
west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  numbering 
about  7,000  ; the  Eutaws  inhabit  the 
northwestern  frontier,  and  number  4,000 
or  5,000  ; the  Apaches , about  5,000,  roam 
over  the  vast  regions  east  of  the  Rio 
Grande  and  north  of  El  Paso  ; the  Jico- 
rilles , a branch  of  the  Apache  family, 
500  in  number,  are  neighbors  of  the  Eu- 
taws on  the  northwestern  frontier.  To 
these  must  be  added  large  parties  of  Ca- 
manches , Arrapahoes , and  Cheyennes — 
perhaps  36,000  in  number — which  infest 
the, borders  to  the  north  and  east,  and  lay 
the  unwary  traveller  under  contribution 
— frequently  committing  the  foulest  mur- 
ders, or  carrying  oft'  women  and  children 
into  captivity. 


The  chief  city  of  New  Mexico  is  Santa 
Fe,  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Spanish  set- 
tlements. Its  elevation  above  the  sea  is 
7,047  feet.  Santa  Fe  is  about  twenty 
miles  east,  in  a direct  line,  from  the  Rio 
del  Norte,  and  lies  in  a wide  plain,  sur- 
rounded by  lofty  mountains.  A small 
creek,  rising  in  the  hills  and  flowing  past 
the  city,  supplies  it  with  water.  The 
land  around  is  sandy,  poor,  and  destitute 
of  timber ; but  the  mountains  are  cov- 
ered with  pine  and  cedar.  No  pasturage 
is  observed  about  the  settlements,  and 
as  a consequence  stock  is  driven  to  the 
mountains.  The  climate  is  delightful, 
and  free  from  extremes  ; the  sky  is  clear 
and  cloudless,  and  the  atmosphere  dry. 
The  houses  are  built  of  adobes  (sunburnt 
brick),  but  one  story  high,  with  flat  roofs. 
The  streets  are  narrow  and  irregular. 
The  plaza , or  public  square,  is  spacious, 
and  one  side  is  occupied  by  the  official 
residence  of  the  executive  of  the  territo- 
ry. The  palace  is,  without  being  very 
grand,  a good  building,  and  exhibits  two 
curiosities,  viz.,  windows  of  glass,  and 
festoons  of  Indian  ears.  Among  the  pub- 
lic buildings  there  are  two  churches  with 
steeples,  but  of  an  ordinary  construction. 
There  are  thirty  or  forty  stores  in  the 
city,  principally  kept  by  Americans.  The 
inhabitants,  except  the  Americans,  are 
Spaniards  and  Indians,  and  the  castes 
sprung  from  an  indefinite  amalgamation 
of  the  two  races.  Society  is  in  a deplo- 
rable condition.  The  native  population 
spend  their  time  in  card-playing,  drink-' 
ing,  smoking,  and  at  fandangoes.  They 
are  expert  thieves,  and  live  in  a misera- 
ble state  of  ignorance,  superstition,  dirt, 
and  poverty.  The  city  proper  contains 
4,000  or  5,000  souls,  and  about  as  many 
more  .are  settled  within  its  jurisdiction. 
Santa  Fe  is  the  depot  of  a considerable 
commerce  carried  on  between  northern 
Mexico  and  the  western  states,  and  is 
generally  visited  by  the  overland  emi- 
grants to  California. 

Las  Vagas,  seventy-five  miles  from 
SaniaFe,  contains  about  400  inhabitants, 
with  a few  American  families.  It  is  a 
military  outpost,  and  has  one  company 
of  about  fifty  soldiers.  Tecalote,  ten 
miles  this  side  of  Las  Vagas,  has  about 
200  souls,  and  a few  American  families. 


644 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


San  Miguel,  fifteen  miles  this  side  of 
Las  Vagas,  has  about  700  souls,  but  no 
Americans.  San  Jose,  three  miles  far- 
ther on,  has  a population  of  about  300, 
all  Mexicans.  There  are  two  or  three 
other  small  villages,  off  the  road. 

Northwardly  from  Santa  Fe,  the  first 
town  of  importance  is  Canada  ( Canyar- 
thar )y  twenty-five  miles  distant.  It  is  a 
place  of  considerable  trade,  and  contains 
about  2,000  inhabitants.  The  town  is 
located  about  one  mile  from  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Rio  del  Norte.  The  valley 
is  thickly  settled,  and  is  said  to  be  among 
the  most  beautiful  and  fertile  portions  of 
New  Mexico.  The  river  is  at  this  place 
one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred 
yards  wide,  its  current  running  seven  or 
eight  miles  an  hour.  At  low-water  mark 
it  is  fordable.  Proceeding  on  about  for  - 
ty-five miles  farther,  passing  several  un- 
important places,  you  arrive  at  Taos, 
with  a population  of  about  2,000  souls. 
This  is  a military  station.  There  are  no 
American  families  here,  however.  The 
entire  Taos  valley  is  populous,  and  the 
people  are  wealthy.  There  are  about  a 
dozen  American  families  in  the  region, 
chiefly  farmers. 

Throughout  this,  as  well  as  the  valley 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  are  to  be  seen  mount- 
ains of  the  most  singular  shapes  imagina- 
ble. Some  of  them  appear  like  gigantic 
fortifications  of  very  ancient  date  ; others 
rise  hundreds  of  feet  in  the  form  of  pyra- 
mids, then  surmounted  by  lofty  towers 
of  symmetrical  proportions,  with  perpen- 
dicular sides.  One  high  mountain,  called 
the  Sugarloaf,  is  seen  north  of  Albiquin, 
resembling  a truncated  cone.  Approach- 
ing Albiquin,  the  valley  is  under  better 
cultivation,  and  more  productive.  This 
part  of  the  valley  is  more  thickly  settled 
than  that  below. 

Albiquin,  one  of  the  most  northern 
military  stations  in  the  territory,  is  a 
small  village,  formerly  an  Indian  pueblo, 
and  is  a roman' ic  place.  It  is  situated 
on  a high  bluff,  and  nearly  surrounded 
by  mountains.  That  part  of  the  valley 
seen  from  the  town  is  truly  charrping. 
The  Rio  Chalma  runs  through  the  centre 
of  it,  thus  rendering  irrigation  easy.  The 
Navajo  and  Eutaw  Indians  roam  through 
this  section  of  country,  to  prevent  whose 


depredaticns  a company  of  dragoons  is 
stationed  at  Albiquin. 

Southwardly  from  Santa  Fe,  the  first 
town  is  Agua  Fres  (Cold  Water),  six 
miles  distant,  and  containing  about  200 
inhabitants,  with  few  or  no  Americans. 
Algodonis,  forty  miles  distant,  also  has 
a population  of  about  200.  Sandia,  fifty- 
four  miles  from  Santa  Fe,  is  a pueblo  In- 
dian town,  containing  about  150  souls. 
Albuquerque,  a large  town  seventy  miles 
from  Santa  Fe,  has  a population  of  1,500. 
This  is  a military  station,  with  a few  resi- 
dent American  families.  Socora  is  an 
important  military  station  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  miles  south.  Zuni, 
about  two  handred  miles  distant,  is  an 
Indian  town  with  a population  of  2,000 
or  more.  This  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable tribes  on  the  continent,  highly 
civilized  in  some  respects  ; living  in  good, 
substantial  two-story  houses;  obtaining 
their  livelihood  by  agriculture;  not  war- 
like, yet  able  to  defend  thmselves  against 
all  their  enemies.  They  are  noted  for 
their  intelligence,  universal  benevolence, 
and  kindness  of  heart.  These  Indians 
are  now  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
In  the  same  vicinity  are  the  Mochins , 
who  are  very  similar  to  the  Zunians. 

El  Paso,  three  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  from  Santa  Fe,  situated  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  has  some  300  inhabitants  on  the 
American  side  of  the  river, •including  a 
few  settled  American  families.  A mili- 
tary post  is  established  there. 

Manners  and  Customs. — The  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  New  Mexicans 
proper  are  very  similar  to  those  over  all 
Mexico,  so  often  described  by  travellers 
to  that  country.  While  the  higher  clas- 
ses conform  themselves  more  to  Ameri- 
can and  European  fashions, #the  men  of 
the  lower  classes  are  faithful  to  their  se- 
rapes  or  colored  blankets,  and  to  their 
wide  trousers  with  glittering  buttons,  and 
split  from  hip  to  ankle,  to  give  the  white 
cotton  drawers  also  a chance  to  be  seen  ; 
and  the  ladies  of  all  classes  are  more. than 
justified  in  not  giving  up  their  coquettish 
rebozo,  a small  shawl  drawn  ovei;  the 
head.  Both  sexes  enjoy  the  cigarito  or 
paper-cigar,  hold  their  siesta  after  din- 
ner, and  amuse  themselves  in  the  even- 
ing with  monte  (a  hazard  game)  or  fan- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


645 


dangoes.  Their  dances,  which  are  very 
graceful,  are  generally  a combinati  >n  of 
quadrille  and  waltz. 

The  principal  ingredient  in  the  Mexi- 
can race  is  Indian  blood,  which  is  visible 
in  their  features,  complexion,  and  dispo- 
sition. The  men  are,  generally  taken, 
ill-featured,  while  the  women  are  often 
quite  handsome.  Anoi  her  striking  singu- 
larity is  the  wide  difference  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  two  sexes.'  While  the  men 
have  often  been  censured  for  their  indo- 
lence, mendacity,  treachery,  and  cruelty, 
the  women  are  active,  affectionate,  open- 
hearted,  and  even  faithful  when  their  af- 
fections at  e reciprocated.  Though  gen- 
erally not  initiated  in  the  art  of  reading 
and  writing,  the  females  possess  never- 
theless a strong  common  sense,  and  a nat- 
ural sympathy  for  every  suffering  being, 
be  it  friend  or  foe,  which  compensates 
them  in  some  degree  for  the  wants  of  a 
refined  education.  The  treat  ment  of  the 
Texan  prisoners  is  but  one  of  the  many 
instances  where  the  cruelties  of  the  Mex- 
ican men  wete  mitigated  by  the  disinter- 
ested kindness  of  their  women.  Many 
of  the  evils  of  the  present  state  of  society 
in  New  Mexico  will  no  doubt  be  eradi- 
cated by  the  contact  of  a mote  advanced 
civilization,  and  education  will  become  an 
indispensable  requisite  in  order  to  keep 
up  with  the  progress  of  commerce,  and 
the  influx  of  an  educated  population  from 
the  east. 

The  New-Mexicans  are  a very  de- 
vout, though,  at  the  same  time,  none  the 
less  immoral  people.  Their  devotion 
consists  in  all  the  forms,  penances,  con- 
fessions, and  discipline,  imposed  bv  their 
church.  All  these  are  performed  with 
undoubted  sincerity  and  heartfelt  devo- 
tion, and  upon  these  observances  and  on 
these  alone  are  based  all  their  hopes  of 
“eternal  life.”  The  New  Mexican  ri- 
sing generation  exhibit  an  aptness  to 
learn,  and  are  easily  controlled  and  di- 
rected, and  by  no  means  want  talent  and 
capacity  to  become  enlightened  and  in- 
dependent in  opinion.  With  a single  ex- 
ception, no  really  effective  schools  exist 
among  them,  though  much  desired  by  all 
composing  the  better  classes.  Could  a 
general  plan  of  education  be  established, 
much  good  might  be  expected  to  follow. 

It 


New  Mexico,  previous  to  the  late  war, 
as  before  remarked,  was  a state  of  the 
Mexican  republic,  and  its  rulers  consist- 
ed of  a governor  and  legislature  (junta 
departmental) ; but  as  the  latter  was 
more  an  imaginary  than  a real  power, 
the  governor  was,  in  fact,  despotic,  and 
subject  only  to  the  laws  of  revolution, 
which,  in  this  state,  were  very  freely  ad- 
minis;  ered  by  upsetting  the  gubernatorial 
chair  as  often  as  the  republic  at  large  did 
the  presidential.  Well  knowing  the  fa- 
vors of  fortune  were  at  all  limes  precari- 
ous, the  governors,  in  general,  while  in 
office,  plundered  the  treasury  and  pro- 
vided against  coniingencies  ! The  peo- 
ple, credulous  and  easily  deceived,  had 
to  submit  to  every  outrage;  and  should 
one,  more  courageous  than  his  fellows, 
assert  the  profligacy  of  the  government, 
his  doom  was  as  certain  as  speedy.  Thus 
has  New  Mexico  dragged  on  its  exist- 
ence— the  sport  of  despots  and  the  foot- 
ball of  fortune.  The  judiciary  was  as  de- 
pendent as  the  executive  was  indepen- 
dent, and  all  law  succumbed  to  the  dic- 
tates of  one  man.  Besides  these,  the 
clergy,  as  well  as  the  military  classes, 
had  their  own  courts  of  justice.  In  re- 
lation to  the  confederacy,  however,  New 
Mexico  always  maintained  greater  inde- 
pendence than  any  other  of  the  states — 
partly  from  its  distance  from  the  capital, 
but  more  from  the  spirit  of  opposition  in 
the  people,  who  derived  no  advantage 
from  the  connexion,  and  suffered  much 
from  its  taxation,  without  an  equivalent 
protection.  The  supreme  government 
never  succeeded  here  in  imposing  upon 
the  people  the  estranquillas,  or  monopo- 
ly of  the  sale  of  tobacco,  and  New  Mex- 
ico was  free  from  some  other  enormities. 
In  the  same  way  the  people  resisted  the 
introduction  of  copper  coin.  This  loose 
connexion  with  the  central  power  will 
aid  much  in  the  assimilation  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  newly-acquired  territory  with 
i he  immigrants  from  other  parts  ot  the 
American  Union,  especially  as  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  latter  will  bestow  upon 
them — what  the  former  could  not — sta- 
bility, safety,  protection,  and  the  just 
righis  which  are  enjoyed  by  all  persons 
under  the  aegis  of  American  republican 
principles.. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  UTAH. 


TERRITORY  OF  UTAH. 


That  portion  of  Alta-California,  now 
designated  as  the  territory  of  Utah,  was 
never  settled  by  the  Spaniards,  nor  was 
it  ever  more  than  a nominal  dependency 
of  that  nation  or  of  the  Mexican  repub- 
lic. Previous  to  the  Mexican  war,  in- 
deed, few  white  men,  except  those  en- 
gaged in  scientific  explorations,  had  en- 
tered ihe  country.  About  the  period 
when  that  war  broke  out,  the  Mormons 
were  driven  from  their  city  of  Nauvoo, 
in  Illinois,  by  mob  violence ; and  shortly 
afterward  a portion  of  them,  under  the 
leadership  of  Strang,  removed  to  Beaver 
island  in  Lake  Michigan,  while  the  main 
body  of  the  sect,  directed  by  Brigham 
Young  (who  was  regarded  as  their  true 
“ prophet”  after  the  death  of  their  found- 
er, Joseph  Smith,  and  in  opposition  to  the 
“ infidel”  leader  Strang),  migrated  to  the 
borders  of  the  Great  Salt  lake.  Their  set- 
tlements became  prosperous  and  popu- 
lous, and  within  two  years  after  the  first 
pioneers  had  entered  the  country,  their 
numbers  had  increased  to  about  10  000. 
After  peace  had  been  ratified,  they  found 
themselves  without  a civil  government, 
and  without  protection  for  their  persons 
or  property.  To  remedy  this  anomalous 
condition  of  things,  they  organized  a.  tem- 
porary government  under  the  slyle  of  the 
“ State  of  Deseret.”  Under  its  sanc- 
tion they  elected  officers  to  manage  the 
affairs  of  the  commonwealth,  and  made 
application  to  Congress  to  be  admitted 
into  the  Union  as  a sovereign  state.  But 
Congress  did  not  deem  that  this  new  set- 
tlement had  arrived  at  that  state  of  ma- 
turity which  would  justify  its  erection 
into  a state,  and  passed  a law  authorizing 
its  organization  as  a territory,  with  the 
following  limits  : on  the  west  it  is  bound- 
ed by  the  state  of  California,  on  the  north 
by  the  territory  of  Oregon,  on  the  east 
by  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  on  the  south  by  the  thirty-seventh 
parallel  of  latitude.  Congress  reserved 
‘the  right  with  Utah,  as  also  with  New 
Mexico,  to  divide  it  into  two  or  more 
territories,  or  to  attach  portions  of  it  to 
any  state  or  territory  in  such  manner  and 


at  such  times  as  it  shall  deem  convenient 
and  proper. 

Utah  is  one  of  the  most  singular  coun- 
tries in  the  world.  The  great  basin  in 
which  it  is  situated  between  the  Sierra 
Nevada  and  the  mountains  of  New  Mex- 
ico, is  some  five  hundred  miles  in  diame- 
ter every  way,  and  comprises  an  area  of 
393,691  square  miles.  It  is  between  four 
and  five  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  shut  in  all  around  by  mount- 
ains, with  its  own  system  of  lakes  and 
rivers,  and  without  any  direct  connexion 
with  the  ocean.  Partly  arid  and  thinly 
inhabited,  its  general  character  is  that  of 
a desert,  but  with  great  exceptions — 
there  being  many  parts  of  it  very  fit  for 
the  residence  of  a.  civilized  people  ; and 
of  these  the  Mormons  have  established 
themselves  in  one  of  the  largest  and  best. 
Mountain  is  the  predominating  structure 
of  the  interior  of  the  basin,  with  plains 
between — the  mountains  wooded  and  wa- 
tered, the  plains  arid  and  sterile. 

In  the  northern  part  of  this  basin  lies 
the  Great  Salt  lake.  The  waters  of  this 
sheet  are  shallow,  so  far  as  explored ; 
though  probably  its  central  parts  will  be 
found  very  deep.  Its  waters  are  intense- 
ly salt,  more  so  than  those  of  the  ocean 
— three  gallons  making  one  gallon  of  the 
purest,  whitest,  and  finest  salt.  South- 
east of  this  lake,  shut  in  by  the  mount- 
ains, lies  the  Mormon  valley,  which  con- 
tains their  capital  city.  This  valley  is 
thirty  miles  long  by  twenty-two  broad, 
connected  with  another  valley  which  is 
about  fifty  miles  by  eight.  These  two 
valleys  contain  the  principal  body  of  the 
settlers,  to  the  number  of  some  30,000  or 
40,000.  Explorers*  think  that  they  are 
capable  of  supporting  a population  of  a 
million.  The  Humboldt  river  is  the  prin- 
cipal water-course  of  the  great  basin,  and 
possesses  qualities  which,  in  the  progress 
of  events,  may  give  it  both  value  and 
fame.  It  lies  in  the  line  of  travel  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  Oregon,  and  is  the  best  route 
now  known  through  the  great  basin,  and 
the  one  travelled  by  emigrants.  Its  di- 
rection, east  and  west,  is  the  right  course 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  UTAH.  647* 


for  that  travel.  It  furnishes  a level,  un- 
obstructed way  for  nearly  three  hundred 
miles,  and  a plentiful  supply  of  the  in- 
dispensable articles  of  water,  wood,  and 
grass.  Its  head  is  toward  the  Great  Salt 
lake,  and  consequently  toward  the  Mor- 
mon settlements,  which  must  become  a 
point  in  the  line  of  emigration  to  Califor- 
nia and  the  lower  Columbia.  Its  termi- 
nation is  within  fifty  miles  of  the  base  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  opposite  the  Sal- 
mon Trout  river  pass — a pass  only  seven 
thousand*two  hundred  feet  above  the  lev- 
el of  the  sea,  and  less  than  half  that  above 
the  level  of  the  basin,  and  leading  into 
the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  some  forty 
miles  north  of  Sutter’s  fort.  These  prop- 
erties give  to  this  river  a prospective 
value  in  future  communications  with  the 
Pacific.  The  Rio  Gila  bounds  the  ter- 
ritory on  the  south,  and  the  Rio  Colora- 
do traverses  it  in  a southwest  direction 
from  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  gulf 
of  California,  into  which  both  rivers  emp- 
ty by  one  mouth. 

The  City  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
tho  capital  of  Utah,  is  beautifully  laid 
out,  within  a.  short  distance  of  the  mount- 
ain forming  the  eastern  end  of  the  valley. 
It  contains  from  20,000  to  25,000  inhab- 
itants, who  are  mostly  engaged  in  agri- 
culture, though  a portion *of  their  time  is 
devoted  to  mechanical  pursuils  when  un- 
derstood. The  streets  of  the  city  inter- 
sect each  other  at  right  angles,  and  each 
block  is  half  a mile  square,  with  an  alley 
from-  east  to  west  and  north  to  south. 
Each  block  is  called  a ward,  and  has  a 
bishop  to  preside  over  its  government, 
whose  duties  are  to  act  as  magistrates, 
tax-collectors,  and  preachers,  as  well  as 
street  commissioners.  The  city  and  all 
the  farming  land  are  irrigated  by  streams 
of  pure  water  which  flow  from  the  adja- 
cent mountains:  these  streams  have  been, 
with  great  labor  and  perseverance,  led  in 
every  direction.  In  the  city  they  flow 
on  each  side  of  the  different  streets,  and 
their  waters  are  let  upon  the  inhabitants’ 
gardens  at  regular  periods;  so  likewise 
upon  the  extensive  fields  of  grain  lying 
in  the  south  of  the  city. 

Fifty  miles  south  of  this  city  is  the 
Utah  lake  and  valley.  Here  lies  the  city 
of  Prava,  on  the  Prava  river.  The  lake 


is  of  pure  water,  eight  miles  long  by  four 
in  width,  and  abounds  in  fish.  There  is 
still  another  valley,  one  hundred  miles 
farther  south,  called  San  Pete,  where  is 
also  a settlement ; and  here  are  the  hie- 
roglyphic  ruins,  the  remains  of  glazed 
pottery,  &c.,  that  indicate  the  former  ex- 
istence of  the  outlying  cities  of  the  Aztec 
empire. 

Wheat,  oats,  and  barley,  yield  abun- 
dantly in  the  great  valley.  Melons  and 
all  the  vines  grow  in  perfection,  as  also 
do  vegetables  ; while  hopeful  efforts  are 
making  to  raise  the  olive,  orange,  lemon, 
pineapple,  tea,  coffee,  &c.  The  valley 
below  produces  tropical  fruits,  while  the 
beach  land  or  old  lake  shore,  at  the  alti- 
tude of  three  or  four  hundred  feet,  brings 
forth  all  the  productions  of  the  temperate 
zones;  and  si  ill  higher  tip,  the  cedar,  pine, 
juniper,  and  other  ever  greens  of  a north- 
ern clime,  flourish.  The  pasturage  on 
the  plains,  as  well  as  on  the  beach  land 
and  side-hills,  is  luxuriant  (the  verdure 
reaching  to  the  mountain-tops),  equal  for 
fattening  qualities  to  that  of  California. 

Utah  abounds  in  minerals.  A geo- 
graphical survey  has  brought  to  light  an 
inexhaustible  bed  of  stone-coal,  equalling 
that  of  Newcastle  ; iron  ore,  with  a vein 
of  silver  running  through  it,  which  latter 
alone  would  pay  for  working ; gold,  in 
small  quantities,  and  platina,  are  found; 
and  traces  of  copper  and  zinc  have  been 
discovered.  Its  mineral  springs  are  fa- 
mous, little  as  they  have  been  tried,  and 
their  analysis  shows  them  to  be  equal  to 
those  most  resorted  to  at  the  east. 

The  country  only  needs  a thorough  in- 
vestigation, and  hands  enough  to  develop 
its  resources,  and  the  population  will  be 
independent  of  supplies  from  other  quar- 
ters. In  conducting  the  river  Jordan  by 
canal  to  the  city  of  ihe  Great  Salt  lake, 
a distance  of  twenty-five  miles  along  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  an  immense  scope 
of  land  is  brought  under  the  influence  of 
irrigation,  besides  a vast  water-power  for 
machinery.  The  Mormons  are  already 
about  to  set  up  and  finish  their  machines, 
furnaces,  &c.,  for  smelting  ore,  casting 
rails,  and  finishing  engines,  for  manufac- 
turing purposes  as  well  as  for  railways 
to  conuect  themselves  with  the  neighbor- 
ing country.  A southern  railway,  to  tap 


648  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TERRITORY  OF  UTAH. 


the  Pacific  at  some  practicable  point,  is 
a favorite  plan  with  them  ; a road  to  Ore- 
gon is  also  contemplated  ; and  the  rail- 
way from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Missouri  to  the  Salt-lake  valley  will  one 
day  be  as  much  travelled  as  any  of  our 
main  thoroughfares  are  at  present. 

The  whole  character  of  the  territory  of 
Utah  is  singular.  While  its  geographi- 
cal position  and  features  are  unlike  those 
of  any  other  portion  of  North  America, 
its- origin  and  the  manner  of  its  settle- 
ment are  no  less  strange.  It  is  doubtful 
if  it  would  have  been  settled  for  many 
years  to  come,  had  not  persecution  driven 
the  Mormons  to  seek  refuge  and  a home 
in  its  distant  limits.  They  established 
themselves  here,  at  first,  with  the  idea 
that  they  would  be  cut  off  from  the  world 
by  the  natural  difficulties  of  the  contigu- 
ous territory  and  the  peculiarity  of  their 
situation.  Here  they  expected  to  form, 
in  secrecy  and  silence,  a great,  peculiar 
religious  empire  ; but  the  stream  of  Cali- 
fornia emigration  discovered  their  trail 
and  invaded  their  principality,  and  their 
territory  is  now  the  open,  exposed  half- 
way house  to  the  Pacific.  Its  peculiar 
locality  is  and  will  continue  to  be  of 
essential  service  as  a stopping-place  for 
the  army  of  emigrants  that,  year  after 
year,  will  seek  California  or  Oregon  by 
the  southern  pass  ; and  when  the  Pacifio 
railway  is  completed,  it  will  prove  of  in- 
calculable benefit  as  a great  station-house 
on  the  route.  The  apprehension,  how- 


ever, is  not  altogether  groundless,  that 
in  a community  whose  peculiar  religious 
faith  is  made  paramount  to  all  other  ob- 
ligations, a spirit  of  disaffection  may  be 
engendered  toward  the  United  States 
government,  which  will  result  in  an  at- 
tempt to  renounce  their  allegiance,  and 
to  place  themselves  beyond  the  protect- 
ing aegis  of  the  Union.  Indeed,  such  a 
feeling  has  already  “ cast  its  shadow  be- 
fore.” It  is  to  be  hoped,  however,  that 
while  all  their  natural  and  constitutional 
rights  shall  be  properly  respected,  a wise 
and  timely  precaution  will  be  exercised 
by  the  United  States  authorities  to  insure 
from  them  a due  obedience  to  the  con- 
stitution and  laws  of  the  Union.  And 
however  much  we  may  regret  to  see  a 
community,  numbering  a population  of 
some  40,000  souls,  so  wedded  to  a reli- 
gious faith  which  is  little  short  of  the 
wildest  fanaticism,  and  among  whose 
fruits  is  gross  licentiousness,  we  can  not 
but  admire  the  enterprise,  the  industry 
and  perseverance,  which  have  laid  the 
foundation  of  a future  state  in  the  deep 
recesses  of  our  vast  wilderness  territory, 
and  which  are  destined  to  transform  that 
desert  region  into  smiling  gardens  and 
fruitful  fields.  The  foundation  of  Utah 
will  stand  on  the  page  of  history  as  co- 
eval with  that  of  California,  and  the  rec- 
ord of  its  rise  and  progress  wull  be  re- 
garded (though  for  far  different  reasons) 
as  scarcely  less  marvellous  and  unprece- 
dented. 


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